Official BYC Poll: Where Do You Get Your Eggs From When Your Hens Are Molting?

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

If mine aren't laying then I don't eat eggs.
So far though I haven't had that problem even through Winter I've had a small egg supply from first year pullets.
I have plans for more chickens though for a better eggs supply and it's now Spring here so any day I should get a broody or few ready for the job!!

 

[Brooks_]

Other. Somewhere between they still give enough and doing without. If I have to have eggs for a recipe, I guess I would buy the high end eggs and the hen's living conditions are as labeled.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I had 10 chickens at one point, all different ages (some over a year old) and 0 eggs

That's me every winter, I'm used to it now.

 

[Ascholten]

Luckily I have never had any issues where they decide to all synch up and molt at the same time and shut me down. I have always had eggs coming from one butt or two at least

With that being said, honest question, is molting something that is 'seasonally driven' or can they synch up somehow and your whole flock is out at one time?

Aaron

 

[Parront]

Luckily I have never had any issues where they decide to all synch up and molt at the same time and shut me down. I have always had eggs coming from one butt or two at least

With that being said, honest question, is molting something that is 'seasonally driven' or can they synch up somehow and your whole flock is out at one time?

Aaron

Yes, when the days start to get shorter, like now, all of your older birds could molt at the same time. Young just starting to lay pullets might keep laying all winter, but extra light helps. I have a light that comes on now @ 8pm. Soon I will be turning on the light for them at 6 am, too.

 

[Ascholten]

Yes, when the days start to get shorter, like now, all of your older birds could molt at the same time. Young just starting to lay pullets might keep laying all winter, but extra light helps. I have a light that comes on now @ 8pm. Soon I will be turning on the light for them at 6 am, too.

I have heard many 'stories' of how artificial light is really detrimental to your bids overall health and longevity. What is your opinion on this.

I keep a bug lamp lit in my coop for the obvious reason. The one bimbo, or would that be bimbette? stays up late at night watching the thing, waiting for stunned moths and lizards looking to geem a free meal to fall and gobble them. Is this extra light significantly harming them?

Aaron

 

[Missceegee]

I’ve only had chickens since January, but they all quit laying for a couple weeks when they had dry pox. I have 13 hens and 1 roo from the January flock and merged in 7 more hens born in March. Just this past week they started laying again. I’m getting 12-14 a day. Today was a first egg for 2 of them. I froze 4 dozen in breast milk bags, two to a bag. I plan to water glass more of them 6-12 per week.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Luckily I have never had any issues where they decide to all synch up and molt at the same time and shut me down. I have always had eggs coming from one butt or two at least

With that being said, honest question, is molting something that is 'seasonally driven' or can they synch up somehow and your whole flock is out at one time?

Aaron

Last year it seemed we didn't have eggs from early October through February, when I finally got disgusted and put a light in the coop and added about four hours of light to the coop every evening. . Whether the light helped or not I can't say but within two weeks we started getting eggs. The drop in production was only partly due to molt, it was also due to shorter daylight hours. Only half my layers were old enough to molt. I have a total of about 20 hens.

ETA: Each of our chicken groups are purchased at the same time, so it makes sense they would pretty much molt simultaneously.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Please note edit to previous post.

 

[Ascholten]

I didn't notice too much decreased production in the winter. Well it did, let's say they need 12 hours of sunlight to poop an egg. Since there is only 8 hours, some times you'd go into the second day before she let one out type thing, but did not see where they stopped alltogether or went way way down.

I was told that putting lights to increase daylight to boost egg production takes its toll on their lifespan after a while, and max egg production is not MY goal here, it don't bother me if they miss a day or two. I get where other people this IS a big deal, t hat is their livlihood or whatnot but for me was not that big a deal, I just want them to be happy and healthy mostly... when im not yelling at them and throwing things at them for eating my squash off the vine.....
Aaron