- Nov 13, 2014
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Hi! I have 2 barred rock and 2 Easter Egger standard pullets hatched about June 15 of this year- I suspect the EEs are a week older. So, currently 11-ish weeks old. They seem to be just starting their second juvenile molt and are doing a nice gentle soft job of it.
I live in Oakland where the days are currently about 13 hours long, but they'll get down to 9.5 hours long in December. It's temperate all year, so they basically only go into the coop to roost and spend the rest of their time in the run/yard. If we assume I would normally start looking out for first eggs at 20 weeks, that would put me in November. Are the pullets likely to start laying with so little daylight? I don't expect the hens to be putting out anywhere near 5 eggs a week each in the winter -- I do think of eggs as seasonal -- but I would like them to start partially earning their keep.
1) Are they likely to start laying this winter on their own?
2) If not, is there a way to get them to start laying without stressing their systems?
I live in Oakland where the days are currently about 13 hours long, but they'll get down to 9.5 hours long in December. It's temperate all year, so they basically only go into the coop to roost and spend the rest of their time in the run/yard. If we assume I would normally start looking out for first eggs at 20 weeks, that would put me in November. Are the pullets likely to start laying with so little daylight? I don't expect the hens to be putting out anywhere near 5 eggs a week each in the winter -- I do think of eggs as seasonal -- but I would like them to start partially earning their keep.
1) Are they likely to start laying this winter on their own?
2) If not, is there a way to get them to start laying without stressing their systems?