Question about cold weather laying

[wamtazlady]

I would guess that you won't get eggs until February. Yes, your girls will be old enough in November. However, with the lack of daylight I think it is unlikely that they will lay unless you provide light. They'll wait until the days are getting longer again.

 

[iLikeMineFried]

For some reason the BYC app on my phone won't let me upload pictures. The coop is 6'wide by 9'long. I can put another vent in the wall above the window too if you don't think I have enough.

 

[bobbi-j]

Oftentimes, pullets that start laying in the fall will continue to lay all winter without supplemental light.

 

[wamtazlady]

Oftentimes, pullets that start laying in the fall will continue to lay all winter without supplemental light.

Mine did that this last winter. Pullets hatched in Feb. All but one laying before winter. The one hold out didn't lay an egg until Feb. Averaged 10 eggs a day all winter from 13 layers. I'm not expecting that this year. They already seem to be in molt so my egg count is way down. Will be borrowing 4 hens from a friend to make sure we get eggs during the winter.

 

[aart]

Quote: I'm hoping for that this winter with 10 pullets(5 laying now) from late March hatch....will keep 5 older birds that have or are molting now.
First winter without supplemental lighting......curious to see what happens.

@wamtazlady how old are the hens you are borrowing?

 

[BarbiD]

Your young birds are going through the juvenile moult...My coop and run looked like a pillow fight happened...
As for cold weather laying...My hens lay all winter...I run a heat lamp as soon as it gets cold...I have sand in my coop so I do not have too worry so much about fire as most people do....My water never freezes and my birds are happy and healthy all winter long!

Thank you! Your post answered several of my questions. My Polish is loosing feathers all over the place but she's not yet 6 months old. Did not know about the juvenile molt! And I use sand in my coop too and was wondering if it was going to be warm enough this winter as I keep reading that straw is such a good insulator. If you're in Canada and use sand...then I'm not going to worry about our Virginia winters LOL. Being on the coast, we do get some very strong blows and nor'easters though but I know our temps cannot be as low as yours. I do have a question for you...do you leave the heat lamp on all the time? I only used one in my coop when I first put our babies out because the night time temps were still a little low. I've been told by several folks not to heat the coop in the winter because the birds would not become acclimated to the temp changes. Also, I moved my waterer out of the coop to the run because the sand was staying wet around it and I did not want mold to form. Do you not have an issue with wet sand around the waterer? Only my feeder is in the coop now. Thanks in advance for your advice!!

 

[chickens really]

Thank you! Your post answered several of my questions. My Polish is loosing feathers all over the place but she's not yet 6 months old. Did not know about the juvenile molt! And I use sand in my coop too and was wondering if it was going to be warm enough this winter as I keep reading that straw is such a good insulator. If you're in Canada and use sand...then I'm not going to worry about our Virginia winters LOL. Being on the coast, we do get some very strong blows and nor'easters though but I know our temps cannot be as low as yours. I do have a question for you...do you leave the heat lamp on all the time? I only used one in my coop when I first put our babies out because the night time temps were still a little low. I've been told by several folks not to heat the coop in the winter because the birds would not become acclimated to the temp changes. Also, I moved my waterer out of the coop to the run because the sand was staying wet around it and I did not want mold to form. Do you not have an issue with wet sand around the waterer? Only my feeder is in the coop now. Thanks in advance for your advice!!

I do run the heat lamp all winter...The coop is not toasty warm, although my water does not freeze..I keep my waterer on two bricks...If the sand gets wet I scoop it under the heat lamp and it dries fast...The heat keeps the sand warm..I always let the ladies out into the run every morning, even on bitter cold days....

Best of luck...

 

[bobbi-j]

OP - I see you are in Virginia. Your chickens will be fine without a heat lamp. I'm in MN and don't even put the windows in my cool until it gets down into the teens. Pop door might get shut when it gets into the teens below zero. Your pullets will likely lay throughout the winter without supplemental light. When I use light, I just use a 40-watt bulb on a timer.

 

[wamtazlady]

I'm hoping for that this winter with 10 pullets(5 laying now) from late March hatch....will keep 5 older birds that have or are molting now.
First winter without supplemental lighting......curious to see what happens.

@wamtazlady how old are the hens you are borrowing?

They hatched in late March/early April and many are laying already. Friend ended up suffering from chicken math and brought home too many babies when they went on sale for half price at the feed store. She's happy to let a few come to my house for the winter to relieve some of the crowding she'll have.

I'm looking at wintering 7 birds that hatched Feb 2015, 4 birds from my friend, and 10 4 week old chicks hatched by one of my hens. We'll cull the roosters from that batch of chicks during the winter. Expecting those chicks to start laying tons of eggs starting in Feb next year. In spring I should be down to the dozen birds I want for the summer.