Supplemental lighting -affects on long term laying?

[iwltfum]

I've seen and heard alot about supplemental lighting and how much it's worth it, economically, to provide extra light to your birds during the dead of winter. I've even seen the difference myself after having used extra light in the winter for my birds. What I failed to record or even try to observe was the results of extra light on SUMMER laying and how the extra light during the winter affects chickens laying rates and health over the life of the bird. It seems that, with the finite amount of eggs that a chicken can create and considering the cycles that everything must live and die by, it very possible that shifting the pattern of eggs in winter might also shift the pattern of eggs in the summer. If you think of eggs per year in terms of a sine wave, if you raise the lower portion of the curve up towards the x axis, then the higher portion of the curve reacts conversely (shrinks down towards the x axis) making, in this case, the "total number of eggs per year" equal after it all gets washed out in the yearly accounting. I do understand that chickens don't live my mathematical equations, but am I alone in thinking that extra light doesn't necessarily mean extra eggs in the long run? Does anyone know of any research that looks into this question?

 

[ronott1]

Hens have about 3000 ovum https://extension.psu.edu/hen-reproduction that can become eggs. Egg laying starts slowing down after the first molt and quite fast with some breeds.

If a hen were to lay 200 a year it would take more than 10 years plus to run out of eggs.

The big issue with extra light in the winter(no effect in the summer) is more egg binding issues.

Since a hen will usually stop laying eggs by age 5, and slows down a lot before then, running out of ovum is not an issue

 

[Mrs. K]

No, the light in the winter should not affect the laying in the summer. It is the length of daylight that encourages birds to lay. Not a man made count of eggs / year average.

There is a theory out there, that over all, using light in the winter may cause them to stop laying sooner in their old age, but that is really only a concern if you plan to keep birds until they are very old. People who want them for eggs, tend to cycle the birds in and out of the flock much before that.

Mrs K

 

[Birdinhand]

laying through the winter does not effect summer laying. first year they lay through the winter, second year they begin the once a year molt cycle where they stop laying no matter what the light exposure is. as mentioned above, they have more ovum than they will ever use either way... age catches up faster than anything else. from the research I have read coupled with my own obesrvations, supplemental light when needed, assuring a total light window of 12-14 hours, actually improves health and well being. I live in the northwest, before I started adding light, they got off the roost at 10AM and got back on by 3:30 during the winter, and they seemed to lose weight. if they get enough light, the eat more and their hormones are more balanced, they are more active and appear to stay healthier with solid egg laying.

 

[aart]

Nope, they won't 'run out of eggs'...but they may become unhealthy enough not to lay if not given an annual period of rest.
I have used lights all 5 winters here, in varying applications with varying results(of course) both due to the different applications as well as different birds reacting in different ways.
There are so many variables, other than light, it would be hard to conduct a viable 'study'.

One year I did have the 'more eggs in winter meant less eggs in summer' scenario.
2 birds in particular, ~18mo, laid all winter then molted in spring. SMH.

This year I turned on the lights in Nov, after the most the adults were at least well into or done with their molts. I had pullets I wanted to keep/start laying. Well, that worked, kinda...pullets seemed to stop when hens started back in in mid Dec. Couple weeks after Solstice they are all laying, hens and pullets.
Not only is daily duration of light needed for hormone stimulation,
whether the days are increasing or decreasing can have an affect.
Not sure if it's actually the increasing or decreasing duration,
or the angle of the sun as the earth tilts that they perceive.

Long term health detriment is less of concern here as I rotate new and old layers annually. I don't have any layers older than 3-4 years.....they go to soup.

Use lights or not, lots of variables and opinions....
...in the end, it's up to you to find what works best for your goals.

 

[Mrs. K]

I don't add lights, no electricity to my coop. I do not expect to get more eggs from the hens until late January. My pullets have laid all winter, (thank God!).