Thinking ahead to winter - light in the coop?

[jahphotogal]

I remember someone telling me, back when I was first thinking about getting chickens, that you can put a light in the coop in late fall/winter to stimulate egg-laying.

I'm wondering if most people do that, or if it's harmful to the chickens (or shortens their -egglaying life.)

If you don't put in lights, do you get any eggs at all in winter?

If the chicken house isn't insulated (mine isn't) will the eggs freeze?

 

[Judy]

Adding light during the winter is a personal choice. You will find people who say it's unnatural and stressful, and others who say it's the logical thing to do. They are born with a finite number of eggs; presumably they stop laying a little younger if light is added and it increases the number of eggs.

Some breeds lay better in winter than others. They may just lay fewer without stopping altogether. My Australorps slow down a little, my EE's I believe stop entirely.

I tried it one year and didn't use it the next. I'm not sure that I got any fewer eggs without light. I'm sure it makes some difference but not sure it makes a lot, if you have breeds like Leghorns or Australorps who tend to lay close to daily. Right now I have 5 hatchery Australorps, 2 production reds, one EE, and some mutts hatched here. They are all over a year old.

I had the light come on around 3 AM and turn off after dawn so they wouldn't be suddenly in the dark at night.

Eggs can freeze, yes, but since they are laid during the day you should be able to avoid it. Between the warmth that the birds generate in the coop and the warmth held by the egg resting in hay or other nesting material, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. If one freezes and does not break, you can still scramble or bake it, it just won't be the best choice for over easy.

Plenty of people in the north do not insulate.

 

[jahphotogal]

Thanks, this is helpful. I have three Wyandottes (1 Columbian, 2 Golden-laced) and two EE's . The EE's are the younger ones that probably won't start laying at all til the end of October or even later - since I've read that they start later anyway. They were born in late May.

I'm basically planning to put a ton of bedding in the coop for insulation if they want to snuggle into it, and leave it as is - fairly open to the elements. I may put more tarps on if that seems insufficient, but from everything I've read they should be pretty cold-hardy.

 

[ailurophile23]

I have used a light in the coop but more as a conveninece for me in the dark days of winter. The first year chickens didn't seem to slow down before I added the light. The thing that really slows down laying in my flock is molting. But I do have a light in the coop and have it on a timer for the winter so the chickens are still up when I come in to do chores after work (often after dark). As for freezing eggs - are your nest boxes in the coop or hanging off the coop on the outside? Here in the mountains of VA with nest boxes hanging off the outside of the coop and with me getting home after dark, I have had a few really cold days where eggs have frozen and cracked. One way I helped get around that was to use a red light near the nest box area - some heat throughout the cold nights but didn't disturb the chickens.