Three Easter Eggers laying like crazy over this winter.

[ColorCountry]

I have three Easter Egger hens that will be two years old this March. They are all healthy and their feathers look beautiful. Every day they get black oil sunflower
seeds, some bird seed and freeze dried black soldier fly larvae. But I digress.

Back in November of last year they all stopped laying eggs. One was molting, and the other two were not. I figured the short days and the molting had something
to do with no eggs. No problem. I placed a 250 W. heat lamp in the coop near the waterer to keep it from freezing during our cold nights here in Cedar City, Utah.
I also installed the heat lamp to keep the coop from freezing while my one hen was molting. She had a lot of feathers missing all over.

Fast forward to the latter part of December and this month. All the hens are laying like they would during the summer months, and I was wondering if the red light
from the heat lamp is contributing to this? I would think a white light would mimic daylight better than a red light, but I don't know. Any thoughts?

 

[fin-dachickmasta]

It is all the heat. their bodies think it is summer/late spring. Maybe the red but most likely heat.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

How was their laying last winter or were they not old enough to lay then? Some hens just do lay during the winter. I have a few that just keep on going.
In my experience chickens treat red light like no light but that isn't based on an egg laying light situation as I don't need to us supplemental light.

 

[ColorCountry]

How was their laying last winter or were they not old enough to lay then? Some hens just do lay during the winter. I have a few that just keep on going.
In my experience chickens treat red light like no light but that isn't based on an egg laying light situation as I don't need to us supplemental light.

 

[ColorCountry]

Thank you all for the replies. Last winter my girls weren't laying as much as this winter.
so, I think the heat may be the reason. I added the heat lamp to help my smaller hen
who was molting. Now that she is 100% feathered, I have turned off the heat lamps to
see what happens. I have a white lamp on a timer to come on at sunrise and go off at
sunset. We'll see what happens.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

What main feed do you feed them?

 

[ColorCountry]

I feed my girls Purina Flock Raiser crumbles. For a treat they get a mix of wild
bird feed, black oiled sunflower seeds, and freeze dried black soldier fly larvae. They get
it in the morning and evening before they go to bed. They look beautiful.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

I feed my girls are fed Purina FlockRaiser crumbles. For a treat they get a mix of wild
bird feed, black oiled sunflower seeds, and freeze dried black soldier larvae. They get
it in the morning and evening before they go to bed. They look beautiful.

Aw! Sounds like they get fed well. Do you have any pics?

 

[ColorCountry]

Here is a pic of my girls on the patio eating and drinking, and taking a break from free
ranging in the back yard. They are Easter Eggers, and will be 2 years old come March.

The small one in the middle just finished molting, so the heat lamps are going bye bye. I'll
see if they scale back their laying frenzy.