Today's temperature = # of eggs.

[Gifa]

Mine aren't nearly as predictable as Gifa's

Heh... I really should update in this thread again... it's been a while... and it might help illustrate this cycle/break thing that pays little attention to temperatures except in the most extreme fluctuations... like our being between 45 and 60 degrees for the last few days, waking up at nearly 50ish degrees today, and our going to be ending up sub freezing before sundown.

My girls' cycles were disrupted quite a bit by the last snow we had... but its almost gone and they're all getting back on it again... just in time for today's 30 degree temperature drop.

 

[Gifa]

Flock Age
42 weeks
​

Name:​

​

Zoe​

Nandi​

Inara​

Kaylee​

Yolanda​

Saffron​

Bridget
Breed:​

B.Leghorn​

SLW​

SLW​

EE​

EE ​

EE​

EE
Date​

​

L​

H​

Day
Length
Laying Record​

# of
Eggs
3/3​

25°F​

40°F​

11H 25M​

4:30pm​

12:45pm​

On Hiatus​

day off​

2:30pm​

10:15am​

day off​

4
3/4​

34°F​

46°F​

11H 28M​

day off​

1:45pm​

On Hiatus​

7:45am​

day off​

1:00pm​

8:30am​

4
3/5​

28F​

34°F​

11H 30M​

9:15am​

4:15pm​

On Hiatus​

8:45am​

9:30am​

day off​

10:00am​

5
3/6​

23°F​

37°F​

11H 33M​

1:15pm​

day off​

On Hiatus​

9:45am​

1:45pm​

8:45am​

1:30pm​

5
3/7​

21°F​

47°F​

11H 35M​

day off​

7:45am​

On Hiatus​

10:45am​

day off​

11:45am​

3:45pm​

4
3/8​

33°F​

50°F​

11H 38M​

11:00am​

9:15am​

On Hiatus​

11:15am​

day off​

12:45pm​

day off​

4
3/9​

44°F​

59°F​

11H 40M​

1:00pm​

10:30am​

On Hiatus​

1:30pm​

1:30pm​

2:45pm​

9:30am​

6
3/10​

29°F​

56°F​

11H 43M​

5:00pm​

1:45pm​

On Hiatus​

day off​

day off​

day off​

2:30pm​

3
3/11​

26°F​

36°F​

11H 46M​

day off​

2:30pm​

On Hiatus​

8:30am​

8:45am​

9:15am​

day off​

4
3/12​

30°F​

47°F​

11H 48M​

9:00am​

5:15pm​

On Hiatus​

10:30am​

11:15am​

11:30am​

day off​

5​

I'm 37 years old, and... I still have trouble wrapping my head around the whole time change thing as it pertains to sunrise and sunset, obviously it happens at the same time, rather, our clocks change the perception of when it rises and sets... Still haven't been able to make heads or tails of it... mostly for not paying attention.

Saffron and Kaylee... MAY or MAY NOT be caught by sunset tonight, and therefore... if they don't lay today, they will first thing in the morning tomorrow... Kaylee should have actually laid by now, but hasn't yet, and this may have to do with it being so very dark and rainy... and possibly her incredible laying streak in the past week after just coming out of her 9 month mini-molt.

Either way... I'll update this later tonight to reflect today's end of day count, and the next two days expected counts if they are affected.

Oh... also... the last 2 days of rain, gets topped off with more snow tonight... lol. Oh, Midwest weather fairy, you silly witch.




Edited to add:
Also, Bruce... According to my spreadsheet, as of 5pm today, my 7 have laid 445 eggs since Oct 18... Not too shabby considering that 2 of them only started in the last 5 weeks, and another couple of 'em took a few weeks off.


Edit #2:

So, everyone's up on the roost now... sunset beat both Kaylee and Saffron tonight. So, I expect both of them and Yolanda to get to business first thing in the morning. And because we're already at 32 degrees and won't be above freezing until noon tomorrow, I'm going to have to bring their waterererer in for the night... which means there'll be no sleeping in for me tomorrow morning. They'll want their water, and I'll want their eggs before they freeze.

Edit #3

Kaylee and Yolanda had both laid in the same nest and were off the nest by the time I came out to clean this morning. Kaylee's egg was cold, and Yolanda's was still luke warm, so, Kaylee laid before Yolanda. I know Yolanda won't lay in any other nest, so, I am pretty sure she got right down to business as soon as Kaylee, who loves to take her time, vacated the nest. Saffron was in the other nest, and laid while I was scooping. So, Now we wait for Nandi, and we'll see if Bridget can beat sunset.

 

[lahowardjr]

One stinking egg!

Last night it was 44 and raining. Today 41 with a cold northern wind. (31 w/ wind chill). Come on!!! Where's spring?

 

[bruceha2000]

​

I'm 37 years old, and... I still have trouble wrapping my head around the whole time change thing as it pertains to sunrise and sunset, obviously it happens at the same time, rather, our clocks change the perception of when it rises and sets... Still haven't been able to make heads or tails of it... mostly for not paying attention.

You can thank Ben Franklin and his friends who stayed up way too late and didn't get up until noon for "daylight saving time". Figured they could save some oil or candles at night if the changed the clocks rather than their habits.


Edited to add:
Also, Bruce... According to my spreadsheet, as of 5pm today, my 7 have laid 445 eggs since Oct 18... Not too shabby considering that 2 of them only started in the last 5 weeks, and another couple of 'em took a few weeks off.

It was Low 27 high 53 yesterday - only 5 eggs.
The overnight low was 42, we'll see what I get from the girls. Persephone was they only one that had laid this morning when I let them out at 8:30. Fifth day in a row. Almost like she has a less than 24 hour cycle and is likely to either lay early tomorrow or hit the end of a cycle in the middle of the night and skip a day.

Bruce

 

[twinzmom]

High of 51 but felt colder with the wind and no sun today. 8 eggs! I have never figured out why we need daylight savings but I'm sure I'm not going to put a stop to it.

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

50F and I got 16 eggs from 24 Barred rocks

 

[bruceha2000]

I have never figured out why we need daylight savings but I'm sure I'm not going to put a stop to it.

Changing the clock has nothing to do with the chickens being productive. There are the same number of daylight hours whether you change it or not. The chickens don't have watches (at least MINE don't) so they get up with the light regardless of human shenanigans. Since the "optimum" minimum amount of light is apparently something between 12 and 14 hours, approaching the equinox is aiding our chickens in thinking it is a good time to lay eggs.

I figure we should start calling "winter time" Daylight Wasting Time and the period early March through early November "Standard Time". Makes sense to me that there would be more Standard days than "special" Daylight days. 8 months of "special" and 4 months of "not special" is stupid.

Further, I propose that all timekeeping devices be built to account for sunrise. At sunrise, all the devices will read 7 AM (or whatever we all agree on). And since we have time zones to make communicating with others some distance away more uniform, the devices will use sunrise at the longitude where the time zone starts. That way we won't have a seasonal mental and sleep cycle screw up twice a year.

Low last night, 42, high today 52 - 8 eggs. (phew, just squeaked that "colder" temp thing!)

Bruce

 

[what did I do]

Changing the clock has nothing to do with the chickens being productive. There are the same number of daylight hours whether you change it or not. The chickens don't have watches (at least MINE don't) so they get up with the light regardless of human shenanigans. Since the "optimum" minimum amount of light is apparently something between 12 and 14 hours, approaching the equinox is aiding our chickens in thinking it is a good time to lay eggs.

Bruce

I told my chickens that we were changing the clocks and they just looked at me like I had a screw loose. I told them they had to start laying an hour sooner to keep up with the time change. It didn't work, they all laid when they wanted to.

I counted my chickens and I have 64 I've been getting 40 eggs almost everyday regardless of the weather. I wonder if eating cow placentas will increases their egg laying? We just started getting cow placentas so we shall see. last year I was so busy during calving that I didn't have time to care for my chickens but they didn't lack. They chowed down and fought the cows for the placentas. The chickens did not go hungry in fact they were not all that interested in the food I gave them.

 

[Gifa]

Further, I propose that all timekeeping devices be built to account for sunrise. At sunrise, all the devices will read 7 AM (or whatever we all agree on). And since we have time zones to make communicating with others some distance away more uniform, the devices will use sunrise at the longitude where the time zone starts. That way we won't have a seasonal mental and sleep cycle screw up twice a year.

Bruce

Or... more simply, let's make like India, move it 30 minutes, and never touch it again.

 

[lahowardjr]

27 last night w/ rain and 50 today and partly cloudy. Five from fourteen again. Hope the 70 degree weather on W/TH/F will get the girls a going.