Topic of the Week - Winter Egg Laying

[Wilhelm625]

What do you do with your older hens? We tried taking some to the butcher at 3 yrs old and the meat was tough. Not worth it. Do ours have just been living out there days here. We love them all the same but I have had some reach 7+ years. I still add chicks each year. The grandkids always want to see baby chicks at Easter.

What is a skelter?

 

[Rick589]

For me our young pullets, hatched July 1st, started laying on December 13th. I was surprised that they started to lay given they started during the shortest days of the year. Since starting they've been consistently laying about three eggs a day between four hens.

 

[aart]

For me our young pullets, hatched July 1st, started laying on December 13th. I was surprised that they started to lay given they started during the shortest days of the year. Since starting they've been consistently laying about three eggs a day between four hens.

Not uncommon for first year birds, it will be different their second fall/winter.

What is a skelter?

Let me google "egg skelter" for you

 

[Icie]

- Do or don't you supplement light to keep your hens in production over winter?

Normally, no. But this year I had three new pullets that are at point of lay just as the shortest days of the year arrived, and I and my egg customers are anxious for those eggs. I installed a length of rope lights in their coop and two of the three are now beginning to lay.

- Are there other ways to ensure your flock stays productive, for example by replenishing the layers with young hens yearly?

I do add chicks every other spring, as a matter of practice. But I allow my "retired" old girls to live out their lives without being culled.


- What do you do to prevent the eggs from freezing in the nest boxes, especially the folks that can't collect them in a timely manner.

I am around full time so I pick up my eggs soon after they're laid. But a solution to eggs freezing for those who are away all day, would be to install a heating pad under the nesting material and leave it on. I use a heating pad in this fashion to stimulate layers that are having a hard time passing an egg, and they do really enjoy a heated nest box, let me assure you.


- Tips for keeping winter layers happy and healthy?

I feed fermented feed to my flock. It's kept them healthy and laying well into their sunset years.

Hi! I find your mention of heated nest box very interesting. Could you please tell me more about that? We have pretty mild winters here in Eastern NC but just had a hard freeze AND snow about 2 weeks ago, took days to melt away with temps in the 40s. This week we're having 60s daytime and 40s at night....my girls hadn't been laying since at least Oct/Nov and are 13 3 yr old hens. Saturday was about 65° so I spent the day doing overdue cleaning and found about a dozen eggs! Three were in a feral cat box I have set up, elevated off the ground with straw and a plastic door flap-my sex link has claimed that one. The others were in my metal rolling nest box that had green fake grass pads but some rolled into the metal hopper like they were supposed to. Yesterday I actually found one freshly laid in my wooden nest box. My olive egger and at least 1 leghorn are laying, the rest were all medium brown eggs and could be from several different girls.

So, after all this background info, how can I proceed with heated pads? Which boxes should I use them in? How many, or is there a long one I can put in the metal hopper tray? Or are they small enough to go in each box? Where is a good place to buy them and should they be put on a timer? Yes, I have power in my coop, although it's on a heavy duty extension cord with 4 outlets.

Thanks for any info...I'm intrigued and anxious.
P.S. how do I know if that doz eggs are safe to eat and should they go in my fridge instead of on my counter? Our house stays warm.

 

[Wilhelm625]

Not uncommon for first year birds, it will be different their second fall/winter.


Let me google "egg skelter" for you

What is a skelter?

Thank you. I had not heard of an egg skelter.

 

[Shaste]

One of our almost 2yo hens started laying on new years after stopping in October, another started today (whoohoo!). No lights or heat or anything special.

 

[charlie1051]

Hi! I find your mention of heated nest box very interesting. Could you please tell me more about that? We have pretty mild winters here in Eastern NC but just had a hard freeze AND snow about 2 weeks ago, took days to melt away with temps in the 40s. This week we're having 60s daytime and 40s at night....my girls hadn't been laying since at least Oct/Nov and are 13 3 yr old hens. Saturday was about 65° so I spent the day doing overdue cleaning and found about a dozen eggs! Three were in a feral cat box I have set up, elevated off the ground with straw and a plastic door flap-my sex link has claimed that one. The others were in my metal rolling nest box that had green fake grass pads but some rolled into the metal hopper like they were supposed to. Yesterday I actually found one freshly laid in my wooden nest box. My olive egger and at least 1 leghorn are laying, the rest were all medium brown eggs and could be from several different girls.

So, after all this background info, how can I proceed with heated pads? Which boxes should I use them in? How many, or is there a long one I can put in the metal hopper tray? Or are they small enough to go in each box? Where is a good place to buy them and should they be put on a timer? Yes, I have power in my coop, although it's on a heavy duty extension cord with 4 outlets.

Thanks for any info...I'm intrigued and anxious.
P.S. how do I know if that doz eggs are safe to eat and should they go in my fridge instead of on my counter? Our house stays warm.

Hi Icie, IDK much about heated pads but regarding leaving eggs out- we will leave our eggs out for several weeks and normally our house is around 66 to 68 in the wintertime but if we have a fire in the fireplace, it gets up to a cozy 75. We don't normally have eggs around for too long as we'll sell what we don't eat but yea, we've had eggs on the counter for at least 2 to 3 weeks, sometimes longer. Nobody has ever had anything bad happen to them. I'm sure someone here has actual facts but I've always operated under something I either read or was told years ago: "you can leave eggs out at room temp for 4 to 5 weeks"..

Good luck !

 

[member 701893]

I live in central Texas so it doesn't get too cold here, but I hang a heat lamp over their favorite roosting spots and add more protection from direct wind.

I don't think adding new hens yearly is necessary, but maybe every 2-3 if high production is your goal.
However if you are really looking for more winter laying hens, I find buying or hatching chicks at the very end of the previous season works best. They usually start laying their first eggs in the middle of winter and from then on they are always good winter layers.

Again I live in Texas so we get maybe 2 weeks total out of the year below freezing. But I keep the nesting boxes sheltered from the wind, put extra bedding in to insulate, and maybe hang a heat lamp nearby depending on how bad it is and have never had an egg bust from freezing.

My hens have 24/7 access to high quality feed with extra omega-3s added in and plenty of high protien scratch, oyster shell, and grit scattered everywhere for them to forage. They need the extra energy, especially after they molt for the winter.

 

[chkncrazy]

I have 12 hens six of them pullets I've been getting one egg a day here in Connecticut someone told me to start feeding them chili pepper flakes which is probably a myth but I know the days have gotten slightly longer all of a sudden today I came home to five eggs woohoo.. six of them are too young to lay the other ones arr about a year old.. they all went through a molt their first year

 

[TheGardeningButler]

My Girls were born in June and started surprisingly me with butt fruits in December. Out of 6 Pullets I am collecting almost daily about 6-8 Eggs a day to a day and a half. I need to put in my chicken cams this weekend so I can see who is laying what and maybe provide some uniforms to tell apart who is doing what . Mind you with the mo th January being a majority of sub zero temps (especially with all the wind) it's a race against time to grab eggs before they freeze.