- Do or don't you supplement light to keep your hens in production over winter?
No. My main purposes for raising chickens is for meat and to play with genetics. The eggs are a nice side benefit but I normally have more than I can use anyway so I give those away to a food bank type place or to friends and relatives. I see no reason to supplement lights. For people with different goals, the answer can be different.
On more than one occasion I’ve had pullets start laying in early December when the days are shortest with no supplemental light. I’ve had broody hens raising chicks molt in August/September and resume laying before the other older hens molt and stop laying. I’ve had adult hens continue laying until December when they finally start the molt. Most of my hens start to molt in the fall as they are supposed to. I’ve had some of these hens resume laying as soon as the molt is finished, I’ve had some wait until the longer days of spring. My normal overwinter laying/breeding flock is only 7 to 8 hens and pullets. I usually get some eggs every day but there are occasions I don’t get any for weeks on end.
- Are there other ways to ensure your flock stays productive, for example by replenishing the layers with young hens yearly?
Since I like playing with genetics and raise them to eat, I hatch a lot of chicks each year. I save replacement pullets every year, overwinter a fairly small breeding/laying flock, and eat all the excess pullets and cockerels. I generally keep certain hens for two full laying seasons before I process them. My chicken math includes subtraction so my basic laying/breeding flock stays the same size each year.
I always have pullets in my flock. Some of these lay through the winter, some stop as I mentioned above. Even that does not ensure I have eggs all winter, just that I usually do.
I don’t know of anything that will ensure you have eggs all winter other than treating them like commercial egg layers and tightly controlling lights and feed. Some things can help. Production breeds are more likely to lay all year than decorative breeds. Some hens are fast molters and can finish the molt in little more than a month, some take several months to finish the molt. That’s mainly controlled by genetics, not feeding them extra, but a higher protein diet can help marginally in speeding up the molt. Another advantage in feeding them extra is that they use more nutrients in winter staying warm. They need a certain excess nutrient level to build up certain body reserves so they can lay. It’s not just protein as much as people like to fixate on proteins. Other nutrients, like fats and others, are important too. But an increased protein diet can help.
- 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.
Can’t help much here. Having plenty of bedding to help insulate the eggs will help marginally. Having the nests inside the coop instead of hanging off outside will help some. Insulating the exposed nests top, bottom, and sides can help some. But unless you provide heat in some way it’s hard to fight Mother Nature and physics.
- Tips for keeping winter layers happy and healthy?
Same as any other time of the year. Keep the coop dry and see that they get a well-balanced diet and plenty of clean water. Don’t crowd them but give them enough room to be chickens and act like chickens. I don’t give them anything special at any time of the year to keep them healthy, I just depend on a strong immune system developed from hatch to keep them healthy.
No. My main purposes for raising chickens is for meat and to play with genetics. The eggs are a nice side benefit but I normally have more than I can use anyway so I give those away to a food bank type place or to friends and relatives. I see no reason to supplement lights. For people with different goals, the answer can be different.
On more than one occasion I’ve had pullets start laying in early December when the days are shortest with no supplemental light. I’ve had broody hens raising chicks molt in August/September and resume laying before the other older hens molt and stop laying. I’ve had adult hens continue laying until December when they finally start the molt. Most of my hens start to molt in the fall as they are supposed to. I’ve had some of these hens resume laying as soon as the molt is finished, I’ve had some wait until the longer days of spring. My normal overwinter laying/breeding flock is only 7 to 8 hens and pullets. I usually get some eggs every day but there are occasions I don’t get any for weeks on end.
- Are there other ways to ensure your flock stays productive, for example by replenishing the layers with young hens yearly?
Since I like playing with genetics and raise them to eat, I hatch a lot of chicks each year. I save replacement pullets every year, overwinter a fairly small breeding/laying flock, and eat all the excess pullets and cockerels. I generally keep certain hens for two full laying seasons before I process them. My chicken math includes subtraction so my basic laying/breeding flock stays the same size each year.
I always have pullets in my flock. Some of these lay through the winter, some stop as I mentioned above. Even that does not ensure I have eggs all winter, just that I usually do.
I don’t know of anything that will ensure you have eggs all winter other than treating them like commercial egg layers and tightly controlling lights and feed. Some things can help. Production breeds are more likely to lay all year than decorative breeds. Some hens are fast molters and can finish the molt in little more than a month, some take several months to finish the molt. That’s mainly controlled by genetics, not feeding them extra, but a higher protein diet can help marginally in speeding up the molt. Another advantage in feeding them extra is that they use more nutrients in winter staying warm. They need a certain excess nutrient level to build up certain body reserves so they can lay. It’s not just protein as much as people like to fixate on proteins. Other nutrients, like fats and others, are important too. But an increased protein diet can help.
- 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.
Can’t help much here. Having plenty of bedding to help insulate the eggs will help marginally. Having the nests inside the coop instead of hanging off outside will help some. Insulating the exposed nests top, bottom, and sides can help some. But unless you provide heat in some way it’s hard to fight Mother Nature and physics.
- Tips for keeping winter layers happy and healthy?
Same as any other time of the year. Keep the coop dry and see that they get a well-balanced diet and plenty of clean water. Don’t crowd them but give them enough room to be chickens and act like chickens. I don’t give them anything special at any time of the year to keep them healthy, I just depend on a strong immune system developed from hatch to keep them healthy.
So, I guess they must be content.
