That can actually mess them up and cause out of season molts. Hens require breaks, lights can keep them from recovering fully, especially after a molt. Just depends how you want to manage your hens.
Another great point, Mine get black oil sunflower and shelled peanuts as a treat a couple times a week, same mix I feed the birds and squirrels. And oyster shell is always available to them. They must be getting plenty of bugs and worms, my feed is lasting a lot longer, haha.
thank you, mine molt late summer and full feathered by late fall. Maybe I should give them a break, I don't heat the coop, so maybe the girls would like to sleep in on the cold days.
It can depend on how you think of your birds. If you want production and cull them after a few seasons than lights is what is used. If you plan to keep them around and production isn't your main concern than letting them take natural breaks is the way to go, they will lay longer into their lives. It all depends on your goals and the reason you keep chickens.
Definitely. Chickens can be sneaky.
You are right, I raise them as a hobby and to watch them, My wife loves all of this as she was never exposed to animals. Like my meat rabbits, they are workers, not pets. It would be a heck of a lot cheaper to buy eggs. But I love all this stuff, and her reaction at the Baby rabbits, the 64 Bob Whites that hatched out 5 days ago, and the chicks a hen hatched out. Just to see her expression and excitement as she talks about them is worth the costs. She knows they are working animals and not pets.
