What is up with these chickens???

[coyotesmommy]

Do chickens stop laying eggs in the winter or are mine just special chickens

. I had one that thought she wanted to be broody, so I got her some fertilized eggs, she sat on them about 4 days and gave up. But about day 3 the other chicken stopped laying eggs as well. I read that a broody will not lay eggs, but when will she start again? Some one wrote "when 1 goes broody, they all go broody" does that mean stop laying eggs? I'm getting hungry, and if I cant have eggs I might as well have chicken soup!

 

[lswatson111304]

I think they stop laying due to the shorter days. You can use supplemental light to keep them laying.

I think...
LOL

 

[aoxa]

2-4 weeks after you break a broody, they will start to lay. Mine took two weeks

No, a lot of chickens take the winter off. http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html <-- this will have a snowflake by the breeds that are winter layers.

You will still need to supplement light if not in their pullet year.

 

[Illia]

After a broody has stopped going broody she'll continue not laying for about 1-4 weeks.

 

[Gypsy07]

Top layers like utility Leghorns and most hybrid layers will usually continue to lay through the winter, but far fewer eggs. If you turn a light on in their coop in their coop for a few hours a day, you'll get more eggs, but probably still not as many as through the summer. Poorer layers like most pure breeds will often stop laying altogether through the winter. Some of mine quit around September/October (I wasn't giving them supplemental light) and only just restarted this week after I put in a light about 10 days ago.

I don't think chickens all go broody together, but in colder weather with shorter days, they WILL all stop laying near enough together.

You can try putting a light in for them, but I've noticed that while if you have a light in right from the start of autumn you can 'trick' them into continuing to lay, if you wait till they stop laying, sometimes it's too late to give them a light as by that point it won't make much difference. Seems like once they've packed up production for the winter that's that till the spring. At least, that's the way it seems to be with my birds...

 

[coyotesmommy]

Thanks for the good advice. I was hoping it was something simple. I will have to work on the old hubby and let me run a light out to the coop, he will think I have lost my mind.

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote:
One 40 watt light should be sufficient. Use the new bulbs and save more money.

I wish you well,

Rancher