If I haven't already All birds are different and people live in different climates. I have about 20 older girls. They aren't laying much now. I get a couple of eggs most days from them. All of the coops have night lights. Since the chicks have lights from hatch, I have little problem of the birds going into the coops to roost. The older girls do pick up laying in the spring. Since they have recently gone through their molts, I have been giving them higher protein feed. My egg production has picked up some. During the summer months when they don't need as much protein, I feed them layer feed which is usually around 16% protein and the higher protein feed is 20% protein. The pullets have recently started to lay though it has been sporadic while they work out the kinks. I have been mixing some layer feed with some higher protein for them. I incubate my eggs in an incubator and hatch them out. I have let broody's do it but I can incubate and hatch more chicks out. Good luck and have fun...This might be a good place to ask this question. I have some hens starting their third year. They haven't been laying for a few months while molting. Now finished molting and not laying with the cold short days. My question is should I keep them for another year or will they not lay well enough to justify the food cost? I do have some young pullets just starting to lay. I don't use lights. Another question! If I keep ones that have been good setters will they go broody even if not laying well next spring/summer? My new pullets are not breeds that will go broody and I'd like to hatch some chicks next spring/summer.
These are some I hatched out for a friend.