Will Daylight Savings Time spur egg-laying?

[thecreekhouse]

i have four hens, all under 12 months old. My Black and Splash Orpingtons are each currently laying an egg every other day. My Wheaten Marans is laying 1-3 eggs weekly and my Olive Egger (1/2 Blue Copper Marams and 1/2 Easter Egger) has yet to lay a single egg yet. I have not used any supplemental light or heat this winter. We are expecting spring like temps to arrive next week plus of course DLT will also arrive.. Is it likely that I will begin to see better egg production with the longer daylight and warmer weather? I sure hope so!

 

[Fred's Hens]

DST is entirely a contrived, human, political gimmick.

The number of hours of sunlight will be precisely the same, plus the 1 or 2 minutes that we're gaining anyhow, as we had the day before.

Chickens cannot wear watches or read digital clocks.

Within a month, we'll be on the far side of the vernal equinox and egg laying should come on strong naturally. DST or no DST.

 

[thecreekhouse]

What about the warmer weather?

 

[azygous]

Temperature has little to do with egg laying, contrary to what most people believe. It's the amount of daylight a hen is exposed to that triggers her hormones which are responsible for whether or not she's fertile and will lay.

 

[rancher hicks]

I started turning a light on during the day and leave it on till a bit after dark. I need to add a window or two. I also switched everyone over to a 21% protein feed. My C. Rocks that weren't laying started and my other birds have picked up.

I had read that heritage lines need a higher protein than hybrids.

I've been considering that many coops are dark with little if any lighting. Therefore a chickens day doesn't begin until the keeper lets them out into the sunshine. Here's a good example, or bad example if you prefer.

Position your coop so the windows face east with the rising sun. Windows on the other side, if there are any would face west to receive the setting sun.

This is one of my hoops coops. The front receives the morning light. I hear my roosters at 4 am. Though I don't let them out till later of course.

 

[azygous]

People with windowless coops are missing a great solution! In third world countries, solar bottle lights are catching on like mad. A hole is cut in the roof, a plastic liter soda bottle with water and a tablespoon of bleach is poured in. A flange around the bottle sealed with silicon sealer to the roof to prevent rain leaking in, and light is created without a single volt of electricity!

The principle is simple. The sunlight refracts through the water and floods the interior structure. These lights cost pennies to install and would be a terrific solution to getting light into dark chicken coops.

 

[rancher hicks]

People with windowless coops are missing a great solution! In third world countries, solar bottle lights are catching on like mad. A hole is cut in the roof, a plastic liter soda bottle with water and a tablespoon of bleach is poured in. A flange around the bottle sealed with silicon sealer to the roof to prevent rain leaking in, and light is created without a single volt of electricity!

The principle is simple. The sunlight refracts through the water and floods the interior structure. These lights cost pennies to install and would be a terrific solution to getting light into dark chicken coops.

I have seen these and it's a good solution.

Here where I am they'd be covered in snow. This has been the coldest winter they say. Average temp for February was 8*. I cover some runs with plastic so the birds have dry ground to walk on. Others don't mind the snow so much, but I worry about hawks or falcons passing through. I did lose a hen to a Falcon one year. Black birds show up very well against the white snow.

Here's another pic of my wooden coop.




Inside:

 

[azygous]

Winter sure can get depressing! I don't have as much snow as you have, but I'm more than ready for spring.

 

[tudiechick]

I got my 3 golden buffs and 2 blue orpingtons in the fall as chicks...I have a window in my coop and have been letting them out during the day in their run...how can I tell when eggs might be coming so I don't miss them? These are my first.

 

[rancher hicks]

I got my 3 golden buffs and 2 blue orpingtons in the fall as chicks...I have a window in my coop and have been letting them out during the day in their run...how can I tell when eggs might be coming so I don't miss them? These are my first.

Usually a hens comb will turn red just around the time she's coming in to lay. I put wooden eggs in the nest box to they get the idea. Though I do have a couple of hens who lay them on the floor.

Wooden eggs are also good so if they hens peck at them they find they're not good eating.