Winter Egg Laying Help

[IslaBean]

How do I get my chickens to lay more eggs in the winter? My four girls have been laying almost everyday since they started laying in July. Recently they stopped laying. It has been around 40-50 degrees the past few weeks and they slowly stopped laying. I would really like to be able to still get eggs in the winter because I hate buying them from the store. Any advice would be helpful! Thanks!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Read up on adding light.

 

[aart]

How do I get my chickens to lay more eggs in the winter? My four girls have been laying almost everyday since they started laying in July. Recently they stopped laying. It has been around 40-50 degrees the past few weeks and they slowly stopped laying. I would really like to be able to still get eggs in the winter because I hate buying them from the store. Any advice would be helpful! Thanks!

It's not the temperature, it's the shortening days.
They need about 14 hours of daylight to stimulate the hormones to produce the eggs.
Some pullets will lay thru their first winter without adding light, some will not.
Adding light can help, but it's no guarantee and must be managed carefully.
Here's a pretty good article on supplemental lighting.

 

[GardenJen77]

I have the same issues. I have 20 hens, and I was getting almost 16 eggs a day. Now, I am only getting 4. Not good when I have regular customers now for the eggs.

 

[aart]

Not good when I have regular customers now for the eggs.

What a wonderful opportunity to teach people about 'real' food.
(mostly tongue in cheek there)

Eggs are a seasonal food.
My customers understand the ebbs and flows of production,
and I even use supplemental lighting.

But.... Yeah, bummer, eh?