Winter egg laying

[Bigbluefrog]

my 7 pullets were laying 4 eggs one day, 3 the next. Then this February they stopped laying one day and the next day I have 5 eggs.
my coop is far from the WiFi and I don’t know who is laying what. I am so curious but it is too cold to watch them. Anyone have a camera that works good with no WiFi? I do have electric. I also have supplemental lights but only go for a few hours in the morning and a few hours at night.
I have heat available if needed. I try not to use that unless we get a freeze out of no where. In Wisconsin and I am surprised at how many people heat the coops and only met a few who don’t.
I rarely use heat unless below zero and extreme changes. Then the heat infrared ceramic light is on a timer and a thermostatic outlet. Installed in a metal cage and attached 4 ways! That sucker is not going anywhere.

 

[AlArM ClUcK]

my chickens just started laying and its around 40℉

 

[CityslickerHomestead]

My EE that started laying August 2019 at 18 weeks old, and stopped in October when we got our first nasty winter storm, resumed laying last week after we broke our records for warmest temps in December and January. Now we are back to “regular” winter and it’s 21F and snowing.

Two weeks ago I noticed her comb was much redder than it had been for the past few months. It changed from a dry pink to a rosy pink.

My RIR and GLW that haven’t really stopped laying this winter, have always maintained deep-red combs and wattles.

 

[Kluk-Kluk]

I have 9 hens and 2 pullets, and I get ZERO eggs per week - and have been getting zero since late October!!! This is the first year it's happened in the 8 years I've had chickens. In the past I've added pullets earlier and supplemented light, and somehow got my babes to lay year round. This year, it's like they're all on strike! I have 5 one-year-olds, 4 two-year-olds, and two pullets, who should start to lay around Christmas. But it will we two months without a single egg of our own. Once the pullets start to lay, I'll increase lighting and should get some of the others, who should be done molting by then, to start laying. All the older birds lost feathers big time this year.

Well, I wrote the above in December. On January 1, friends gave us a dozen eggs from their hens. What a precious gift because mine weren't laying. I ooo-ed and ah-ed over the eggs.... and my chickens heard me. On January 2, one chicken sat on the nest and squeezed herself hard and popped out an egg! Well, I whooped with delight and gushed over that egg! Two days later, another single egg. BUT within a week, there were days that I was getting nine eggs out of my ten chickens!! And that's in January!!!!!

They've been acting like it's spring, laying buckets of eggs. I had the lights out during/after their molt because they weren't laying, but as soon as I got that egg, the lights went back on a timer. I've been getting more eggs than I can use ever since! So....

That brings me to giving away eggs. Which is what I did with my surplus... at first. I also posted a photo on Facebook of the delightfully colored eggs I was getting from my girls. Next thing I knew, I had folks private messaging me to buy these eggs! So if you're on social media, you don't have to put up ads to sell eggs. Just show them off!!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I just love February. The ovaries are starting to produce on my Pullets and Two year olds. Got a couple 3 going on 4 year old hens. But they're such a delight and beautiful on the lawn and really, 5 good layers is alright for our sized family. I have a running surplus of about 8 dozen eggs in my fridge. They are nice to gift if I have company, etc. etc. People ooo and ah the carton of those eggs. And then they tell me about the yolks later....

 

[FortCluck]

Now that we are in February I'm getting duck eggs and chicken eggs. I'm getting about 2 duck eggs a day and 4 chicken eggs a day. Hopefully it'll be 12 chickens eggs a day because we have a lot of POL pullets.

 

[Morgank]

We are from North Europe and days are still very short ( 8 hours, degrees 20 to 54 F) But we have 14 hours lights in the coops (chickens are not outside) and diverse food. Also we have 8 different breed, but they are almost all winter safe birds. Even Ayam cemanis lay every day- we're drowning in their eggs! We have 2 marans chickens- one is copper black and other is black. Copper lays every day, black - not every day. But black copper maran is skinny, because she gives away all energy. We need to understand that making an egg is the ultimate energy. Naturally they stop laying if they have to take a breath, they are not machines. In our flock they dont lay 2-3 week at all. And in the spring when they start to exchange feathers, they lay all the summer, in the end of summer they stop. So twice a year is normal to me. I am happy and I feed my chickens well. Note - whatever you feed them, results comes from chicken buttom.

 

[Fur-N-Fowl]

Ours continued to lay as normal through winter, no additional lighting. In fact it’s probably darker than most places as they’re housed in woodland under trees.

The only one that fully stopped laying was our Brahma hen!

 

[onthehillchick]

I want to know how many see a significant decrease in eggs in the winter.

I have 8 layers and I'm still getting 5 eggs a day and I don't consider this a significant decrease. If I went down to less than 3 then I'd consider it significant.

Also comment if you use supplemental lighting... I don't

 

[onthehillchick]

I have 12 layers. Went from getting 5.5 dozen eggs a week gradually decreasing to only 4 or 5 eggs a week. The past few weeks have started increasing again to 1.5 dozen a week. There is no supplemental light or heat in the coop or run. I have tracked egg production since getting chickens spring of 2017. Last year we had 16 layers and production was a low as 6 eggs a week with decrease starting around same time, and increase starting around the same time. The same the year before.