Winter egg laying

[Kluk-Kluk]

Out of five hens, 2 eggs a week!

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.

 

[CityslickerHomestead]

My seven chickens were born March 23 and started laying in August/September. As of today only two are laying nearly everyday: my GL Wyandotte and my RIR.
I have two Welsummers, one of which sporadically lays, and the other which is going through a molt for some reason and stopped laying in October.
The other three are one EE and two SL Polish. They stopped laying in September and I haven’t seen anything from them since. One of the SL Polish appears to be going through a molt as well, but again I’m not sure why. I assume it’s the wild temperature swings we’ve been having as I can’t see any injuries, lice, mites, or other visible issues.
I do NOT use supplemental light or heat.

 

[SapperSix2019]

How on earth do you get them to lay golf balls?

 

[FortCluck]

How on earth do you get them to lay golf balls?

 

[21hens-incharge]

I have 28 birds with 6 being pullets still.

I went from an average of 18 to 5.

Interestingly in one coop all the brown layers are 3+ years old with several 5+. I am getting 2-3 brown eggs a day from them.

 

[FortCluck]

I have 28 birds with 6 being pullets still.

I went from an average of 18 to 5.

Interestingly in one coop all the brown layers are 3+ years old with several 5+. I am getting 2-3 brown eggs a day from them.

I'm hoping to add color egg layers soon. I have all brown and cream egg layers. All my cream layers are still laying.

 

[nnumb3rulz]

8 hens with an 7.5 per day egg average. Daytime high temp the past 4 days has been around 10 degrees. Our ISA browns, barred rock and RR are egg laying machines. The 1 EE is got herself on an other day pattern.

Our success has been giving them 12 hours of light each day. I use a smart bulb (Wyze) to create sunrise at 4AM and then it turns off at 8AM. We also provide warm water, black sunflowers all day and a cup of fermented feed before bed.

We used clear plastic on the outside run which acts like a greenhouse and provides a sunny day temp of 36 degrees. Inside the coop is around 22 as I have a flat panel heater on from 12AM to 6AM when the temp is below 15.

 

[jolenesdad]

Maybe. No guarantees.
You need to hatch them as early as possible(Feb-Mar-Apr)...which can be a challenge because laying and fertility might not be timed well for that. BTDT.
...and you'll also have to plan with that to do with the ~50% males that will hatch out.
....and remember, Chicken Math includes subtraction. I have to slaughter older hens to make sure the flock is not crowded in winter with my limited housing and harsh weather.

NONE of my April hatched pullets made it to laying this year. And I’m in SE TX, we get tons of light!



Maybe they’ll at least be bigger eggs right away?

I’m hatching next week for my new layers this year, that’s GOT to be enough time.


To the OP, I keep a mix of ages. I don’t supplement light, I just supplement more chicks!

also, this year, I started freezing the eggs scrambled up in ice trays and it’s pretty incredible. I’ve got my overall numbers working where I don’t really need frozen eggs, but it’s nice to have I guess and would have been wonderful when I just had 6 or 8 layers.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

10 more days folks and the days will get start getting longer again. Thank goodness!

Hi everybody. Seventh year with birdies here. I have 8 older hen ladies 2-4 year olds and 3 pullets -- one Barnevelder and 2 of these MMMs -- Midnight Majestic Marans. A cross breed by a hatchery (I forget which). They are Black copper Marans crossed with a mystery bird. Hatch date April 30th.
I'm up to my eyeballs with eggs from the newbies and one 2 year old Lavender Ameraucana that has been laying eggs like crazy all this year. She is amazing. I do think for the MMMs it comes down to that hybrid cross. The M & Ms as I affectionately call them are giving me large happy bird eggs too. Double yolkers, etc... I usually see a break after fall and then some special bird gives me one egg for Christmas. Then we need to wait until February for the next.This year is going to be different by the looks of it. I do wish sort of they'd take a break and not run out their ovaries and save reserves for keeping warm, too. And I have to say that the feed exchange is not that great. The M & M's are eaters right now. Little bit bigger bird. IDK...I always need to get used to the adjustment myself on the feed use each winter as we transition from pasturing.
I have not used supplemental lighting since my first year. I rest the girls. As they tend to be pets for me and a hobby. Not so much about production for us and sales.
My Barred Rock 18+ months old is finally molting. She looks like a cactus right now and it's not a great time in Minnesota for that. She was super productive until this fall. DayLight definitely affected her this fall and now it's molting. Her abundance maybe is related to her molt severity too, I wonder.

 

[Cwestlake]

Hello everyone my Speckled Sussex hen is 8 months old.. she hasn’t laid a egg now for 9 days but all my other hens Barred Rock, White Leghorn and Rhode Island Red is still laying eggs with the shorter days they all are 8 months old... And I don’t put any lightening in their coop.. Thanks Cynthia