Winter Egg Laying?

[JennsPeeps]

However, we did add 'sunlight' plastic to the top sides of our coop to give the most light possible but didn't add any artificial light.

That's what the roof of our coop will be. We're hoping the extra light keeps them extra happy. Although "light" is a relative term for the grey winters in the Pacific Northwest.​

 

[Davaroo]

It has little to do with the sort of light that is received, grey or otherwise. Clear panels and extra windows arent what is implied in this. It is the day length, which is a function of the latitude in which you live. No window can increase that. Did you miss that part?

If you monitor the day length throughout the season, and the amount of daylight begins to decrease below 13 hours (which it will in northern latitudes) then you must add supplemental lighting to increase the light exposure of the birds. Well, that is if you want egg production to continue into the winter.
Even then, temperature begins to have an effect, even if you add supplemental lighting.

 

[patandchickens]

The thing is, books may SAY that 14 hrs is the cutoff, but in reality there is a huge amount of variation among chickens. Some apparently taper off their laying before that daylength; others after; some will lay perfectly fine throughout the winter with really very short days. (E.g. my 2 ISA Browns had a natural daylength of about 6-7 hrs last December, no lights, but laid exactly the same as if it were July).

So while there are statistical trends in large populations, it is not a single, hard-and-fast thing for all individuals, you know?

There are some good arguments for letting laying drop off naturally in the winter (to whatever extent it does, for those particular birds), for the hens' longterm health. Of course if you were going to stew them when they hit 2 yrs old then that does not matter so much

, but otherwise it is something to ponder.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[Davaroo]

Pat is right.
I made this comment in my summary:

"While there is some variation based on age and condition of the hens and latitude where you live..."

...a distillation of an entire paragraph on the matter she elaborates on. There are no cut and dried rules, but it is clear that suppmental lighting, when properly applied, can be of benefit in extending the laying season.
As she suggests, it is best you know your flock and not rely solely on arbitrary or textbook numbers in all cases.

 

[Mrs MIA]

<chuckle> My girls are doomed to close to 24 hours of daylight in the summer... I keep the coop closed up to make it dark, but I still see them out in the yard at 10-11pm. Now, in the winter, I do keep a small light on a timer to add a few hours in the morning and in the evening, but I don't know that I can say that it really makes much difference.