The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: farmers wife on August 25, 2016, 02:31:11 pm

Title: pure breeds and winter
Post by: farmers wife on August 25, 2016, 02:31:11 pm

I want to introduce a handful of pure breeds to my flock - for both egg colour and longevity.  If I had 10 pures a mix of the higher layers such as sussex what happens in winter - October - March?  My eggmobile comes in to a huge shed and they have a mass of space to bath and run around in which has heras fencing around.  It worked really well last year however the light has to come on 6-7am goes off say 9am and back on 4pm - 7pm.  Will that work with pure breeds clock or will it mess them up?


I cant keep them separate and I need to keep my egg numbers steady - will they lay at all and will it ruin them?

Title: Re: pure breeds and winter
Post by: Dave C on August 25, 2016, 04:15:17 pm

When I had my layers I had Light Sussex, White Leghorns, Welsummer and Marans.
Had the lights set a bit earlier than you but not on a night and it worked great, no problem at all.  :thumbsup:

Title: Re: pure breeds and winter
Post by: farmers wife on August 25, 2016, 04:20:25 pm

Cheers, I dont want to push them in any way.  So good news!

Title: Re: pure breeds and winter
Post by: Marches Farmer on August 25, 2016, 08:30:21 pm

I find the first hatch of the year (eggs set towards the end of lambing at the end of March) is coming in to lay around Christmas, irrespective of how much light they get.  Apart from exceptionally good birds that will be bred from for a second year all our old birds go by the end of November.  I find Cotswold Legbars lay very well through the Winter, and if crossed with a Welsummer they'll lay a good khaki/olive colour egg just as well.