The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Ben94 on October 12, 2016, 08:33:09 pm
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Hi all
The hens have started to slow down laying now. If I put a light in will the ones that have stopped laying come back into lay?
Thanks
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Why would you do that, their bodies need that break. To have eggs in winter you need the right stock management, i.e. hatch a few chicks at the right time for them to lay in their first winter, not to stress their bodies by adding lighting.
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Yes it would.
Chickens are solar powered they need sun to make eggs and their natural cycles mean that in low light times (winter) they produce less and often none.
Different breeds respond differently. When I had chickens they naturally laid eggs over winter without any extra light.
Just be warned by putting artificial light in their enclosure you add stress to their bodies so while you will get eggs their laying lives will be shorter
:chook:
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Two things - my understanding is that hens need 14 hours of daylight to lay well. If you are going to light them, have the light come on early and let them have a natural dusk, so that they go to bed sfaley.
The other thing is that I read recently that a hen has about 600 eggs in her - they're all there when she's born. They will simply ripen over time. So if you force the laying, she's run out of eggs quicker.
I've bought solar lighting but haven't installed it because I like to give them a rest BUT if you have customers waiting, then it's a judgement call.
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and if they have light in their coops they should also have food and water in there.
I'm not sure they really need a rest having considered it for years-all things being equal. Where they are from naturally they would have more equal day and night lengths and those that keep poultry closer to the equator will be getting eggs much of the year.
However, we've chosen to keep them somewhere else so if we want them to lay year round using light, we should not expect them to expend extra energy keeping warm etc. So I dont use lights with mine but nor do I sell eggs. I generally have a week or two in december when I dont get any but usually have pullets coming into lay around xmas. I have a Minorca who is a trooper and lays pretty much year round.
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Mine have stopped laying now. They need time to moult, recover and get through winter without producing eggs too. Winter can be hard enough on them, I know my girls don't like the wind and rain. Better to let them chill out and come back naturally in the spring, unless you need to sell the eggs and have customers.
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Life is tough for a hen here on our hilltop so we keep only the very best hens through their second Winter and use them for breeding next year. This year's chicks will start laying before Christmas - we run the incubators for only two hatches from the end of lambing. All hens are sold on at the end of their second Summer - they'll lay well for some years for their new owners
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I'd have thought that the decrease in winter egg production was more to do with the chances of a chick surviving than the hens health but its probably a bit of both.
William
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putting a light on to come on at 5am is hardly going to stress them I feel there is a little confusion on stress. Having the light on 24/7 is stress but a couple of hours in the morning is not going to affect them, we brought ours in a few weeks ago and had auto lights fitted on 5 off 8, on 4 off 7. Improved the laying as I wanted to do it before they went off. Mine were poorly laying before and had bought in new at the wrong time. About 50% laying but there is issues with myco and IB in my flock. Mainly hybrids, crosses and a few pures. I am not a breeder I only have them for the egg production.