The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: william_wt on June 20, 2016, 06:52:58 am
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I have the potential now to get artificial light to my chickens to increase the number of eggs laid in the winter. Does this increase the overall number of eggs laid in a hens lifetime, or will the hens who have the light in winter stop laying at an earlier age than the hen who doesn't have the artificial light?
Thanks for your help
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A French study concluded that hens produce 600 eggs in their lifetime. You either get them quickly from hybrids, or slowly from Pedigrees. Winter light will mean you get them more quickly, but 600 remains the limit.
Winter laying is a combination of both light and temperature in my experience. Also important that extra light is in the morning, not at night because suddenly plunging them into darkness means they can't perch. Having tried it the mess inside the coop and the extra cleaning meant we stopped doing it. Also they do need at least two weeks off lay, so no extra light in that period.
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Good advice :thumbsup:
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To keep a year round supply of eggs I keep the hens from the first hatch of the year and they'll come into lay around Christmas, when the older hens slow down or stop for a while. I prefer to hatch eggs from older hens for future breeding. The fact that they've survived three or four Winters means they're robust and good layers. Horses for courses ....
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Thanks Chris. That's exactly what I wanted to know. My good lady says that the chickens are pets and can't be culled, so it makes no sense in going to any bother to speed up the laying. I agree about temperature because they didn't dip much in the number of eggs produced over this winter.
Thanks for the replies, William
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A French study concluded that hens produce 600 eggs in their lifetime. You either get them quickly from hybrids, or slowly from Pedigrees. Winter light will mean you get them more quickly, but 600 remains the limit.
Winter laying is a combination of both light and temperature in my experience. Also important that extra light is in the morning, not at night because suddenly plunging them into darkness means they can't perch. Having tried it the mess inside the coop and the extra cleaning meant we stopped doing it. Also they do need at least two weeks off lay, so no extra light in that period.
Thanks for this. Very interesting.
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I think a couple of hours doesn't hurt on a frostey morning this winter very wet. But normally it should be fine. And to get a 1/3 of eggs keeps you going.
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A French study concluded that hens produce 600 eggs in their lifetime.
That's because as a chick, she already has all her eggs inside her waiting to develop (just like humans really). That means that once they've all been laid, that's it!
I also read somewhere that the eggs are arranged in 'strings'. So after a 'string' runs out, that triggers a moult, and the loading of the next 'string'. (I don't know how that works with regard to forcing a moult for instance, so this may not be true - can anybody confirm?)
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Are there any breeds of chickens that produce more than average in their lifetime? I read that Campbell ducks have been breed to produce more eggs over their lifetime, so has this been done for chickens?
Thanks again
William
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Yes, different breeds lay slightly different numbers and there were extensive laying trials in the 1950's or thereabouts. The modern hybrids are the most prolific though, I believe. Some breeds are better than others at laying over winter as well, but obviously therefore run out of eggs all the sooner.
Sorry to be vague: I can't remember the breeds in either case, as I read about it many years ago now, but try looking up "laying trials".
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My good lady says that the chickens are pets and can't be culled
In that case, I'd go for pure breeds.
There are always exceptions, but in my experience, commerical hybrids lay prolifically for a couple of years and are then quite literally 'spent'. Pure breeds OTOH tend to lay fewer eggs (especially if they're allowed to stop over the winter), but will go on doing it for longer. This means that they will at least be contributing something in their old age, rather than just keeling over and dying!!