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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7268
   
| Our chickens haven't laid an egg for about a week now - since it got cold. Do they totally quit laying in the winter and will they start again in the spring or do they just slow WAY down?? |
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 To the Left
Posts: 1865
 
Location: Florida | They just slow down when there is a big change in the weather. In Florida it is extreme heat since we don't have winter. |
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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| I've only had mine for a year and a half, so I don't have a lot of experience. But from what I read it sounds like young hens will lay through their first winter, but after that they lay based on light hours. Mine laid through their first winter, but have slowed down a little. I've got 5 hens and am getting anywhere from 2-5 a day right now. But my chicken coop is also under our yard light so I don't know if that makes a difference. I've also noticed that with big temperature changes they slow down as well. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 669
Location: Central Texas | They will slow down or quit during winter months and while molting. |
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 Witty Enough
Posts: 2954
Location: CTX | It's normal. Last year our old girls (5-6 years old) completely stopped laying, so we got 5 younger girls and now we have between 2-5 eggs most of the time. But with the cold and wet weather we have been having it happens to be 0 sometimes too...
Temp changes and the amount of daylight have an impact on them.
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 Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| It's our first year with hens in the winter it's definitely cooled down but mine are still laying between 6-8 a day.. I've got 8 hens. |
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Addicted to Baseball
Location: Where the stars at night are big and bright, TX | The primary reason they slow is due to the shortened hours of daylight. Ours nomally slow or stop in late November and start again by mid-February. We don't have too many weeks without fresh eggs. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1210
Location: Kansas | Put a heat lamp in their coop and they will continue laying |
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 Swiffer PIcker Upper
Posts: 4015
Location: Four Corners Colorado | They need 14 hours of light. I just put in a red LED light on a timer it turns on a 4 pm and off at 10 pm. Mine are back laying like normal. They will molt as the need to extra light or not. |
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 Thread Killer
Posts: 7545
| They slow down for sure, but none for a week? They might actually be eating them before you can get to them. That or they've found a super cool spot to lay in that's hidden. Do you free range them? |
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 Maine-iac
Posts: 3334
Location: Got Lobsta? | Mine stop laying early November and pick up during March. We don't use light in their coup so they go on vacation for the winter. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 521
Location: Lone Star State | I'm having the problem too this year. I have four young hens (RIR and black stars that are supposedly cold hardy). They quit laying 3 weeks ago! No eggs in 3 weeks. One is molting but the others aren't. Idk, but they need to get back in production to earn their keep here.
Edited by River 2015-12-02 8:49 AM
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 Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | I started with seven, hatched out another 13, I think. All are at egg laying age. I went from getting 15 or so a day to 4. Lol. But I know a few are molting and with the short days, I'm not surprised. Just bummed because I have a gal that buys 8-10 dozen a month. |
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 Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | As others have mentioned, you have to extend their daylight hours by a light. I use a red heat lamp so they get some heat too. I also let it kick on for a couple hours in the middle of the night when it gets really cold. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 669
Location: Central Texas | wyoming barrel racer - 2015-12-02 9:37 AM
As others have mentioned, you have to extend their daylight hours by a light. I use a red heat lamp so they get some heat too. I also let it kick on for a couple hours in the middle of the night when it gets really cold.
This. Just confirmed with the hubby who is a chicken expert! They need light to encourage laying and he also said you can feed laying pellets. |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
| So I work at a local feed store and we have some pretty serious bird farmers of different kinds and all have told me they quit laying when the daylight hours get short and it gets cold. That being said I have 10 hens and 1 rooster and I get 4-7 eggs a day. I got 7 eggs on a day that was 35 degrees and raining all day. With no sunshine? So... Lol.
I don't light my birds. They just have 2 houses to get in out of the weather. A large one and a small one. Most lay in the small house but one or two will lay in the big one. They have a 10x20 pen that used to be grassy. I feed them a mix of some stuff our mill makes. |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7268
| Thanks everybody! They aren't free range because either my Heeler or coyotes would get them so they aren't hiding any. It really sounds like it's due to the shorter days (which I HATE too)! |
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 Expert
Posts: 4121
Location: SE Louisiana | Tilt The Kilt - 2015-12-02 7:53 AM
The primary reason they slow is due to the shortened hours of daylight. Ours nomally slow or stop in late November and start again by mid-February. We don't have too many weeks without fresh eggs.
Right... It's a light thing... |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Mine are free range during the day and get locked up at night to protect them from all the danger at night, then in the late morning I go get their eggs and turn them loose for the day, mine are still laying. The short days have not stoped mine from laying..  |
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Thread Killer
Posts: 7545
| Griz - 2015-12-02 12:07 PM
Thanks everybody! They aren't free range because either my Heeler or coyotes would get them so they aren't hiding any. It really sounds like it's due to the shorter days (which I HATE too)!
In that case I agree with those who said it's light. Glad it's not the other explanations lol. |
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