Winter laying

[rick]

I've just realised the effect of light on laying over winter. As we are now getting home after dark I've installed a light on the wall outside in order to check the food, water etc and tidy up when I get in. Also to let them out for an hour or two as they have been in the run all day.
It hadn't occurred to me that it might cause them to keep laying when they would otherwise get a natural rest from it.
Then again it appears from reading around that commercial hybrids (especially hatched this year and missing a molt) might just keep laying in the dark! A week ago I did have a small egg so I guess that might have been a sign.
I was wondering what the rest of the pet factory hens are doing right now?

 

[dinosaw]

Any of the productive laying hybrids should be laying throughout the winter, especially if it is their first season, just at a slightly reduced rate to summer. If you were getting an egg a day in summer it would reduce to around 5 per week in winter though with something like a Bovans Goldline it could be higher. The best production I ever had was over 350 (356 if I remember rightly) eggs in a calendar year from one of my Goldlines in their first year, that was without artificial light too. Unsurprisingly this took its toll on her later in life poor thing and she died of egg peritonitis.

 

[Marigold]

Yes I expect the light is making a difference, especially to young hens. My quails would keep laying throughout the winter with just a very small LED light in each cage, on a timer, which hardly showed up at all if on during the day but kept them awake and productive in the winter evenings.
I think we forget that eggs used to be a seasonal food, like so much we now eat all year round that is produced artificially or flown in from a different climate or time zone.

 

[rick]

Thanks. I think I'll just try to disturb them as little as possible in the evening. Maybe automate a pop hole to open an hour before dusk.
As soon as they can see they get up and when they can't see to forage they go to bed. It wouldn't take much to tip the balance, like the small LED nearby. But the light from the kitchen window doesn't keep them up.

 

[rick]

I just went out with a small torch to close the coop and they all woke up and jumped off the perch. When I shut the door and turned the torch off there was a great deal of flapping because they couldn't see where they were going to get back on the perch. What are they like!

 

[chrismahon]

Unfortunately it is that sort of upset that stops them laying for a while Rick -they won't like sleeping on the floor and risk injury trying to get to their perches in the dark. I think you need an even smaller torch which needs to remain directed to the ground. As much background light as possible needs to be removed from the environment so they remain in near total darkness all night.

 

[rick]

Thanks, It's work in progress at the moment. Mostly I just need to extend dusk by a bit so Its poss to get home before they settle in for the night and have the light fade slowly so they can decide its time to roost in a natural way. Until then I guess it might be better to not try to clean and top up feed till the morning.