Laying Cycle, Moult, Heat lamps

Big Question, I am afraid
This is our first full year with chickens!
Last year during the fall i installed a heat lamp in the digs mostly for more light to keep the hens laying, then as winter wore on, i kept the light on all night as well. Red lamp. It kept the chicken house around zero perhaps minus 10 at the coldest. The other reason that i used a heat lamp was because my husband and i work during the day and cannot be home to collect the eggs. I didn't want to have any eggs frozen.
This year i turned the lamp off when it started to get warm outside; zero most of the time and the daylight hours got longer. We have also introduced many new birds into the flock this year as they have become old enough to do so. Hens have been cut off from "favorite" nesting boxes, and the pecking order has changed many times-that is my assumption. We have added about 40 new birds.
here's the issue: We have gone from 16-18 eggs a day from 19 hens down to 8. Our new birds are just starting to lay, but the production from the older hens ( 1 year old) is still low. Yesterday i just put the lamp in again to increase the daylight hours and hopefully trigger the increase in egg production. Have i screwed with their little minds? If i keep a lamp on all winter long and my hens are in full production during the winter does that mean they will be in their rest period during the summer? i should say that most of the hens were chicks last june-july so would have just come into lay in Sep-Oct. I know that most are in their moult right now, but that does not explain the drop in egg production in July. Just not understanding the big picture i think and i am hoping you "old" chicken people will be able to shed some light on this whole process. I know most do not use heat lamps-or maybe you do.... 

I do not use heat lamps in my chicken houses. I DO for sure, have in both coops, the lights on during winter for 15 hours a day. Some like to not use artificial light, I do. I believe that well taken care of chickens have lots of energy and life to lay during wintertime as well. Many do not use lights and have breeds that continue to lay all winter. I like eggs in wintertime as much as any other time of year, so I give them every chance to give me eggs. If this means the lights on for 15 hours a day, so be it. I remember one year I was going to do a test in one coop and not put on lights. But then thought it too much bother to bother to keep records, so just left the lights on. ONLY 15 HOURS a day. I have timers that turn the lights on and off, so I just turn them on and let them go. some do, some don't. I have no clue if it makes a difference, but I get eggs during wintertime, so if it is the lights, good, if they would have laid eggs anyways, good. I have no clue. but for me, turning the lights on with the auto timers happens. Which reminds me. I think today I need to plug them in and set the timers. Lights come on at 3:00 AM, off at 7:00 PM. Gives the chickens lots of time to eat extra too, I think, having the longer nighttime hours. Whether they need it or not, but they certainly get to eat a lot more than if there were no lights and they were in darkness from dead winter light of 3:30 PM to 8:30 AM or so.
Hmmmm....just a thought here, maybe it is the ability to eat more during wintertime with lighted areas that makes for the chickens to continue to lay....hmmmm...geeze, these things that I think about. Now wondering about wondering if wondering that the chickens can certainly consume more food when they have 15 hours of light (be that however artificial) as opposed to closer to 6 hours to eat their hearts out, cause they can't see in the dark to eat, that is a given. Geeze, these are things that drive me nuts, I think too much. Have a wonderful day, CynthiaM.

you are the best CynthiaM

I have lights on all year in my chicken houses They eat more but the more they eat in the winter the warmer they will be is my thoughts They lay good all year except during molt and at a year old they do slow down My heritage breeds do better at a year and older or some of the cross layers I have

I also have to agree with you Cynthia is the Best

Thanks for asking the questions Bigrock, I am finding so many little subtleties to this adventure and your questions are drawing the knowledge out of what/who I am beginning to think of as The Divine Wise Panel. You are all wonderful resources, would be excellent if a book was written with little expose's, could call it "Finessing The Chookhouse - memoirs from the WCPS." Hope you all have fat heads :-).

I like hearing everyone's take on how they do things, all slightly different or similar or not, get to draw my own conclusions about how I want to do things and not be afraid to explore different ways and experiment - it will come with the seasons. Maybe those birds are tougher than I was thinking they were. I want eggs all winter if I can have them, don't want them frozen, want to survive the power bill, want hardy birds, want girls who don't dread the sight of the main dude in their life . . . all the things that go in to making the coop a happy place, especially during the long winter months . . . so much to learn ahead of me and many concepts already addressed (and causing many other questions to arise) since I arrived on the forum - not even a week here! I have come to terms with dispatching, haven't had to dress a chicken for the table yet though. I am so looking forward to having chicks and seeing what comes from crossing breeds etc. Just cannot wait for the banty cochin to go clucky! I'm sure you are all laughing about that, maybe I won't be able to stop her. She will lay an egg soon I imagine, she's between 5 and 6 months. Better get back to staking the raspberries - raining out there and would be so much more difficult if it were snowing so better make tracks. Need to put some of the aged bounty from the floor of the chook house onto their beds so they grow big and lovely for next years crop.

thanks for the kind words, I love recognition, smiling that big smile, kidding, well, really, not, guess I do, don't we all, smiling again  
I read somewhere that chickens within the confines of their bodies have thousands of little eggs, all waiting to go through the process to be laid. Again, well taken care of chickens I don't think need a winter break. Usually after a year old, my thoughts here, they molt anyways, hence taking a break, needing good food to grow out good quality feathers, a break is taken here, as they put on new clothes. these are all just personal thoughts, I back nothing up with fact that I can quote. I know I feed extra corn in the winter to help to keep the birds warm, corn is a heat generator. Winter is fast approaching, ready yourselves. and...remember when the snow flies, chickens do not have access to grit from the outside world if they have outside access, grit is necessary when birds have foods other than water soluble, like the pelleted foods. Have a wonderful day, CynthiaM.

I wasn't going to put lights on but I am getting tired of the big feed bills and no eggs. We have 27 layers ,all different ages. most are just over a year. We have not gotten more than eight eggs a day for quite a long time now. Some were raising chicks and some were moulting. It started to pick up a little but it is storming for two days now and only 5 eggs today. I have 4 that are due to start any day and eight more a month after that. If I put lights on maybe they will start before spring. We have only been raising chickens for a couple of years. This spring we were so excited to be getting between one and two dozen eggs a day. That lasted only about 5 weeks and they started to go broody, then it got too hot and the laying slowed down. then it was fall and they were moulting. People really have no idea what they are getting into when they say"it would be nice to have a few chickens". We put lights on the first winter and had 7 birds go broody in december. We have been scared to do it again.

Got a timer yesterday, hooked it up today; all set for lights on at 0430, off at 0830.....on at 1630, off at 2000. We shall see how it goes.....

We had 3 eggs today from approximately 50 hens. Out of the 3 eggs only 1 got to the house and 2 went to the pigs because of a poor shell or a dirty egg. Our meager crop of pullets have not started to lay yet. I turned the lights on 3 days ago and bought some higher protein feed. I set the timer to stay on late at night and come back on about the time we are getting up in the morning in hopes the roosters will sleep later in the morning.

I think the biggest problem with prolonged (i.e. without a winter break) laying is calcium deficit. Eggshells require HUGE amounts of calcium! This deficit can result in thin shells and even broken bones, as hens will withdraw calcium from their own bones to build eggshells.  This is particularly true for the high production hybrids and varieties of birds, who just can't mobilise enough calcium, but also affects heritage breeds.
 
For this reason, we don't use winter lights. We take some economic comfort from the fact that a non-laying bird will eat WAY less than a continuing layer. We do, however, try to manage age classes in the flock so that we always have some young'uns who'll lay through the winter.

bigrock wrote:Got a timer yesterday, hooked it up today; all set for lights on at 0430, off at 0830.....on at 1630, off at 2000.  We shall see how it goes.....

Remember it is WHITE light you need in the henhouse to trigger egglaying...doesnt need to be too bright I think I use a 40 watt bulb directed at the roosts last year.  Even a night light bulb might work as long as it is clear.
Red lights are nice for heat because uou can keep them on all night on cold nights without disturbinh their nightime.  I do question using lots of white light if you keep roosters witlh your hens all winter as it can make them too active.  My roos get only natural light and heated waterers...seems to keep the peace better.
I just set the timer to turn on at 4am and off at 8pm but I am only running 40 watts of power.

ipf wrote:I think the biggest problem with prolonged (i.e. without a winter break) laying is calcium deficit. Eggshells require HUGE amounts of calcium! This deficit can result in thin shells and even broken bones, as hens will withdraw calcium from their own bones to build eggshells.  This is particularly true for the high production hybrids and varieties of birds, who just can't mobilise enough calcium, but also affects heritage breeds.
 
For this reason, we don't use winter lights. We take some economic comfort from the fact that a non-laying bird will eat WAY less than a continuing layer. We do, however, try to manage age classes in the flock so that we always have some young'uns who'll lay through the winter.

This kind of thought has got me to thinking about the egg production decrease, I have never experienced eggs that I would consider to be any less than outstanding, as far as egg shells. I am thinking more, after even hearing what you are saying ipf, is that yes, chickens require lots of calcium to make good feathers and eggs, for sure. So..bear with me here, I have nothing to substantiate what I am thinking, but still getting back to thinking about the incredible decrease in food ingestion during the winter. Birds don't go and eat when it is dark. They can't see, and with less activity, of course, less hunger. Less food consumed, less time to eat oyster shell. I am pretty much speaking to people that use commercial food that had ADDED CALCIUM in the minerals as well as the other nutrients for health. I wonder, if the slow down with egg production and hearing maybe a less than "good" egg, is because of the lack of the amount of food consumed, be that oyster shell, commercial food preparations, you get the idea.

Is there any thoughts out there on that may be why chickens lay less eggs, maybe eggs that are not as good as they normally are, meaning eggshell capacity, may be to decreased food consumption. I don't know, just throwing it out there. But really, it does make sense to me. Decreased food intake, less egg production and egg quality. Because of long dark hours. Long light hours, more desire to eat, hence more nutrients, more egg laying. I don't know. I like the idea of eggs in the winter as I said, and I will encourage lots of laying hens, if they will. My birds are healthy and I don't think it stresses them out to lay eggs during the wintertime, my own thought, and I will like to have them feeding us through wintertime too, not just during the months with longer daylight hours. I need eggs. Have a wonderful day, CynthiaM.

My lights come on at 3:00 AM and stay on all day until 7:00 PM. Too much fuss to have them turn off and on during the day to accomplish the approximately 15 hours a day light in the artificial mean. They still get a very nice time to rest from 7:00 PM until 3:00 AM. the light is just a 40 watt light bulb on the wall, just gives them some time to be active and not sleepin' their life away   .

Will chickens stay within their original laying cycle? or do they eventually all get into synch like women do....
If i get chicks in the spring that come into lay in September-lay for a year and then take a rest for their molt....molt for 2 months...does the cycle continue for another year?...so they are always 2 months or so off the original schedule?
Do all your chickens eventually start the molt in the fall except for the new babies coming into lay?
This is a great topic.....totally intriguing (sp?)

I believe most chickens eventually become seasonal with the laying season being in the spring and early summer. The molting rest cycle comes in the fall, but the shorter days are a factor in the cycle as well. I try to have young pullets starting to lay each fall.

I sort of do and sort of don't use a light.

A crowded, brightly lit hen house filled with high strung layers will lead to some vicious and shocking picking! If your quarters are tight, I have found light leads to the worst chicken behaviour. BUt this also depends on the breed of your birds and age mix, the old ones always bully the young ones.

I hatch all year. I have chicks in every month. They are kept in a small corner of my hen house. My hen house is only 12x12 and there is a 3x4 foot separate section for chicks. Above the chicks there is a red heat lamp. This heat lamp, hanging low to the floor is the only source of light and heat in my hen house. THe hens get the gentle glow of a low heat lamp, but no direct light. BUt my hen house does have two windows with frosted glass so they get diffused daylight when there is some!

I have never noticed my birds eat more or less in the winter. I feed them the same amount and they eat it. I also keep their feeders OUTSIDE all year. Indoor feed leads to mice and squabbling in close quarters. I think if your feeders are indoors, your birds might eat more out of sheer winter boredom. I know I do! As for molting, I have never noticed any rhyme nor reason to the ridiculous and seemingly random molting. Or some that go broody and stay broody for 8 months! With no eggs under them! Ugh.

I usually let my birds out at first light. I have been wondering what it would be like if I kept them 'cooped' up for a few hours with a light on. Would there be more fighting? Our flock of many ages and a lot of young roos is fairly peaceful because they have so much room outside.If they were to spend a lot of time in such tight quarters it might not be so peaceful. I feed outside and inside. They definitely prefer outside. There might be less reason to fight if there were no food available. Good post. A lot to consider.

I like to keep my one year old hens laying. I figure they will still eat lots and I would rathrr keep my breeders in production rather than laying on fat whivh might happen otherwise

My timer is set to turn the light on early in the morning and off again once the sun comes up. This allows the hens to settle down naturally at night instead of suddenly being plunged into darkness without having found their way onto the roost. I figure out about what time the sun goes down, then calculate back to see what time the light needs to come on for the required number of total daylight hours.

That makes sense.

I don't start to use lights until Febraryish. I try to let them do the natural thing and actually the PChants are pretty good winter layers without heat and light. I start to add some lights in Feb slowly in the mornings. Get them up a few hours before the sun comes up. I think it helps have my fertility up and ready to go for hatching that way.
We get enough eggs in the winter for eating without heat and lights.

Now that may ALL change for me out in AB. Lots of experimenting to do. Just ordered the new chook shed. Will be broke for a long time!!! Not planning on heat or insulation but that may change too. They are putting some very cool vents in it.

We'll need pics when you get it then (or sooner!) Love to get new ideas. Drool over other people's setups!

yes please for pictures Coopslave :-). I have been doing searches on the net for pictures of things which were previously unknown to me, things that I would have thought very obscure but now think are probably a must have while I am in the business of "up cycling" my hoard of pre-loved wood into new coop digs. For example I have spent a morning studying how others have made their poop trays! good grief. my kids are a little worried - in a nice way of course. Am about to do a revamp on my main coop (new decently wide perch with poop tray/catchment area and laying boxes that open to the inside of the barn) and then will make a bachelor pen for when the roosters begin to declare themselves in that group.

Neg 2 this morning. Am singing that song by James Taylor "Mexico" . . .

Just finished the new hen house and they now have a light again. egg production dropped big time without the light. It is on a timer so they do get some dark time. I will be curious to see how quickly they pick up the lay now that the light is on and summer has returned.

Pictures of the new digs BcKev

I have had lights on for a couple of days now. I wonder how long it takes to have an effect. At first I didn't want to put lights on but the last two mornings it has been so nice to walk up in the half light at seven and see the warm glo coming from the coop. Our coop is completely open at the front so I can hear them clucking and cooing to their babies .All seems lovely and peaceful. I am also curious to see if it will encourage the moms to roost again. I have four mama hens who just won't leave their babies, still sleeping with them and mothering them at 10, 9 and 8 weeks. The mama with 5 week olds was on the roost last night with all her kids though. Keeping my fingers crossed.