Tips to Keep Hens Laying in Winter

Winter can be a slow time for chickens Some hens will take a permanent break from laying eggs, while a select few lay once or twice a week

It can be disappointing to have chickens at home, but still have to buy store-bought eggs in the winter I certainly know the shame of buying eggs at the grocery store, when I have over 25 hens at home! Please know, this is cyclical and all part of mother nature Our chickens have to maintain their body conditions in the cold, and contend with less sunlight Their energy goes into surviving, and

Why Chickens Slow Down Laying in the Fall

The long, warm days of summer are coming to a swift end Just as quickly, you may have noticed a sudden drop in your flock’s egg production!

Chickens will slow down laying during the fall for two reasons; less sunlight and the molt

In the world of chickens, less daylight equals less prolactin

Prolactin exists in most creatures and is a reproductive regulating hormone Prolactin is responsible for stimulating the ovulation cycle in a hen No one really knows why, but in our domestic chickens, prolactin levels decrease when days begin to have less than 12 hours of sunlight

Without a normal ovulation

Lights Put More Eggs in the Nest

All of today’s hundreds of chicken breeds originated from wild birds stalking the jungles of Southeast Asia Their distant ancestors were adapted to a hot, humid climate close to the equator where day length doesn’t vary much throughout the year

It’s a wonder these formerly tropical animals can survive cold dark winters, but the plucky birds do just fine when the temperature drops and days shorten as winter grips the north There is a problem Decreasing daylight as fall progresses causes egg production to drop off  It doesn’t cease but slows just as the winter baking season starts

Fortunately, hens can

How Daylight Affects Egg-Laying

Chickens are farm superstars  They produce eggs almost daily  Some chickens have even been known to lay multiple eggs per day  They don’t require much food in order to produce those eggs, either  One thing that many chicken owners quickly realize is that some chickens tend to slow down or stop laying eggs in the winter

 

Why is that?  Keep reading to learn more about why chickens may stop laying in the winter

 

Hens and Daylight

The hen’s body and egg production is a complex cycle that is impacted by the amount of daylight 

Managing Egg Production During Shorter Days

The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer

If you’re a backyard chicken keeper, maybe your flock is going through their molt, or their egg production is going down with the shorter days A chicken’s egg production slows depending on the amount of light they are getting during the day

In the fall and winter, there is less natural light causing egg production to slow down If you want to encourage egg production, you will need to provide a light source to ensure your chickens are getting between 12 to 16 hours of light a day

This can be