How to raise Backyard Chickens: Re: [CHICKENS-101] Chicken Lights/Noemi

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Re: [CHICKENS-101] Chicken Lights/Noemi

Noemi~

I was thinking the exact same thing: this was our first year of having chickens and we had the worse winter in recent history and my Ladies laid quite well all winter long!!

Then Hubby was reading an article that said first year hens (pullets) will do that, but now next winter those same hens will not lay nearly as well.

Does anyone have any more info/experience on this? Funny how I've been reading everything I can get my hands on and I had never heard this before.

I am getting a solid egg customer base and I'm wondering if this is something I need to keeping in mind when planning my flock population.

Nancy Blanchong
www.blanchongblueacre.blogspot.com
nrblanchong@gmail.com
Look to the Lord and His strength,
seek His face always. Ps. 105:4

----- Original Message -----

From: Noemi Teleky

To: CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Sunday, May 04, 2014 2:52 PM

Subject: Re: [CHICKENS-101] Chicken Lights

Hi, not sure if I had "begginners luck" or if I have some really exceptional hens. This was my first winter with 7 Buff Orphington girls and they laid throughout the winter without fail. As I am sure most everyone had the same experience the winter was brutal. The only extra light my girls got was a single heat lamp in the coop on the nights when it went below 10 degrees.

I did the same thing with my chickens that I try and follow with all my animals.

As close to nature as possible, so while I had read a lot about increasing daylight hours so they continue to lay, I decided against it. So I was totally amazed that every evening there were eggs without fail. I did increase their protein with ground meat scrapes, as well as oatmeal, chopped cooked eggs and all the greens and veggie scraps I could get my hands on.

Noemi in PA