does anyone have problems getting thier chickens to lay in the winter? i have the light going in the morning and at night, i have a semi-insulated coop, i feed them. what else can i do?
getting hens to lay in below freezing weather
Jan/Feb is the slowest months for laying, at least here it is.
How long are you keeping the lights on, hunterboy? Twelve hours should be the minimum, 14 would be great as long as they've had a bit of a break, have good feed, and are out of the wind.
Also, what breeds do you have as that plays an important role as well.
Shoe
i have the liht on for three hours before dawn and three hours after dark, plus it turns on twice during the day for an hour. i have black australorps, buff orphingtons, leghorns, black stars, red stars, RIRs, and white orphingtons. does feeding them warm water mixed with mash help? ive heard it does
Warm water and mash could sure help. I've often boiled potatoes for my chickens in the wintertime and fed them to them before "bedtime"; not only was it a kindness but it gave them a nice warm supper and carbs to keep them warm.
What I used to do also is get thrown out produce (greens, fruit, etc) from the grocery store and feed that to them in the Winter...that seemed to really keep them laying (and happy!)
Sounds like you have quite an assortment of chickens! And those are all pretty good egg-layers, too! Hope you can get them to start "paying rent" again soon!
Shoe
Yup, that's just how it goes in the winter. The lack of light really does some girls in. Others just go on strike, expressing their opinions on the local weather :) or at least that is how it seems.