[leighton]

HI does anyone know if it does help putting up false lighting in the winter my chickens have gone off the lay. They are free range do you put the lighting in the house or field or is it worth not doing it help people banging my door down for eggs and have none

[Swing Swang]

Supplementary lighting will make a huge difference - A lot of money is spent on researching the most efficient/economic/productive level of lighting for battery hens to keep them laying throughout the year. You'll find lots of academic publications on this subject.

I'm distantly aquainted with a chap who does this very work and who has recently published a book on the subject - unfortunately I only know him as 'Mr Chicken Man' so if you cannot find the information that you want do get back to me and I'll see if I can come up with a better reference.

Of course the next question is do you actually want to raise your birds in an artificial environment where their 'bums' get no rest throughout the year?!

Regards,

SS

[alisonwo]

I asked the same question some weeks ago, the general advice seemed to be don't do it, but let the girls have a rest over the winter.  They only have a finite number of eggs anyway, so force them to keep laying and they will exhaust their supply all the quicker.

[scrappydoo]

Hi
  I have false lighting that comes on around 06:30 in the morning mainly as an aid for me to open the coop up to clean and feed the girls, then again in the evening (this time of year around 17:30 for the same until 20:00 at night when they've put themselves to bed , and I can close up for the night.

Best Regards

Steve

[Flowerpower136]

I wouldn't do it.

My poor girls need a rest from laying.

[Roughlee Handled]

Hi
  I have false lighting ..................................

Does it help with your egg production?

alisonwo is it all down to the breed of the chicken whether it will lay in winter or not.  False lighting means that the chickens spend more time out side and less time cooped up.  I personally would rather they are outside for longer and laying that in cooped up.

[SMD66]

Tell your egg customers that it's natural to get fewer eggs in the winter.. I put a note in my egg boxes last week explaining this and also that the eggs may be a bit soiled from the hens feet when they paddle through mud!

[scrappydoo]

I wouldn't do it.

My poor girls need a rest from laying.

Hi
   I dont understand the above, I dont have "poor girls" I have fit healthy chooks who admittedly are not always free range but have a large coop which is both dry, warm and disease free, a large 75% covered run with various things to climb on and 'play' with. A good diet consisting of pellets, mash & corn as treats.  Some of them even come and sit of their own accord on my arm or shoulder. At the end of the day they lay eggs as chickens do and are not forced to do anything.

[Roughlee Handled]

I agree with you scrappydoo.

[Flowerpower136]

3 months ago, my chucks were confined to cages, under artifiical light, with no liberty or choice.

Hence 'poor girls'.  But not anymore, and never again.

[craig1981]

in my opinion it depends on how you see your chickens . If you see them as pets and members of the family then i would let nature take its course and explain to customers what happens in nature , but if they are a source of small income then if lighting increases egg production then go 4 it . Theres no right or wrong answer in this one so good luck in whatever you decide.

[Flowerpower136]

Well put Craig, agree with all of that.

My girls are undoubtly pets, and rehomed pets at that, same as the dog and some of the fish.  Eggs are a bonus for me and I don't have to consider customers or income.

.... well I do, but not in relation to eggs 

[alisonwo]

Hi roughly handled - I didn't realise realise that it depended on the breed of bird whether they laid in the winter, I thought they all stopped in the winter because of the shorter daylight hours doh!  :happy:

[leighton]

many thanks for all your advice, i think i will just let them have a rest they are all saved battery hens 250 of them so could prob do with a rest.
thanks

[Roughlee Handled]

many thanks for all your advice, i think i will just let them have a rest they are all saved battery hens 250 of them so could prob do with a rest.
thanks

Leighton are you saying you have 250 ex batt hens?