[beth123]

 Hi

My hens have stopped laying and some one has suggested buying a lamp.  Is this natural? I feel like I would be forcing my girls to lay.

[joyfull]

no it's not natural - this is what people with poultry farms do to keep their girls laying. The problem is that hens are hatched with the amount of eggs that they will lay over their lifetime and by forcing them to lay more early on will use up their supply. I prefer to let my hens rest of winter (I am down from 17 eggs to 3 or 4 a day) but at least they will continue laying for longer.

[8doubles]

I think the big problem with having lights on a timer in a coop is that the birds are active with nothing to do , so they peck lumps out of each other.
I did once consider giving the girls extra light but it seems to cause more problems than it cures.

[chasechicken]

Yes, I too have considered getting a little light in their run so they can stay out for longer.. but it didn't feel natural so I scrapped that idea.  One answer to getting more eggs through winter is getting a load more hens 

We still get an egg a day from our three laying hens and one a day from our three ducks, so it's not too bad.

I guess it comes down to why you keep hens - if you just want egg machines then lighting will help, but if you just like having them but a nice consequence is that they lay eggs then leave them as they are I think...

[evie2]

We're still getting an egg or two a day, the girls take themselves of to bed just after 4pm and come out again about 8am, we have an outside light on but that's for us, so we don't fall over when we shut them up

[TeaPots]

my silkies really come into their own at this time of year..they dont lay in the summer! I have a cream legbar hen, bless her, who is 3 1/2 STILL laying an egg every day, since Feb.!!! the other 5 CLB's gave up as soon as it got chilly. As for my free range mottley crew, out of 35 birds, I got 2 eggs today!!  1 from a 6 month old pullet, and one from an ancient ex-bat

[alisonwo]

I wondered about lighting, but in the end decided the poor things needed a break and a rest like everyone else.

[beth123]

I have to agree, lighting is not for my girls.  Thanks for all your opinions, its soooooo useful when your a beginner. 

[oborne27]

I wouldn't get a light if it was me - doesn't seem right.
I have 5 RIR's and am getting an egg a day from each of them still with no signs of stopping.

[Fisherman]

I light my chicken coop up from dusk until 7.00pm and 6.00am until sunrise so that I can go out to see how they are as I am out at work during a similar period. The birds seem to be happy and lay quite productively

14 hours in darkness seems more than enough to me

[joyfull]

7pm to 6am is 11 hours darkness.
As most birds moult this time of year they really need to ease up on the laying and devote their energy to replenishing their feathers.

[Fisherman]

7pm to 6am is 11 hours darkness.
As most birds moult this time of year they really need to ease up on the laying and devote their energy to replenishing their feathers.

Whoops, always difficult adding up after a glass or two.
Egg production has definately eased up since the shorter days.

[wolverine]

let them have a break if you want more eggs just buy some. I don't think it's fair to mess around with them.  thousands of years of evolution can't be wrong.

[dennis]

Evie 2
          mine are the same they go to bed about 4.30 i drop the hatch on the coop about 5 and open it about 7.30 the next day they have just got over the moult so are laying again if you want free range [the natural way hens live]no light if you want to become an egg supplier put a light in the coop

[Fisherman]

7pm to 6am is 11 hours darkness.
As most birds moult this time of year they really need to ease up on the laying and devote their energy to replenishing their feathers.

I have now adjusted my timer for the light to be off 6.00PM to 6.00AM for easy reckoning - a maximum of 12 hours daylight and a maximum of 12 hour darkness. This way I can check on them first thing in the morning before work and again when I return at night.