First night of 13-14 hour "day" light...

[EMS83]

I add two hours of light to my coop in the evening, and so far nobody's been stranded, but we turn the light off by hand, does that make a difference? I'll have to ask DH if he has to put anybody on the roost by hand when he turns the light off. I am NOT getting out of bed at 5 am or earlier to go out there and turn the light on! I will not get those two hours of sleep back! And the coop is not wired for electricity.

My solar market lights end up being on 2 hours after sunset because we're often out. So far, all hens are on their roosts when I go to count heads and turn off the light. I do wake up to turn it on; it has a remote that works from the back door, though. But you're right; it's hard for me to go back to sleep immediately. We're still in the first week of this, so I'll try to keep everyone posted!

 

[Ted Brown]

Egg production increasing...12th day of added light.

I have had two days with 2 eggs including a "chocolate w/speckles" that "can only be" from an older hen that has not laid in months. However, the egg is small, size of my other pullet eggs.

Under artificial light my flock seems to stand around in a daze. Normal?

 

[Folly's place]

They may not yet be used to 'daylight' that early. And I'm never out there at 3am or 4am to see what's happening...
Mary

 

[Ted Brown]

Mary, neither am I.

I get up around 5-6am and fetch wood for the stove. Lights go on at 4:30 will change to 3:30 on Friday to get to 13.5 hours total.

More light increases egg laying. If it were pullets only laying perhaps not but now have a 2nd older hen laying. I need to see production double or more to be 100% convinced (hen age obviously impacts laying).

 

[Ridgerunner]

More light increases egg laying. If it were pullets only laying perhaps not but now have a 2nd older hen laying. I need to see production double or more to be 100% convinced (hen age obviously impacts laying).

Ted, when a hen or pullet is not laying the ova that eventually grow enough to become a yolk are tiny. Also, the plumbing that makes up the hen's internal egg making factory shrink. When a pullet or hen starts to switch from not-laying mode to laying mode it can take a while to effect these changes. If I did the math right you started increasing day length a week and a half ago. I don't know if that is enough time for one to start from scratch. Some may have been in the early stages of slowly getting ready and you accelerated it. I'd suggest be patient and give it a fair trial.

You are a lot further north than I am. It looks like you should be getting about 8-3/4 hours of natural daylight today. My shortest days are 10 hours. My pullets often lay throughout my winter without supplemental lights. I sometimes have hens that have finished the molt laying this time of the year with day length only 10 hours. I read on here that they have to have 14 or 16 hours a day for best laying. I don't believe it for a minute, not from what I see with mine. Commercial operations use those times but I think that is more to suit their feeding techniques so each hen gets what she needs to make a good egg while the bullies don't eat her share.

The days getting longer can induce a hen to start laying. The day getting shorter can cause them to stop laying and molt. I suggest that once you set on a length of day light you consider not stopping until the natural day is close in duration. Nothing with chickens is ever always. Every spring (or fall south of the equator) I read posts on here where a flock has started molting. Sometimes people admit they had been extending lights and stopped, making the days shorter. I don't extend lights so I have no experience with this. It's just something that I've observed to occasionally happen.

Good luck! It is always good to hear from you.

 

[Ted Brown]

Today's sunrise is 7:47 sunset 4:27, bit less than 10 hours. I immediately increased to 12 hours (12 days ago) and will get to 14 hours shortly.

I have my goal of 24-25 hens of laying age but was getting less than 12 eggs/week; 2nd year with a significant decrease. To start I went the no supplemental light route but with the expense of feeding it is hard to justify not experimenting.

My expectation was 3 weeks to see an increase, I am ahead of that so happy.

 

[jreardon1918]

Today's sunrise is 7:47 sunset 4:27, bit less than 10 hours. I immediately increased to 12 hours (12 days ago) and will get to 14 hours shortly.

I have my goal of 24-25 hens of laying age but was getting less than 12 eggs/week; 2nd year with a significant decrease. To start I went the no supplemental light route but with the expense of feeding it is hard to justify not experimenting.

My expectation was 3 weeks to see an increase, I am ahead of that so happy.

I am in Southeast Mass. I start my lighting program tomorrow. I use Christmas Icicle lights in the run. The coop faces east. The roosts face east and south in the shape of an "L". I have 11 hens ages 18 months to 4 years. The last egg was almost 3 weeks ago. The molt is over. Not many red combs. The lights will turn on at 4:30 AM That is about 2.5 hours of extra light per day. I am hoping to start getting eggs again by the 3rd week of January. Fingers crossed. I past years I think this general schedule has worked.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Like your license plate, @jreardon1918!

 

[Ted Brown]

@jreardon1918 My coop & run face south east. On a sunny day in winter the warmth is noticeable.

My first experience with supplemental light. Last year this time I also had no eggs but did not think to extend wiring, one year later in gear.

Good luck!