Gradual Winter layer lighting hours?

[RenoHuskerDu]

Howdy, I just installed winter lighting for our layers yesterday. Should I ramp up hours gradually from the 12 hours of natural daylight we have now?

I started with 13 hours today and plan to go to 14 tomorrow. Then one more hour every day. Do you think this is gradual enough? I'm giving them the extra hours only in the mornings.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Are they already laying? If they are and you are just trying to keep them laying I'd stop at 13 hours. If they are laying at 12 hours they will lay at 13 hours. When you stop the extra light next spring you could trigger a molt if natural daylight is less than what you are giving them.

If they are not laying and you are trying to kick-start them I'd go more gradual. Before they kick over into laying mode they need to make some changes to their internal plumbing, plus the ova need to grow to egg yolk size. This takes time. This is arbitrary but I'd add 15 minutes then stay steady for three days or so before adding another 15 minutes. You are trying to trick them into thinking days are getting longer. Days don't get longer an hour every day.

Since you are adding light only in the morning, pay attention to sunset. You may need to make an adjustment to when the lights come n every day to compensate for the sun setting earlier.

 

[RenoHuskerDu]

They are laying at 12 hours but egg production is down to roughly 50% from 80% a month ago. So we got a few more layers, and I installed lights yesterday. In the absence of a pile-on against the plan, I'll go up 15 minutes every three days until I hit 14 hours, then stay there. In the Spring, the lighting will become moot as longer hours of daylight take over.

 

[aart]

How old, in months, are all these birds?
The new ones might not lay due right off due to moving stress.
Is your goal to have constant egg production year round?
Adding light is not like flipping a switch(haha!) on the egg machine.

 

[RenoHuskerDu]

How old, in months, are all these birds?
The new ones might not lay due right off due to moving stress.
Is your goal to have constant egg production year round?
Adding light is not like flipping a switch(haha!) on the egg machine.

I'd say your post was a light bulb going on in my head, but that would be egregious pandering to a humoristic setup, punishable by imprisonment in pun jail.

We have three generations in that flock (a younger-still generation is sequestered, preparing to take the baton, as it were, 7 young hens just about to lay, in fact we got an egg yesterday). Anyway, the flock in question has 2 that don't lay (rooster and old hen), 2 that recently stopped laying after a year, and 7 that are a year old and still lay but have slowed down a lot in the last 2 weeks. These are the 11 chickens in the main coop, to which I just added lighting. The younger hens are in a secondary coop which gets more natural light but no artificial light. We'll integrate them all next week, barring violence. Then they will all free range in 2 fenced acres protected by heelers.

Yes, we aim for year round eggs, still have 2 strapping teen boys and their sister to feed. I eat a couple a day myself, as I'm tall and active. Our daughter sells baked goods at the farmers market and as such she also needs a dozen or more a week. So we have had to purchase eggs often this last month.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Both previous posters gave great advice.
You have two things going on. Young birds nearing POL and slowly incrementing light may bring them to full sexual maturity soon. An hour a day is way too abrupt. You won't get eggs any faster than by adding 20 minutes to an hour a week. I wouldn't go over 14 hours at any rate. It isn't necessary.
The stimulation doesn't come from longer days per se, the stimulus is from increasing light period vs. decreasing dark period.
Your older birds are likely molting or will be soon. No matter how much light you give them none of those birds will lay till they recover from molt They can't grow a new winter coat and kick out a lump of protein every day. Plus their bodies need to prepare for the upcoming production season. That takes time. The older hens will take a longer molt/winter break each year but will resume when sufficient time after winter solstice has passed. You can simulate that with artificial light but both groups of birds should have slightly different lighting programs. Once POL pullets begin laying they usually continue through fall and winter regardless of the lighting program.

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

No help, I'm just letting nature take over. I am not supplementing extra light and still had a new layer yesterday.

 

[aart]

I am not supplementing extra light and still had a new layer yesterday.

How many weeks old and what breed?

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

How many weeks old and what breed?

I got them about June 5th and they are 1 splash maran, 1 buff brahma, 1 New Hampshire, and 1 welsummer.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You still have at least 2 weeks before they start laying, maybe 6 weeks or more. If you start incrementing light now, they may start laying at an age those breeds would start laying in spring or summer. The brahma and welsummer may be slower.
Bumping light up an hour a day won't do anything for sexual maturity of 18 week old pullets.