When do your hens start laying again after stopping for winter?

[saving grace]

Hello! This is just a curiosity question.

All my hens stopped laying in October and November and I decided not to do additional lighting this year and let the hens have a break. We get 8 ½ hours of daylight here, currently, and three of my hens just started laying again consistently. I was pretty surprised (and very happy!) to see them laying so early, knowing that they usually need at least 12 hours of daylight.

So I was just wondering when do your hens usually start laying again? And isn't it so exciting to see the nestboxes filled with eggs again after so long being empty?

 

[springvalley123]

Yes, it's kind of like Christmas all over again when each bird starts laying again. I get from 10-14 hrs of daylight (I live north of Phoenix AZ), but my birds still stop for the winter, or some at least do, or have. I've never used supplemental lighting. All of the below applies to pullets, and to 1+ yr old birds, I haven't kept them older than 2 yrs.

I had andalusians all of a sudden stop late September, go into a hard molt one bird at a time, and resume in February, which was about when they started laying as pullets (hatched in August). I was expecting them to resume as their combs reddened up again. Then I had midnight majesty marans stop laying around late October. 2 of them molted quickly but didn't resume until spring. The barred rock never molted, and never really stopped laying or barely slowed down.

Right now I have 2 barred rocks and a production red or sexlink, laying without stop. All hatched 3/8 so are about 10 months old now. An olive egger based on ameraucana and a legbar-based easter egger stopped, molted a few feathers and the OE has resumed but the EE is still molting a feather a day or so. her comb is red though...But then, I sort have to compromise between extreme heat tolerance and winter laying.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I can't say, cuz I still have some hens that lay during the winter.

 

[5 Points Wingfeather]

I have 7 hens (one is molting and one may not have started before winter) but I’ve gotten zero eggs for about a week straight now. So I am interested in this too. Can’t figure out if it’s just winter or if one has started eating eggs or a vermin is stealing them.

 

[BDutch]

Its not only the length of the day that counts.
Breed (optimised for egg laying) is certainly important too. Old heritage breeds that get broody in spring often stop for a couple of months in winter. Older chickens stop longer than young chickens. And there are individual differences too.

My chickens all stopped laying in autumn. The first in october the last beginning of december.
One younger chicken (bantam RIR) started laying again last week. My mix (3,5 y) breed and my Dutch oldies (5-8 y) probably start in february or march again.
We had sunrise at 8.45 am and sunset at 16.50 pm today. Thats about 9 hours of shimmering + daylight because the breaking of the light adds about 1/2 hour.

 

[chiknGeek]

My girls usually start up again in February. My broody also usually goes broody for the first time each year in February. I used to have a flock of barred rocks who laid straight through winter with very little decrease in production.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Like yours, my older hens (6-7 years old now) stop laying during molt in October-November and start again around January, although they don't lay frequently early on.

 

[Barredbeak]

First year with chickens here. Do they typically have any behavior changes when they start laying again? I can't tell if my buff orpoington is getting ready to lay again or if she may be having trouble pooping. She's laying down, head tucked back in her wing, tail is bobbing. She seems okay. Red comb, responsive, eating and drinking. Not lethargic.

 

[RadEggs]

Mine just didn't stop. I know they are pullets, but still kinda weird with no suplimental lighting.

 

[rosemarythyme]

First year with chickens here. Do they typically have any behavior changes when they start laying again? I can't tell if my buff orpoington is getting ready to lay again or if she may be having trouble pooping. She's laying down, head tucked back in her wing, tail is bobbing. She seems okay. Red comb, responsive, eating and drinking. Not lethargic.

Mine usually resume squatting, since I actively encourage it that's a pretty easy way to tell.

If you think the bird in question is having problems pooping you should isolate her in a crate for a day and that way you can get a good look at her poop.