Do you want to keep your hens in egg production through the winter months?? Then you have to trick them into thinking they still have long days and short nights rather than the reverse.
The laying hen’s reproductive tract works off something we call a “photoperiod” or the ability of the hen to react to a light stimulation. For a hen that is already laying eggs to keep laying eggs during a naturally decreasing day length, we must provide an artificial stimulation of increased day length to trick her into thinking it is still summer and spring.
Poultry need a minimum day of 14 hours of light to continue regular ovulation and egg production activity. Our day lengths in Canterbury typically become less than 14 hours by early April. So often we see our laying hens slowing their egg production rate as we go through the Autumn season and approaching winter.
The simple solution to this problem is to let your Hens Roost at Dusk and offer artificial lighting in the early morning, turning on at approximately 4.00 am and about 9.00 am. The artificial light provided does not have to be intense, a small wattage lamp should be adequate. That should be enough light stimulation to keep their reproductive activities going.
The hens are also going to need some protection from the cold and adequate food intake to keep laying eggs through the winter months a Chicken feed with at least 16% protein helps. If the hen has to use all of her food sources to keep warm, she’ll not be inclined to spend valuable calories on egg production.
So, if your hens are free-range and out in the cold, be sure to increase their feeding rate to provide energy for both body heat production and egg production.