Do you wonder why your chickens stop laying eggs in winter? And is there anything you can do about it? Good news, friends! Watch this video from Nutrena Poultry Specialist Twain Lockhart for everything you need to know about lighting your chicken coop to keep the girls laying eggs!
Leave comments below, or questions if you’ve got some!
I did not know it was important to give them light in the am to make 15 hrs of daylight instead of at night. Other than not being able to see, is there any other reason why this important? I ask because I have a red heat lamp on 24 hours with a white light on the 15 hours.
Hi Cindy,
The length of daylight is important because it tells the hens to keep laying eggs. If you have a light on in your coop 24/7, you have that well covered. While I don’t recommend using a heat lamp except in extreme cold, if you have that on all the time you don’t need your white light at all. As the weather warms and you turn off your heat lamp, make sure that your white light is on in the morning, and long enough to give them 15 hours of daylight. For example, if sunrise is at 6:30 am and sunset at 6:30 pm, make sure that you are adding 3 extra hours of light in the morning – have your light go on at 3:30 am and off just after the sun rises, at about 6:45 am. You should save some power going this route as well! Thanks for the question!
I have been doing chickens for about 35 years now. I also use the light bulbs for lighting during winter for good laying production. Now that they have the LED lights in 3 categories, I choose the brightest ones on the market. They are called sunlight. The chickens do very well with them, and have a high rate of laying!
Of course, when the light is added during the winter you are decreasing the number of years your hens will be productive layers. It is natural for hens to reduce their laying in winter as most animals do not bear young in winter months. A hen, like all other female animals, is born with a finite number of eggs in their reproductive system. If you do not allow them to live like they would normally, then you reduce the number of years that they can productively lay.
I have a question about all this lighting stuff. I want my girls to go natural & take a rest in the winter if they need to. My dilemma is that the heat lamps that I use in the winter puts off a lot of light. How do I keep them warm & not have light in their coop? Also, how cold does it need to be to use the lamps? Low 30’s on down? I would appreciate some help here. I’m new at this. Thank you.
Hi Debby,
You’re girls probably don’t need heat lamps at 30 degree temps. They do just fine at or to 0 degrees. The main concern is to make sure that the coop area is dry and free from drafts. The heat lamps will provide light enough to encourage the birds to lay through the winter. Here is some more info to reference, and thanks for the question! https://scoopfromthecoop.nutrenaworld.com/caring-for-your-flock-in-extreme-cold/
i put a regular 40 watt light bulb in my coop and i put a heating lamp over my waterer to keep it from freezeing but when i put the heating lamp in it maid my hens start laying again. i also feed my chickens a scoop of corn and oats a day along with layen feed and i get 14 eggs a day from 16 hens.