I know some of you keep chickens. I've had them more years than not, so I'm pretty familiar with them (they're my favorite animal!) Anyway, I never gave them extra light to keep them laying over the winter, and although they fell off laying, we still got eggs. I read once that a hen is sort of preprogrammed to lay only so many eggs during her lifetime and if you force her to keep laying when she wouldn't otherwise (like they do in the egg factories), she will be worn out in a few years. I know the egg factories "retire" hens at about 3 years while hens in a home flock can lay at least a couple of years longer.  Do you use a light? Is it worth it? I was always curious about it, and just now ran across a discussion elsewhere so thought I'd ask here. 

Hi Pat

I'm in Australia and keep a few 'chooks', (as we affectionately call them!).  I never use lights as I always get more than enough eggs for my own use and to give away.  I suppose if you had a large family to feed it may be worth it, or if you are selling/bartering your eggs.  My chooks are ex-factory cage birds so I like to let them live as natural a life as possible to make up for their first couple of years as little egg factories with no life at all.  The ex battery chooks are wonderful to keep as pets.  Some of them are very submissive which makes them very easy to pick up and stroke and they are always very happy to see their 'human' - they start clucking and running to you as soon as they hear the garden gate open and will follow you anywhere.  I'd recommend chook keeping to anyone if their local by-laws allow it.

 Regards

Jo

Jo Bo:

I'd recommend chook keeping to anyone if their local by-laws allow it.

I would, too, Jo. I miss having chickens around. The laws won't allow it here, though.

I had a hen from a commercial egg factory one time. My son in law worked there and some of the hens got out somehow. They wouldn't let them back in for fear they would bring in disease, so he managed to catch one and brought it to me. She was a quiet little thing, but her beak had been cut back so severely that she could hardly eat. I felt so sorry for her. She laid for us for a good long while.  

I got spurred on my legs by a nasty rooster when I was a child. It hurt like the dickens plus it scared me terribly. If I had chickens I would have to heat and cool the hen house because it gets bitterly cold here in the winter and it gets horribly hot here in the summer.

Pat:

Do you use a light?

My parents did not use a light. With three people in their house, their egg needs were fairly low so even in the winter, the number of hens they had could keep up with the demand.

Virginia Needlewoman:

If I had chickens I would have to heat and cool the hen house because it gets bitterly cold here in the winter and it gets horribly hot here in the summer.

It gets pretty cold here, too (-20) and pretty warm (106), but I never heated or cooled the henhouse.

Mean roosters were often butchered before their time!  

Brandy:

Pat:

Do you use a light?

My parents did not use a light. With three people in their house, their egg needs were fairly low so even in the winter, the number of hens they had could keep up with the demand.

 

I sort of lean against using lights. It seems like it would be forcing their bodies to do something they wouldn't otherwise.  

I have never kept chickens, although I would like to. My mom was raised on a farm and offered to help with it. My neighbor has chickens and she does use a light in the hen house, but she does sell her eggs. The chickens usually lay off in the coldest part of the winter. Still, I think she gets enough eggs to supply her family of 3.

The first week of December the flourescent light goes on, with a timer so they get 14 hrs of daylight...their windows just aren't enough. Also a heater base under the waterer.

They are "retired" to the freezer after a year of laying anyway, because their cost effectiveness goes down so much after that year that it just isn't economically worth it. (feed to production ratio)

 Cinnamonhuskies, you're a lot more efficient chicken farmer than I ever was! My hens laid until they quit before they went in the stew pot. I didn't buy everything they ate, though, because I fed them a lot of scraps, milk (from our own cow), garden leftovers plus what I planted just for them. I took part of my profit out in enjoyment, though.