There’s this little issue that tends to arise during winter when you have chickens. And it’s called no eggs.
Yeah, the simple fact is that chickens often stop laying in winter, and sometimes during molting. I’ve personally had it happen where I didn’t get a single egg from over 25 hens for nearly 3 months!
It was awful.
There are a lot of reasons why your feathered friends may not be laying; from older hens to molting (as I mentioned above), their feed and nutrition, and stress or illness.
As it turns out, chickens also need at least 12 hours of sunlight to produce. During winter when the days are shorter, the one major thing often recommended is supplemental lighting. We are very much against the notion of adding light to force laying. Though, commercial layers do this constantly.
As a backyard chicken keeper, you likely care more for your girls than the commercial facilities do.
That being said, we found a great place for you to start your research, so that you can determine the best course of action for yourself and your hens going forward. For further reading, dig into all the good research on this subject here.
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