tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21054991.post8132083944466211706..comments2023-11-02T05:18:38.925-05:00Comments on Antiquity Oaks: Winter: The egg-free seasonDeborah Niemannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10754242197245805551noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21054991.post-8630008885422058642012-12-12T07:31:34.004-06:002012-12-12T07:31:34.004-06:00I do think it's possible to have the right bre...I do think it's possible to have the right breed for your climate, and keep them stocked up on warm chicken bowls and protein (ours love venison and other odds 'n ends), and have eggs through the winter without lights. <br /><br />Age definitely plays a part though!! We wouldn't ever use lights on ours, but I do think we'll cull at the two year mark (except for our favorites, gulp)..since they do slow down. Feed is just too expensive to do otherwise. Right now we have a mix of Red Stars and Buff Brahmas.erin @ from city to farmhttp://www.fromcitytofarm.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21054991.post-67864642981415487402010-01-26T14:43:45.852-06:002010-01-26T14:43:45.852-06:00Not sure what we are doing differently, but we'...Not sure what we are doing differently, but we've been getting at least an egg a day, if not more (sometimes we get three a day) all winter. We usually get one from the two year-old hens, and then another from either the 3 year-old bantem or young bantem. Who knows! It seems we have the strangest chickens here! LOLAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21054991.post-71831703355751841652010-01-26T09:40:11.815-06:002010-01-26T09:40:11.815-06:00Heidi, I've always been surprised by how much ...Heidi, I've always been surprised by how much you see written about HOW to get your chickens to lay over the winter. I don't think I've seen anything written about whether or not you should, which always takes me back to Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park, who said, "You were so busy trying to figure out how to bring dinosaurs back, you never stopped to ask yourself if you should do it."<br /><br />Corrine, I'm sure the girls understand. :)<br /><br />I agree, Hippygirl. I think a lot of spring-hatched pullets will lay some over their first winter. I think breed or genetics might also play a role, because we've had some pullets that didn't lay through the winter.Deborah Niemannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10754242197245805551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21054991.post-67077078219824478942010-01-26T07:54:34.219-06:002010-01-26T07:54:34.219-06:00Mine are laying pretty good with no artificial lig...Mine are laying pretty good with no artificial light, but I think it's simply their age. They were all hatched last spring so they are still pullets. They did slow down and we were only getting about 4 eggs a day for a while, but yesterday we got 9, I think. We have 17 pullets.hippygirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16243932855704905178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21054991.post-67925312015863987462010-01-26T07:52:43.666-06:002010-01-26T07:52:43.666-06:00I have always felt the same way about putting ligh...I have always felt the same way about putting lights on my girls, but last month (because we are in a bit of a financial slump and I am feeding 60 chickens with nothing to sell), I decided to try adding just a couple of hours in the morning and a couple hours in the evening I am now getting a couple dozen eggs a day....I hope the girls understand that everyone has to help out this year :(.Crosswinds Farmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05688096037530031617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21054991.post-64455810821451407922010-01-26T06:55:37.770-06:002010-01-26T06:55:37.770-06:00"Yes, we could artificially light our chicken..."Yes, we could artificially light our chicken house, but I figure that if Mother Nature says the girls needs a holiday, who am I to argue?" <br /><br />I love that. We do the same, but everything else I have read talks about how you can get your chickens to lay through the winter.Heidihttp://blog.flickerslair.canoreply@blogger.com