Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
average egg production for a third and even a fourth year, depending upon your climate
and other conditions that stress the birds.
The Laying Cycle
If you start with a batch of chicks hatched in March, April, or May of a particular
year, they will grow and usually begin laying eggs within four or five months. Laying,
however, may start as late as when the birds are five-and-a-half or six months old, de-
pending on the breed, the feed you're providing, and the health of the individual hen.
It's best not to rush them; let them begin to lay gradually at 20 to 24 weeks.
A typical April hatch will result in hens beginning to lay sometime in late August or
early September, when the days are rapidly beginning to shrink in length. They will lay
a few eggs and then, as the days become shorter and the nights longer after the autumnal
equinox, you will see a quick reduction in egg production. This is nothing to become
alarmed about, but can be frustrating for someone hoping to get a whole bunch of eggs
when the birds have finally matured.
Purchasing or hatching chicks late in the season, in July, August, or even September
is one solution, if you have good facilities for rearing young fowl in the cooler, short-
ening days so that they reach reproductive maturity when the days are getting longer
(around early January). However, there are other ways to control the laying cycle.
Manipulating the Cycle
Most people get very disappointed when chickens they thought would lay all fall sud-
denly stop producing eggs and molt. Because feed content and the amount of light hens
receive are key influences on when laying will begin and how long laying will last, you
can adjust both to influence the cycle.
Let There Be Light
Increasing the light in the coop with supplemental electric lighting during the evening
and early morning will push your hens to lay earlier. Simply turn on a light and leave it
on for a minimum of 14 hours a day in their pens. You must figure out the particulars for
your facility, but a 60-watt or 75-watt bulb should work for most people with a dozen
or so hens. Use this rule of thumb: If it is light enough in the building for you to read,
then the birds are receiving the proper amount of light. The incandescent bulb is your
best choice for most pens as it provides a greater amount of light. Soft or standard light
varieties work fine.
The laying hens need to have at least 14 hours of “daylight” to lay eggs at 50 percent
or more of their top production rate. Purchase an automatic timer that you set to turn
