Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The winter house.
We supplement the natural light from the clear roof and three walls with two
100-watt bulbs to ensure a day length of 14-16 hrs. Winter production is economic-
ally important to us, so we consider additional light worthwhile to keep up egg laying
in the winter. The lights are on a timer and go on at roughly 2:00 a.m. and shut off at
4:00 p.m.—before dusk so the hens can settle down as it grows dark and be roosting
by complete dark. It is unfair to turn lights off suddenly and expect them to find their
roosts in the dark.
The Deep Litter Pack
Management of the pack in a winter house can be challenging. It's a constant battle
to maintain the proper carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (i.e., wood fiber to manure), particu-
larly when you have the maximum number of hens on the pack. We prefer to start
with a base foot of good composting litter from the previous year and add another
foot of clean dry softwood shavings. Fresh sawdust, being fine and damp, doesn't ab-
sorb moisture very well and requires hand-turning with a fork at least weekly, be-
