Fall is over and with it the fall molt is nearly finished, which means you might expect egg production to kick back into gear again, right? Well… it’s not quite like that unfortunately. Why do hens stop laying during the winter? Winter egg production on the homestead can be affected by many factors. Some hens power through it and keep laying, others take a vacation and save their eggs for the spring. I once heard it said that eggs can be considered a seasonal crop, much like many of the fruits and vegetables we enjoy on the homestead. Let’s take a look at some of the factors that may affect how productive your flock is this winter.
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If a pullet is not old enough to start laying, she simply won’t lay, doesn’t matter if it’s spring, winter, fall, or summer. A hen needs to reach maturity before she starts laying so that her bones are fully formed and she has reached her adult size. That way she can focus most of her energy on laying eggs rather than growing.
Different breeds of chickens reach maturity at different ages. In fact, even individual chickens of the same breed may mature at different rates! The average age at which a pullet will lay her first egg is when she is about 20 weeks old. Breeds that have been created for commercial egg production will typically start laying before rare or heritage chicken breeds. Bigger chicken breeds, like Cochins and Brahmas, also have a tendency to wait longer before they start laying. This could be because they need more time to grow and reach their full body mass. Typically I expect my pullets to start laying any time after they are 24 weeks old.
Also, young hens will be more likely to lay during the winter than older hens, even if you provide supplemental light.
Northern backyard chicken keepers can use this age factor to their advantage during the winter. Many times, spring pullets who to start laying in the fall will continue to lay throughout the winter. This may not make sense considering some of the other factors that affect egg production. However, since they are younger, spring pullets can often handle the low light situation and still keep laying. Keep in mind that they won’t start laying at their full potential until spring and some of the other winter egg production factors will still affect them.
Light is what triggers the laying hormone in a hen’s body, signaling her that she needs to lay an egg. Chickens have a ‘third’ eye near their comb that senses light. This third eye is called the pineal gland, and one of its functions is to act as a light and dark sensor. This sensor needs to get 12-16 hours of light in order to trigger laying in most hens. The exact amount of light a hen needs to sense in order to lay is influenced by…
Like I mentioned earlier, pullets who started laying in the fall will more than likely already have the egg laying hormone activated enough to keep them laying without the correct amount of light. However, hens over one year old will be relying on light to keep them productive.
The decreasing hours of light during the winter causes hens to stop laying. This was what nature intended so that wild birds could put their energy into staying warm instead of producing eggs.
However, northern chicken keepers often use the tool of supplemental light to keep their hens laying during the winter. Depending on the age and health of the hen, some hens can lay just fine with only a few extra hours of light added to their daily winter schedule. I talk more about providing supplemental light along with the proper way to add it in my book, Winter Chicken Keeping.
A hen’s diet plays a role in productiveness. Making eggs requires lots of nutrients and if a hen is not getting what she needs through her diet, she will stop laying. Some key aspects of a hen’s diet that should be considered during the winter include:
Supplemental calcium is used to supply the calcium needed for making eggshells. Sometimes it is neglected during the winter months when hens aren’t laying that much. However, it should still be provided free-choice for the hens to consume if they need it.
Protein is a very important part of a flock’s diet. In relation to production, it helps the hormones that trigger egg laying. An increase in protein is often needed during the winter months to keep a hen healthy. I have done a lot of research about protein in these two posts, Balancing Protein in a Flock’s Diet and Protein Sources for Chickens.
Balancing the carbohydrate and fat ratio in your flock’s diet will help them stay warm and get the energy and nutrients they need from what they consume. Monitoring these two dietary aspects means having a good understanding of what the supplements and treats you give your flock contain. Too much fat will cause your hen’s to stop laying because of obesity, too little fat will cause them to stop laying too because of lack of energy! Carbohydrates also provide energy, so too little of them will cause your hens to stop laying as well.
Check out Winter Diet Considerations for Backyard Chickens to learn what you can feed your hens to keep them laying!
Health and molting also play a role in how well your hens will produce this winter. Let’s start with molting….
Hens molt every fall after they are one year old. During the fall molt a hen will stop laying so she can focus her energy on growing back new feathers. Not all hens will molt at the same time. Typically your worst layers will molt first and your best layers will molt later. This often means that your best layers may not be completely done with their molt once winter starts. Once they complete their molt, they won’t start laying because of the lack of light.
To compensate for this, I often wait until all my hens are done molting before I use supplemental light. Once the molt is finished, then I start gradually adding supplemental light so that my hens will start laying again.
Now for health…. unhealthy hens will not lay, no matter what their age is or how much light they are getting. Poor health can be a result of internal or external parasites, respiratory issues, improper diet, a tumor or abscess, cancer, or any other of the numerous diseases that chickens are prone to getting. Keeping your flock’s health up during the winter is essential if you want them to lay.
A proper diet, natural supplements, and ensuring that they get the energy they need to stay warm will help your hens stay healthy and laying this winter. Health concerns to watch for during the winter include under-weight hens, obese hens, lethargic hens, signs of respiratory issues, and symptoms of cold stress.
The weather plays a role in how well a hen will lay during the winter too. A severe winter will take a lot more energy from a hen than a mild winter. Often the most influencing weather factor on laying is the temperature (including the real feel and wind chill).
Cold temperatures means expending more energy to stay warm, which means less energy to keep producing eggs. The effect of extreme winter weather on chickens is often called ‘cold stress’.
A drop in laying during cold temperatures is okay! Your hens need that break and they need to focus on staying warm, not laying eggs. Temperatures that turn suddenly cold will cause cold stress and egg laying will decrease or stop. The same goes for long spells of extremely cold temperatures. You can help your hens through these cold spells by using these measures to reduce the effects of cold stress. That way they stay healthy and are ready for laying once the temperatures go back to normal.
Remember, just because the thermometer doesn’t read very cold out doesn’t mean there aren’t other factors that make it feel cold! Wind chill, precipitation, and humidity all a play a part in the real feel temperature.
Lastly, the breed, quality, and strain of your homestead hens will impact how well they lay during the winter. Cold hardy breeds are obviously going to handle the cold temperatures better so they may be able to keep production up. Production breeds, like white leghorns and Isa browns, may also continue to lay during the winter because they were bred to keep laying, and laying, and laying.
Different strains within breeds may have a tendency to lay better. Some breeders will have their own strain of a breed that is known for high production. This also ties in with quality. Hatchery hens are often not as good quality because their genetics are not strong. They may not be able to keep laying during the winter and may be more vulnerable to disease and weaknesses. If you buy from a reputable breeder or farm, you can get quality hens that will keep laying even during the winter. Genetics and family lines do play a part in production!
This brings us to: should eggs be considered a seasonal crop? Meaning, should you only expect your hens to lay when it is natural for them to do so, like in the spring and summer. Should you make your hens lay during the winter by providing supplemental light or heating the coop?
I feel like that is a matter of personal opinion. Many northern chicken keepers prefer to just let nature do her thing during the winter. Whatever eggs they receive from their hens during the winter are treasured and used sparingly. I am on the side of, if you don’t absolutely need supplemental light, then don’t provide it. And I am definitely on the side of not heating the chicken coop unless under extreme conditions.
Giving your hens the break will allow them to start producing right from the get go in the spring. Some say it also increases the lifespan of the hen and makes her healthier.
However, there are some legitimate reasons for providing supplemental light. One is, if you have a laying flock that you strictly keep for selling their eggs, you may consider keeping them laying during the winter. That is, after they have had the natural break during the fall molt. Another reason may be for breeding flocks. If you have introduced new pullets into your breeding flock, you will want to get them laying during the winter so that they lay normal size eggs for hatching in the spring.
Whether you decide to keep eggs a seasonal crop or want eggs throughout the winter, always keep in mind the health and well-being of your homestead flock!
So, if egg production is not high during the winter (which it usually isn’t) what are you to do? This is especially a big problem if you like to bake and cook with eggs or have a diet restriction that leaves you eating eggs a lot! Well there are still lots of eggless options for baking, cooking, and eating! Here are a few of my favorite winter eggless recipes and egg alternatives.
Another option would be to freeze eggs during the summer when production is high. I use frozen eggs in a lot of my baked goods and they turn out fine. Frozen eggs just aren’t quite the same to eat in the form of say, a fried egg though.
Why do hens stop laying eggs during the winter? Well, there are many factors that will affect how well a hen lays during the winter! The main reason why many hens stop laying is simply because they are not receiving enough natural light to stimulate the reproductive system. Of course, what factors play the biggest role during the winter will be dependant on where you live. In some regions, homestead flocks can keep up a limited egg production during the winter months. In other regions, eggs are pretty much considered a seasonal crop.
Thankfully, not only are our chickens useful as far as providing food goes, but they are also entertaining! That means even when they aren’t laying, they are still providing you the benefits of de-stressing and a little bit of exercise (come on, chores have to be considered exercise, right!?). Take the best care of your flock this winter and they just might lay you some special treats, if not, that’s okay too, it’s what nature intended.
Don’t miss any other homestead winter chicken keeping tips! Make sure you are a part of our modern pioneer newsletter where we share helpful tips and resources for raising your homestead flock naturally and sustainably!
by Alexa
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