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privatehire
Joined: 13 May 2008
Posts: 39
Location: West Yorkshire
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 Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 1:15 am Post subject: lights or no lights |
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do you light ya pen/run or let nature take its toll on your egg count!
me.......i light the run on nights.............eggs or not...........the girls like the extra time out of the coop |
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Sylvia
Moderator
Joined: 06 Oct 2006
Posts: 1054
Location: Nr. Chalus, Haute Vienne
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| Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 6:02 am Post subject: Re: lights or no lights |
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| privatehire wrote: | | do you light ya pen/run or let nature take its toll on your egg count! |
I let nature run it's course and it has made no difference at all to egg count, in fact quite the opposite.
I have 3 hens and 10 pullets (hatched 02/07) and getting between 6 and 10 eggs a day from them. Apart from a couple of sunny days it has either been very wet or freezing here lately and I don't open up to let them out in the mornings very early, it depends how soon I can get my back/legs working properly for me to walk to the houses, it has been as late as 11am.
Don't know whether it is because they are a bunch of Heinz 57's or FFF (French Farmyard Fowl) as Mojo calls them but weather and light levels don't seem to have had any effect on egg laying. |
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crazypianolady
Joined: 26 Mar 2008
Posts: 793
Location: Nottinghamshire
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| Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 10:49 am Post subject: |
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My birds don't get any extra light. (They've not been getting much natural lately, either!) I think it has affected my egg numbers - from my nine layers, the number varies from 1 - 6.
This morning, there were already 4 eggs in the nest box when I open up at just gone 8!
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Henwife
Joined: 31 Jan 2006
Posts: 3540
Location: Monmouthshire
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| Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 10:59 am Post subject: |
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| I prefer to let them rest up in the winter. They've laid well for most of the year, then they go through the moult. They need a rest to prepare for plenty of eggs in the following year. This year I bought a mob of hybrid PoL in October or so to keep egg numbers up (which they have) and shall repeat the performance next year. They will be sold on in the spring when I'll have too many eggs. |
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pjred
Joined: 15 Jun 2008
Posts: 253
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| Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:49 am Post subject: |
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| As I am new to this hobby, natural light is the only light my birds are getting. Still averaging 24 eggs a week though from them. |
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mojo
Joined: 13 Apr 2005
Posts: 10986
Location: GLENAY north deux sevre FRANCE
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| Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:53 am Post subject: |
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| do you try tosleep with the light on? well then dont expect your hens to do it..........seriously .nature knows best |
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privatehire
Joined: 13 May 2008
Posts: 39
Location: West Yorkshire
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| Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 1:47 pm Post subject: |
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| am not saying that i keep the lights on all night......just till later (about 8pm). By then they have gone to bed (coop). |
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NannyP
Joined: 13 Apr 2005
Posts: 11631
Location: 86310 Nr St Savin
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| Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 3:02 pm Post subject: |
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Any hens, going through their first winter, are very unlikely to be bothered by light shortage. It's only older hens who will stop laying once the days get shorter.
I am getting a few eggs a week now, I have 2 hens who have reached laying age in the last few weeks, I expect to get eggs from them throughout the shorter days.
Shortest day tomorrow! Then, we'll be moving towards the Spring  (Yes, I know, but I am an optomist) |
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CP
Moderator
Joined: 13 Apr 2005
Posts: 16285
Location: Hampshire
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| Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 3:05 pm Post subject: |
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We have a light on for a short time in the morning & again at night.
More to help us though as it gets pretty dark out there before we tuck them up for the night.
I don't think it has any effect on their laying but that's not what we do it for anyway.  |
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layla
Joined: 26 Oct 2007
Posts: 603
Location: West Midlands
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| Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 6:55 pm Post subject: |
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| I don't give mine any extra light luckily I have 3 marans that have just come into lay |
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Bradders
Joined: 13 Aug 2007
Posts: 1011
Location: Cambridgeshire
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| Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 7:04 pm Post subject: |
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When i get my hens i won't put i light out for them
Because i'll be glad for them to go in  |
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Tarka
Joined: 21 Dec 2007
Posts: 421
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| Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2008 10:47 pm Post subject: |
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let nature run it's course  |
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