Do Chickens Lay Eggs in the Winter?
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- Опубліковано 26 лип 2024
- Check out this video to learn more about raising chickens in the winter. Will they lay eggs when it is cold? Do they need a certain amount of light? How warm should it be? How will they get water in the winter? These are many of the questions that I had going into this first winter with the chickens and I couldn't be happier with our coop, watering system, feeder, and heat lamp. The chickens have been providing us with plenty of eggs for a family of five throughout this very very cold winter.
We have six ISA Brown breed chickens and every day we go out to the coop (well maybe not every day) and there are six eggs waiting for us. This year we have had a very cold winter, I mean, really cold! For the last couple of weeks it has not been above 10 degrees Fahrenheit (-12c) and the chickens have kept on laying! The only issue we have had is if we don't get the eggs in 24 hours they will freeze in the nesting boxes. This could be solved with some extra pine shavings or paper shredding I just haven't gotten around to it yet.
The other issue that I was curious about was lighting. I had installed some solar lights in the coop but since the little solar panels are covered in snow and the batteries don't seem to charge very well in the cold; the light s have not really been working much. The only extra light they get is from the heat lamp when it is on. It is hooked up to a thermostatically controlled outlet that turns it on when it gets to 32 degrees (0c) and then turns off once it warms up to 45 degrees (7c). During the coldest days they pretty much don't come out of the coop except to eat then quickly get back into the warmth. I feel that the addition of the heat lamp in this case is helping them to lay more by creating a nice warm nesting area for them (no science here just opinion).
The only other issue that we have had was with the watering system during the coldest periods. When it was down well below 0 degrees (-17c) with wind chills close to -25 (-31c) the heat tape and insulation could not keep up. The water pipe froze almost solid but not enough to break the pvc at least as far as I can tell so far. The inside part of the pipe also froze and no water was coming out for the chickens at all. I may do some redesigning on this heat system for next year but as long as it is not insanely cold for the rest of the winter it should work ok.
We have been so happy with the decision to get these chickens. They require minimal upkeep and provide us with so much. It is so nice to always know there is a free breakfast, lunch or dinner waiting in the fridge in the form of recycled cartons full of fresh eggs from our girls.
Products mentioned in this video -
Temperature controlled outlet - amzn.to/1A9sJRT
Similar heat tape - amzn.to/1wRPQzl
Heat Lamp - amzn.to/14SnEoH
Heat Bulb - amzn.to/1y5HMB4
All of these products and more recommended items from the SSL Family are available at the Simple Suburban Living General Store - astore.amazon.com/simpsubulivi-20
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I praise and thank God. I thank you for this interesting info. I ask God humbly to Bless you.
Thanks for the tour.
building my chicken cope out of a old children's playhouse I inherited should be finished in the next week or so.
Thank for your videos :-)
That is a good idea! I have seen some people use old sheds and hunting blinds but a playhouse would be great. Thanks for checking our out and if you want to share pictures when you get yours done please do so at facebook.com/simplesuburbanliving/ Thanks!
Mine take break while they molt and rest then go back to laying in the spring I just insulated the coop real good and wrap plastic around the run it get down to -30 at times
In california the weather gets to 70 degress , wish we had weather
hi just wondering what type of feed you are giving your hens and maybe that light may use much power you think,thnx for video...
Could you show the weather strip you have above your nest boxes. What material is that? I have a tough time getting the rain to stay out during rain storms.
I use the heating wire for house roof to heat the water of my chicken & rabbits and have no problem with temps below 0
We live in PA. Our chickens lay all winter also. No heat lamp used. On cold days we keep their door shut. We have Tetra tint chickens we got from TSC. This yr we are adding Easter Eggers and Orpington Buffs. Curious to see if they lay all winter also.
Something you might want to consider trying is 4" or 6" heat tape from reptile basics.com. It would require a thermostat & perhaps changing your design a little bit (like moving th water pipes closer to a wall & have th heat tape taped to the wall). But it could work. Either you could have them connect th electrical parts for you or do it yourself but since you don't need but a few feet of it, it would be cheaper to have them connect it for you.
How do u keep the their water from freezing in the pipes?
Do you ever shut the lights off in the coop? We have chickens and the light would keep them up .
watched your videos on this project this morning from the beginning after deciding that i would be keeping a few chickens again. had the same breed you have now and will be getting them again...you will want to cull them once they stop laying due to the risk of diseases and such, from my past experiences. trade the meat for chicks, maybe, you already have it set up to raise them up....a few thoughts on the construction (nice job, btw) ...you might switch to a small 4" pvc water reservoir inside and a smaller diameter pipe outside to maximize heat strip potency. also installing small pvc catch drains with removable exterior screen covers on them should fix your interior water spillage issue, as the drips should almost always hit the same spot every time. good videos, keep us posted on things. i am interested how the tractor is going to hold up after many moves and the seasons change, and if you will need crossmembers to prevent racking. inexpensive threshold over the wire perimeter may not be enough. that roofing material will last for decades in your climate, i noticed you didnt seem familiar with it....keep up the good work!
Wow, thanks for this comment bvampatella. Great tips and experience here. I was thinking the same thing on that watering system. Putting the water more in one place rather than the smaller pipe. The tractor portion is pretty rugged but like you said after a few seasons we will see:) Thanks again for the comment, I appreciate the feedback!
least i can do is comment after i spent two hours watching you build it.SSLFamilyDad
SSLFamilyDad
thanks, btw, good video for what i was looking for
I to live in Michigan and am going to start raising chickens. Before I build my coop (Replica of yours), I was wondering if you made any adjustments to your watering system? As far as preventing it from freezing.
The watering system was working excellent until we had sustained temps below 0 this year. I am going to make some changes this spring to the watering system to address two issues. Number one, the chickens don't like to go out in the snow and barely used the outside section of the waterer anyway so I am going to add a valve to shut the outside portion off in the winter. Number two, I want it to be able withstand colder temps so I am going to insulate the inside of the coop wall where the waterer is and rewrap the piping inside the coop with better insulation. I will do a video on the changes once I get it done but in case that happens after you start building yours I hope this helps! Thanks for checking it out and let me know if you have any questions!
Have you thought about changing the lower part of the watering system to copper so it conducts the heat better?
+Charlie Blum That is a good idea actually I hadn't considered that due to cost of copper. I have a new idea for the watering system this year. Should have a video out on that in the next couple of weeks
hello there , great videos...
what was the name of those hens? are they like Rhode island reds?
that's what I have..
cheers..
+MNT HUNTING These are a hybrid of Rode island breeds, called ISA Brown.
do you have a part number for the switch that turns on the heat lamp?
+Rudy Casias links in the description:)
During the winter when it was very cold, did you open the coop door so that the hens could go in the run? Or were they only allowed to stay in the chicken house?
mhendu07 We always opened the door each day but the silly chickens are afraid of the snow so wouldn't go out if there was snow on the ground:)
I noticed you use shredded paper for nesting in the laying boxes. I m going to try that too. Good I idea I think. Hay is 8 bucks a bail at the feed store. OUCH.
The paper shredding have been working pretty well. I will probably use the pine shaving for the nesting boxes next time I clean and the shredded paper just for the main part of the coop. it has been working very well. Just remember to use compostable paper material, thanks for checking it out!
OK thanks
i'm not an engineer or anything, but could your freezing problem have anything to do with the pressure inside the tubing or pipe?
Steve Marler I might but I think it is more that the heat tape just can't keep up when the temps get that low. I don't have all of the piping insulated so too much heat loss and not enough heat:) Thanks for checking it out Steve!
Your chickens look good; no missing feathers on any (that I could see) - they don't peck at each other? My neighbors' chickens peck on the least aggressive one; she looks pretty beat up. Do you think it's your breed type?
I have read that this breed (ISA Brown) is a fairly friendly breed. We have not had any issues with them pecking each other so far nor any issues of them acting to dominate over each other. The real test will be when we introduce new chicks into the mix in a year or two. I have heard that they can be more aggressive towards new comers.
when I bought mine, I made sure they were from the same owner when they were younger so they were used to each other.
What is the wattage of the heat lamp inside the coop and the typical duty cycle at, for example, 10 deg F? Also, very roughly, what is the total volume of the heated space? Do you keep the chickens sealed inside the coop during the night to minimize heat loss or is there an open "door" to the outside?
Also, what impact does the irregular illumination due to the heat lamp cycling on and off during the night have on their stress levels and/or ability to sleep?
Great questions Peter, The heat lamp(250w) is regulated by the thermostatic outlet so it just depends on how cold it gets. It stays warmer in the coop than outside so it only comes on when the temps are below 25outside. The door is closed at night which helps keep the heat in as well. The light does not effect the chickens sleep as far as I can tell. They sleep on the roosts right under it just fine. They did that as chicks and they seem to still be ok with it. Thanks for the great questions!
Question: How do you feed them in winter ?You said they don"t really like to go out.
+Sherry Ruckdeschel they will go out when they get hungry rnough. Sometimes I will go clear some snow for them if there is alot
This video is Watermelon Baby Approved!
can eggs still turn in to chickens when the egg is Relly cold
Eggs need to be fertilizer by a rooster and need to be kept warm to hatch. Some breeds of chickens will sit on the eggs (brood) better than others. Your best bet is to use an incubator to hatch them
did you know we had the same problem with our rooster did you know you can buy a thing that you wrap around the roosters throat and it makes it to where he can't Crow he just can mildly barely make the sound but not at all hardly
I have heard of these, haven't tried them though,
They are the best
A BAD
Very im formative
Thanks! Glad you found it informative.
OK here is it SSLFamilyDad, I see you are a hard working dude with knowledge,,, however one is missing... it maybe from a selfish nature of you; Hey how about adding a male chicken among those female chickens of yours... well it's only natural.; so look into this too, not just for the eggs only.
I will keep watching your videos and see when you will have a good heart.
+Avsiv Anroop I would love to but we are not allowed to have roosters here unfortunately