Winter Egg Production

What a crazy winter we're having! At first it felt like Fall would never end. Even a few days still felt like Summer, and then out of no where we got hit with single digit temps and 20 to 40 mph winds! That cold spell a few weeks back really did a number on the ladies. They went from a steady 18 to 24 eggs a day to as little as 8 eggs a day.

All my research tells me that chickens need approximately 14 hours of sunlight to lay one egg, but that didn't seem to deter the hens from laying through the Fall and into December. Most of them were still laying every day. Then that cold cold spell hit and seemed to flip the laying switch in them. What I found out was that the extreme cold signals their body to rest to conserve energy and stay warm, rather than continue laying eggs.

Over the last few weeks it's been more normal cold weather, and the hens have started laying more eggs...thank goodness!