Loading…
18
My 6 hens laid 41 eggs in a week and I found out why from a 1987 feed store flyer
So I keep 6 hens in a run behind my garage here in Dayton and last week I counted 41 eggs, which is way more than the 20-ish I normally get. I was sorting through some old junk in my grandpa's barn and found a feed store flyer from 1987 that mentioned hens lay bigger clutches when daylight hits 14 hours, which got me digging. Turned out my neighbor put up a bright security light near our fence line in late March, and my girls have been getting light way past sunset. I put blackout cloth over the run side facing his yard out of curiosity and egg count dropped back to 22 this week. Anyone know if extra light like that messes with their bodies long term, or should I just leave the tarp up and let it ride?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
simon_wood7221d ago
Dealt with this exact thing two summers back when my brother in law left a shop light on all night next to my coop. My girls went from laying 18 to 19 a week to almost 40, and at first I thought I hit the jackpot. Then I noticed they got twitchy and started pecking each other, and a couple dropped weight even though they were eating the same feed. I read up on it and long light hours mess with their hormones and can wear them out, plus it can cause egg issues and shorter laying lives. I put up plywood on the coop side facing the light and let them get natural sun only, and within two weeks they were back to normal and calm. Tbh keeping that tarp up is the right move, your birds will be healthier in the long run even if you get fewer eggs.
7