Pages collated by 
Jill Bowis of

started November 1999

This is affected by :-
 1 - the quality of rearing - if you can collect your young hens from the farm - this way you can assure yourself of the conditions they have been reared in. ( and that they are transported as safely as possible)
 2 - daylength - egg laying is genetically triggered by extending daylength (many pure breeds do not lay at all in the winter. Breeding for productivity is bringing forward the start time for pullets to begin laying and reducing their sensitivity to light. 

Can you eat eggs from all your poultry?
eggs is eggs.  Have eaten eggs from chickens, geese, turkeys, ducks, peacocks, and turtles.  Never ate rattlesnake eggs, but it's supposed to be the best part, if you catch a female at the right time of year. 

Q - Will hens continue to lay eggs during the winter if you don't have artificial light?  I would guess that they would just not so many
A - It depends on their age - if they have just come into lay and are from very good laying stock then they might carry on - but otherwise you are right - some but not as many as next year.

Q -I have 4 buffs that are a year old and have completely stopped laying. I  have also noticed that their feathers are lighter in color than they used to be...is this for the winter? I did put some wormer from the co-op in their water, but think maybe it was the wrong kind? or not enough? I was giving them layer pellets from the co-op and so would they have completely stopped laying due to lack of calcium anyway? I am pretty stumped on this one. I know that the days are much shorter here in E. Tn, but would they completely stop laying or just a few here and there at least?
A - Most free range chickens will stop laying completely in the Winter due to the shorter daylight hours. Commercial people get around this by using lighting systems.
A - ....it is the lack of light. All birds will tend to lay fewer legs as the day length shortens, but it really is pronounced in noncommercial type layers like Buffs. With only four utility type birds, I would expect that you will only get an occasional egg unless you supplement your birds with artificial light so that 14 hr. of simulated day length results. 

Q- How do you carry eggs, where do you get egg boxes?
A -My local recycle center accepts cardboard egg cartons and then gives stacks of them to anyone who needs them. The local little general store.  They posted a sign that says "Please
recycle your egg cartons" and folks drop them off there and that seems to work well also for small scale egg production. 
A- You might get a small restaurant to save a few for you. Tractor Supply has them in their catalogue, too
A - You can get boxes in the camping section that carry 4 or 6 whole eggs. My personal favorite is the wire egg baskets they sell at the craft stores. 
A - You can purchase egg cartons at McMurray Hatchery in the U.S. (http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com) and in Canada at (http://www.rochesterhatchery.com).
A- In the UK - Danro Ltd, Unit 68, Jaydon Industrial Est, Station Road, Earl Sutton, Leicester LE9 7GA  01455 847061

Q -Advice please on winter lighting - type of lighting? / wattage? / length of time and when? - not a lot of daylight at this time of year - (Orkney islands UK) - keep a dozen hens (free range, total freedom) for eggs for ourselves - abundance in summer but no eggs at all just now and most hens
under 2 years old.  Just had to buy from shop, and they taste nothing like our own. - Hens are housed but never locked in and have free access to fields and seashore.
A -The short answer is that incandescent lights are fine, you need to supplement the light to provide 14-15 hr.. of simulated daylenth, and a 65 watt  bulb will provide enough lumens for an 8X8 foot coop.  More bulbs should be added as the size of the coop increases. 
A - We have 2 of the 4' (2 40 watt bulbs each) fluorescent shop lights to provide supplemental lighting for our 12'x24' enclosure for the chickens. The lights are on for a 14 hour day so that they get plenty of light whether they stay in or go out.  They continue to produce very well throughout the winter.

Q - I got a couple of 4 day old chicks the third weekend in May 1999. They still have not started laying--is this normal? When should they start?
A -By my calculations your birds are about 27 wks old....most breeds will have begun laying by then.  I expect my pullets to start somewhere between 18-26 wks depending on the breed with an average of about 22 wks. Do you have your birds on supplemental light to achieve 14-16 of simulated daylight?  I have found that chicks hatched in late spring/early summer do not tend to become sexually mature (lay eggs) as fast unless they are stimulated by longer daylengths.  If that is your problem and you supply the extra light, I would expect your birds to come into lay within 14-21 days. You will be given a hint that the birds are ready to lay when their combs get bright red and lush in appearance. 

Q- Help!! I have nine hens of laying age (I hope) and four hens who are less than six months old. They are all together in a pen with two roosters, and two peacocks. They have a run that is about 100 feet long and thirty feet wide. They get plenty of oyster shell, and scratch, as well as greens that the kids pick and throw in and egg mash.My problem is that I am only getting 1-4 eggs per day. I cannot figure out What they are unhappy about.. I think that five of the hens are Rhode Island Reds, the others are "just" chickens.. Of course, they are all named.. I enjoy watching them, the Rhode Islands are so friendly, will follow you like a dog. The others act like they own the place. I do not want to get rid of any of them, but if we don't start getting eggs soon, we will be having a BBQ!

I'm not sure where you live, or if it makes a difference. Here in Nova Scotia my hens don't lay much in the winter/early spring as we don't keep lights on for them or heat their house. They are starting to lay well now, though, so expect yours should do the same. They may just not be old enough! Like kids, they seem to develop at different rates. 
Some 'just chickens' breeds take a little longer to start laying. I have a Buff-laced polish that I had some serious doubts as to her gender. Then finally, when she was almost one year old to the day, she laid her first egg.
There can be other reasons they aren't laying. Most do not start until around 6 mos on the larger breeds, such as RIR. Also, parasites, such as worm and certain chicken diseases will drop egg count.Do you give them a dewormer monthly? I wasn't sure what you meant by egg Mash, Is that like laying pellets? Mine always eat scratch and leave pellets when given a choice..
When did you start giving them the shell?
Too early can cause problems.