Back in the old days (say, 2013), our hens continued to lay eggs straight through the winter. They produced fewer of them then than during the warmer months, but they still did what hens do best, albeit at a slower pace.
Then, in the winter of 2014-15, they stopped. Completely. This wasn’t especially surprising, because hens need quite a bit of light (daylight and/or artificial light) to produce eggs, and we don’t light our coop. The surprising thing was not that they called it quits that winter, but that they had previously laid eggs even as the snow flew and the temperature plummeted.
I attribute that first work stoppage, and those that followed last winter and this winter as well, to the fact that chickens lay less — or not at all — as they get older. Without artificial light to give them a boost by creating the illusion of longer days, their bodies have been taking a predictable, and well-deserved, cold-weather break.
Lately, though, Liz and I have been wondering when “the girls” would get back to work. In 2015, the first egg of the year made its appearance on Feb. 20. Last year, it materialized on March 8. And this year?
Today was the big day.
The first sign came at dawn, when I released Snow, Nellie and Hope into the pen for breakfast. Snow and Hope continued to eat even after I finished cleaning the coop, but as soon as I scooped the last bit of poop, Nellie, a Rhode Island Red, sauntered back into the coop and plopped herself down in the hens’ favorite nest box, where they usually lay their eggs.
When I headed back to the coop at 8:30 to switch out their frozen water bowl with a fresh one, Nellie remained in the nest box. And that still was the case when Liz brought the hens a snack at 10:30, although Nellie quickly came out into the pen to get her share of mealworm.
We were starting to worry a bit by then, hoping that Nellie wasn't egg bound, which happens if a hen has a fully formed egg stuck inside. But when I carried out another bowl of water at 12:30, Nellie had vacated the premises, leaving behind a small but perfectly formed egg to kick off the 2017 season.
The outdoor thermometer read zero at noon and heavy winds made it feel much colder, but even though the weather outside was frightful, Nellie’s biological clock told her that her vacation had finally come to an end.
Then, in the winter of 2014-15, they stopped. Completely. This wasn’t especially surprising, because hens need quite a bit of light (daylight and/or artificial light) to produce eggs, and we don’t light our coop. The surprising thing was not that they called it quits that winter, but that they had previously laid eggs even as the snow flew and the temperature plummeted.
I attribute that first work stoppage, and those that followed last winter and this winter as well, to the fact that chickens lay less — or not at all — as they get older. Without artificial light to give them a boost by creating the illusion of longer days, their bodies have been taking a predictable, and well-deserved, cold-weather break.
Lately, though, Liz and I have been wondering when “the girls” would get back to work. In 2015, the first egg of the year made its appearance on Feb. 20. Last year, it materialized on March 8. And this year?
Today was the big day.
The first sign came at dawn, when I released Snow, Nellie and Hope into the pen for breakfast. Snow and Hope continued to eat even after I finished cleaning the coop, but as soon as I scooped the last bit of poop, Nellie, a Rhode Island Red, sauntered back into the coop and plopped herself down in the hens’ favorite nest box, where they usually lay their eggs.
When I headed back to the coop at 8:30 to switch out their frozen water bowl with a fresh one, Nellie remained in the nest box. And that still was the case when Liz brought the hens a snack at 10:30, although Nellie quickly came out into the pen to get her share of mealworm.
We were starting to worry a bit by then, hoping that Nellie wasn't egg bound, which happens if a hen has a fully formed egg stuck inside. But when I carried out another bowl of water at 12:30, Nellie had vacated the premises, leaving behind a small but perfectly formed egg to kick off the 2017 season.
The outdoor thermometer read zero at noon and heavy winds made it feel much colder, but even though the weather outside was frightful, Nellie’s biological clock told her that her vacation had finally come to an end.
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| Nellie's first-of-the-year offering |
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