Found a simple trick to keep my hens laying through winter in Minnesota

Last January we had that nasty cold snap where temps dropped to -20 here in Minneapolis. I lost three straight weeks of eggs from my flock of 8 Rhode Island Reds. A neighbor who's been keeping chickens for 20 years told me to try a simple LED light on a timer in the coop. I set it to come on at 5am and stay on until natural daylight hits. Best part is I used a basic 9w daylight bulb from the hardware store for like 6 bucks. Within two weeks my girls were back to laying 5-6 eggs a day. Has anyone else tried using a specific light color or brightness for their winter setup?

2 comments

2 Comments

holly_green822d ago

Oh wow, the "simple LED light on a timer" trick is a total game changer, right? I did the same thing last winter when my Wyandottes just stopped laying, and that cheap 9w bulb brought them back in like a week and a half. I kept mine on a timer from 6am to 8am, and it worked perfect for us too.

karen_nelson402d ago

Gotta say that trick saved my bacon too when we had that -20 stretch. I used a regular old 60w incandescent for YEARS before switching to LED and honestly the LED works way better. The daylight bulb is key though, not the soft white ones. My Barred Rocks perked up way faster with that cooler light. Just make sure your timer is set for CONSISTENT hours every day or they'll get confused and stop laying again.