What?!? We certainly did NOT expect this!
For many people, this may not seem like a big deal. After all, with artificial lighting and whatnot, you can get chickens to lay during the winter no problem. However, we eschew the use of such lighting as we are allowing the chickens' bodies to go through their natural rhythm. We believe that this is part of obeying their design. After all, if they naturally stop laying, then they are probably not supposed to lay at that time.
This also helps us reduce feed costs. We do not supplement our chickens' diet with anything aside from what they can free range. And forcing them to lay during the winter would probably prevent us from doing so - we would have to feed them a bunch of extra food in order to give them the nutrients needed to produce eggs.
Anyway, that is why we are so surprised and blessed by this. As a chicken's natural egg laying is dependent upon the length of daylight, we were not expecting any until spring. But here we are, on the shortest day of the year, with a fresh egg. What a gift.
It is unfortunate that modern farmers have drifted away from the natural cycles of farm production in the race for more profits.
Good to see people like yourself using the common sense of nature!
Exactly! We care far more about healthy animals than we do profits. If our animals aren't healthy, everything they produce for use won't be healthful, either.
GREAT!
Such a blessing and surprise. Seems eggs were on the mind for both of us this week!
Here in MI, we got consistent eggs during the winter without any supplemental light, with old birds. After they would molt in November, around this time, eggs would start coming again. Good luck, wish your birds the best!
That would be awesome to get a few more. We haven't had eggs in over a month now, so this was such a gift! And when you say old birds, how old are you talking?
No idea, actually, we got them from another person who said they were pretty much spent. I can tell they were pretty old by their leg scales. It took about a good 4 months for them to start laying once we got them. But once they started laying we averaged almost an egg a day from them during the summer and about .5-6 eggs a day during the winter. We kept them for over a year and they really never slowed down. During the summer we didn't buy any feed for them, just scraps and forage, during the winter we bought organic layer feed. If I were you guess, I'd say they were 3-4 years when we got them. We gave them away, eventually to a friend, but they laid for him too for another year or so.
My personal anecdotal takeaway that has no basis on scientific study, the more you baby them, the more you have to baby them to get results, which is a negative feedback loop that leads nowhere good. But I may have just gotten lucky, I'll never know.
Very interesting. Yeah, we are very much interested in making stronger animals instead of making a bunch of wimpy ones. We figure all of these animals were able to survive on their own at one point in the past, so the genes should be there somewhere. Now we just have the hard part of actually selecting the strongest ones. (Although up to this point, the weak ones have just died on their own.)
Wow, that's great! Free range natural chickens lay the best eggs. Thick shells, deep yellow yoke. Eggs from homesteads are better than the expensive 'free range' eggs at the supermarket. @ironshield
For sure! That is why we don't even bother buying eggs if we can't produce them ourselves. The 'free range' label is such a joke.
We don't bother with artificial light either. Since ours are mostly kept in their pen (with the exception of being allowed out on nice days), we do have to feed them year 'round. We have gotten four eggs in the last month. Surprises for everyone! Good luck with your chikkies. I hope once we start having more sunlight that you end up with a bounty of eggs!
And you as well! Eggs are such a beautiful gift. And it really helps you appreciate them all the more when you haven't gotten one in over a month!
GREAT news! Hopefully it will continue for you!
We experimented with lights and heaters during the winter months when we had chickens; but found no difference in production, only a higher power bill.
Hahhaha! That is funny. Certainly more to this than meets the eye. As this is our first winter with chickens, we are excited to see what happens.
Momma Nature wins again!
This is why I LOVE this community! I was about to do a blog post posing the question of whether people let their chickens "rest" or not i.e. to use artificial light or not. And then here is your post. I love it!
This really is a special community. I am quite disappointed with a lot of the other stuff on Steemit, but when I come back to the homesteading tag, I am never let down. Good people.
Savor the little things.
Always! Much joy to be found there.
Nice!!! An unexpected gift is always nice!
For sure! Both of us were pumped. And I couldn't believe it when Michelle brought it in. :)