Chickens - How Cold Is Too Cold?

[BnRidge]

I’m curious how you collect that many eggs each day.

The hatchery where I get my chicks has a fairly large room to incubate chicks, 80x80 or so, with two walls lined with warming rooms that look like walk in freezers. I asked how many hatch in a week during a busy time of year, like May, and was told in a week 25000 chicks, 25000 ducks, 15000 pheasants, 15000 turkeys, 10000 Guinea hens. Dats a lotta eggs, plus incubate, hatch, and market. I didn't ask how they collect all those eggs. The stacks of boxes, crates and pallets were pretty high.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

That is the reason hens stop laying in winter - lack of light, although I do not like lights on after dusk. Although not on as big a scale, I have relied on hens for my income from time to time over the last 60+ years. They need to be dry and not in a draught. Never experienced worse than about -25ºC (about -13ºF) outside and never found the need for heat. Also 45ºC (113F) or so in Australia, and that is worse

The reasosn for bringing lights on early is that almost all of the eggs will be laid in the first 7hrs after "lights on" so there are constantly hens going into the boxes and the eggs do not freeze before they are collected. In northern Scotland it was Midnight to 4 p.m. in mid winter - free range. Where I am now it is getting to be just after 3 p.m. when the sun sets so I would have needed to switch off by about 2.30 p.m.

Never subject the hens to 24hrs light. They need their rest the same as every other living creature.

Never light after 9pm. They do enough as is.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I’m curious how you collect that many eggs each day.

There are belts, conveyors, that run the length of each house, on the outside edges of the nests. The nests on each side are sloped to the outside. Egg rolls to the belt when laid. I've seen one person gather two houses each day. These do it with three. Because feed has to be weighed up for the next morning. Roosters and hens are fed separate. Like last night I was fixing a rooster feeder for a fresh batch of chickens. That's the only thing I can't run before I get birds. I have to disassemble and keep it winched against ceiling while I'm out of birds.

 

[Jstpssng]

There are belts, conveyors, that run the length of each house, on the outside edges of the nests. The nests on each side are sloped to the outside. Egg rolls to the belt when laid. I've seen one person gather two houses each day. These do it with three. Because feed has to be weighed up for the next morning. Roosters and hens are fed separate. Like last night I was fixing a rooster feeder for a fresh batch of chickens. That's the only thing I can't run before I get birds. I have to disassemble and keep it winched against ceiling while I'm out of birds.

Thank you. I was going to ask the same thing, but he beat me to it.

 

[OldMcDonald]

Never light after 9pm. They do enough as is.

It was obvious you do not pick up by hand as I did, but I am curious whether you run the auto collection on a time basis so as to collect any late laid eggs, or are your houses always at an internal temperature that you do not have eggs freezing? Just curious.

I had sheds holding only 80 or 120 birds on free range and mobile (a scheme whereby the birds improved grassland with their droppings) so they were small enough that nest boxes temps would drop to that of outside temps if not occupied. Locking up in midsummer was a nightmare in northern Scotland. The latest I remember starting was 11.55 p.m. and it used to take up to about half an hour. Egg price per dozen was good though!!

 

[jyoutz]

There are belts, conveyors, that run the length of each house, on the outside edges of the nests. The nests on each side are sloped to the outside. Egg rolls to the belt when laid. I've seen one person gather two houses each day. These do it with three. Because feed has to be weighed up for the next morning. Roosters and hens are fed separate. Like last night I was fixing a rooster feeder for a fresh batch of chickens. That's the only thing I can't run before I get birds. I have to disassemble and keep it winched against ceiling while I'm out of birds.

Interesting. I figured there had to be an efficient way that is done.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

It was obvious you do not pick up by hand as I did, but I am curious whether you run the auto collection on a time basis so as to collect any late laid eggs, or are your houses always at an internal temperature that you do not have eggs freezing? Just curious.

I had sheds holding only 80 or 120 birds on free range and mobile (a scheme whereby the birds improved grassland with their droppings) so they were small enough that nest boxes temps would drop to that of outside temps if not occupied. Locking up in midsummer was a nightmare in northern Scotland. The latest I remember starting was 11.55 p.m. and it used to take up to about half an hour. Egg price per dozen was good though!!

Interesting. I figured there had to be an efficient way that is done.

It is supposed to be automated, but someone had better be there when it all turns on in the morning. Because if one feed line doesn't feed, it is better to turn both sides off and fix it. The birds will pack up on the side that works, and that isn't good because they can smother. And, you'll have the same problem when you get it fixed, if you didn't shut both sides off.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

It was obvious you do not pick up by hand as I did, but I am curious whether you run the auto collection on a time basis so as to collect any late laid eggs, or are your houses always at an internal temperature that you do not have eggs freezing? Just curious.

I had sheds holding only 80 or 120 birds on free range and mobile (a scheme whereby the birds improved grassland with their droppings) so they were small enough that nest boxes temps would drop to that of outside temps if not occupied. Locking up in midsummer was a nightmare in northern Scotland. The latest I remember starting was 11.55 p.m. and it used to take up to about half an hour. Egg price per dozen was good though!!

We improve grasslands too. The one house that was here, was hand gathered. Had two inches of ice and a foot of snow, it collapsed.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Interesting. I figured there had to be an efficient way that is done.

It seems efficient, but people tend to get more houses, so it's just as much work. The old set of houses are 22 years old. New set is 2 years old. I guarantee you I have repaired more in the new houses in the last two years than I have in the old ones in the last ten.

 

[Brimfield]

I've had layers for 15+ years and yea I feel bad for them in winter. But as said they slow down on the laying and they roost up together and fluff up to stay warm. Be careful with electricity in a coop. I was on another site years ago and a lady lost a barn because of lights catching the cob webs on fire. Webs had dust from feed and hay so she lost everything but a horse that she let out.