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Wednesday, January 4, 2017

It's Winter and My Chickens are Still Laying

Before our baby chicks arrived, I read lots of articles and books about chickens.  Everything I read says that we need to provide extra light and warmth for our chickens to continue laying during the winter.  So far this winter, I have not added extra light or heat, but they are well fed.  One of the major reasons I don't provide extra heat is because with the added threat of a fire, I can't sleep at night.  We have a lot of hay in our pole-barn which scares me.  A few weeks ago we had some baby goats, and yes, I did put out some heat lamps for them. but I couldn't sleep at night.  Every few hours I would get up and look out the window to make sure nothing was on fire.

We have 14 chickens and 2 female ducks laying eggs.  During the summer months I was getting around 9 to 10 eggs a day, now I am getting around 5 to 6.  Yes, I am getting less, but at least they are still laying.  There were a few nights with temperatures around -15 to -20 degrees and I still got eggs.  Personally, I think it's because they are getting high-quality food and they are free-range.  My chickens are able to go out with the goats and other animals and eat anything they have left.  We also feed them meal worm treats and kitchen scraps daily.  Yep, our chickens are spoiled.

Is there anyone else out there with chickens living in a cold climate like Wisconsin?  Are your chickens still laying eggs?

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