After two of our hens started to lay last year, things came to an abrupt halt in early November as the daylight became much shorter in the Pacific Northwest. I let them go for a couple of weeks until my wife encourged me to install some lighting to extend the day. I had been researching the idea for a while and originally thought I should just let them use their energy to stay warm this winter, but after two weeks of no eggs and a trip to the store to buy some white eggs, I decided to put them back to work.
I set up a timer on a grow light I had in my shop and the girls now wake up at 4 a.m. After a few weeks of this routine we have one of the hens, Sadie I think to start laying again. Today was the third day in a row we got an egg and I can't wait until they all get to work.
I think this has been the most interesting project for me in quite a while. I really have enjoyed watching them forage for food and come running for a treat every time I go outside. None of them are super friendly and won't let me easily pick them up, but I'm okay with that as long as they keep on laying!
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