As the seasons change and the dark months of winter begin to set in on us, those of us eating fresh local eggs must face a sad, seasonal reality — the hens stop laying eggs in the winter.

That is, unless chicken keepers add light to their coops to keep their hens producing.  I thought you might like to know more about the chicken coop lighting subject, so I asked my local chicken expert (Teri Munter of Country Pet & Feed Shoppe) if she would share a few words of wisdom regarding the topic.

Here’s what Teri had to say:

If you would like your hens to lay eggs consistently throughout the winter, it is important to supply them with at least 14-16 hours of light per day. Light can be easily supplemented by the use of a low-wattage bulb set on a timer. The light should be sufficient to barely be able to read a newspaper by.

The reason additional winter light is necessary is that daylight stimulates the hen’s pituitary gland to stimulate her ovaries to produce eggs.

Shorter days will also often prompt hens to molt, during which time they do not lay eggs. Without additional light in the shorter winter months, the rate of egg production will fall or may even cease entirely.

If using supplemental light, many people believe it is best to set it to turn on in the morning only. They reason that the hens may become disoriented if they have not gone to their roost at night and suddenly find themselves in the dark. Others appreciate the addition of nighttime lighting in the coop for collecting eggs.  In any case, it is important that the hens be on the roost before setting the light to turn off, and that the timing remain consistent.

Thank you, Teri. Now we only have to say goodbye to those awesome eggs for a couple months.