When can I expect eggs again?

[cocky]

I'm hoping that the hens are off the lay for the winter, as I am getting zero eggs. Can anyone tell me when they are likely to start laying again?
cheers

[SarzWix]

I think the simple answer is 'when they get more light'. A friend of line is trying giving her hens extra light in the evening (they are close enough to the house to run an electric cable to the run), and she is getting a few eggs again now. I don't know if that's possible for you? You can get solar-powered shed lights which might give an extra hour or so of light?
Otherwise, I think it's just a case of waiting for the year to turn...

[Birdie Wife]

Hi cocky,
Sarswix is right - light levels have to be over 15hours per day for most hens to keep laying. Many hybrid layers (eg standard brown hens) often keep laying but none of my pure breeds have laid anything since early November. Depending on how far north you are, you can probably expect your hens to start laying in Febraury - March. You can provide artificial light to keep them laying, but many backyard chicken owners prefer to give their hens a break over th winter, as egg laying takes some effort and in the winter months they need to conserve energy to keep themselves warm and dry.

[roitelet]

You are going to hate me for this, from my 4 hens I am averaging 2 eggs a day!

I do give them a 'hot breakfast' most days, cooked peelings and layers pellets

[kirsty b]

Lucky you!
My girls haven't laid for ages, but I've put that down to a combination of the following:
Stress due to change in conditions (being ex-bats), the wormer I use causes egg withdrawal for a week or so, add that to lack of daylight and the fact that about half of them appear to be moulting, they look worse than when I first got them!
I'm quite content to leave them be and collect egg recipes for spring!

[jonny_s_p]

You're going to hate me even more. I get 5 eggs from 5 birds. It was 6 until a fox visited last week

I've got black rocks.

Jonny

[milliebecks]

I thought 'egg withdrawal' was the amount of time you should NOT eat the eggs after administering the wormer (or other drugs), rather than the time you would expect them not to lay.

[cocky]

Thanks everyone,
When your new to the chicken keeping game, you don't know quite what to expect and what is normal, but it seems people are having quite different experiences. Nice to get some reassurance though.
Thanks

[kirsty b]

I thought 'egg withdrawal' was the amount of time you should NOT eat the eggs after administering the wormer (or other drugs), rather than the time you would expect them not to lay.

To be honest I'm not entirely sure if thats the right term myself, but when I wormed the previous flock, they always went off lay for a week or so.