Why chickens don't lay eggs in the winter

written by

Jared Frye

posted on

February 17, 2022

For those of you interested in chickens, whether it's because you love knowing about where your food comes from, or because you might want to start your own backyard flock, we're going to start a short blog series on what we've learned so far in our endeavors. Our most asked question right now has been "why don't you have eggs??" So, allow me to nerd out a little on why our chickens are taking a break from laying.

Thinking back to all the old tales we’ve heard about chickens and roosters crowing as the sun comes up – well turns out there’s a little something to those stories. Light is exactly what a chicken’s body needs to stimulate it to lay an egg. Light is absorbed by the chicken’s pineal gland, which is located in their brain. They need 12-16 hours of light for this gland to secrete enough hormone to stimulate egg production.

So obviously, as fall and then winter rolls around and the days get shorter, there's less daylight, and the eggs really start slowing down. If you think about it, that really does make sense from a natural perspective. As the days get shorter and colder the chickens will be utilizing almost all of their energy to produce extra feathers and stay warm themselves….no way they would want to try and do the same for a baby at the same time! Think about wild birds….they don’t lay their eggs in the winter.

There are some things that we can do to continue getting eggs through the winter.

-         Getting our baby chicks started in the early spring and having new egg layers that are starting to lay as we enter winter will help keep some of the flock laying through winter….that is why we started our newest editions already this year! But more on that in another post.

-         Breed of chicken can definitely influence egg production. There are some breeds that tend to lay better through winter – and we now have a variety of breeds (gotta get those pretty eggs right?!).

-         Adding supplemental light into our chicken coop. This is what we started doing this year….which sounded a lot easier than it turned out to be. We have our chickens in a mobile coop with a large fence protecting it, so getting electricity and lights to them as we moved them wasn’t easy! But we have run some lights and we did see continued egg production through the early part of January which was exciting!!

As January rolled on and we really hit the heart of winter (if you know Roanoke, those real winter temps don’t hit until January and February!) and the temperatures dropped and stayed down well that really wrapped up eggs for our girls! And short of bringing them inside (yes I’m pretty sure Jennie considered it) we didn’t really have a great way to keep them warm enough to continue getting eggs so now we wait for that warmer weather!

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Cozy Kitchen Recipes for Winter!

Cozy Kitchen Recipes for Winter!

I don't know about you, but during winter I just want to eat cozy comfort foods that are warm and make me feel all warm inside!!  We put together a short list of a few cozy recipes we thought you might enjoy that highlight some of our favorite cuts that we offer and will keep you cozy this winter!  Herb-Roasted Whole Chicken with Root Vegetables Ingredients: 1 whole C&F Farms chicken (4-5 lbs) 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced Salt and pepper, to taste 1 lemon, quartered 1 large onion, quartered 4 carrots, peeled and chopped 4 medium potatoes, chopped 2 tbsp olive oil Instructions: Preheat oven to 425°F. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and place it in a roasting pan. In a small bowl, mix butter, rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper. Gently lift the chicken’s skin and spread the herb butter underneath, then rub the remainder over the skin. Stuff the cavity with lemon and onion quarters. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Toss the carrots and potatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then arrange around the chicken in the roasting pan. Roast for 1.5 hours, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F. Let rest for 10 minutes before carving. Serve with the roasted vegetables. Classic Beef Stew Ingredients: 2 lbs C&F Farms beef stew meat 3 tbsp all-purpose flour 3 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 carrots, peeled and chopped 3 celery stalks, chopped 3 medium potatoes, chopped 4 cups beef broth 2 tbsp tomato paste 1 cup red wine (optional) 2 bay leaves 1 tsp dried thyme Salt and pepper, to taste Instructions: In a bowl, toss beef with flour, salt, and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and brown the beef in batches. Remove and set aside. Add onion and garlic to the pot; sauté until softened. Stir in tomato paste. Deglaze the pot with wine (if using), scraping up browned bits. Return beef to the pot, add carrots, celery, potatoes, broth, bay leaves, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally, until beef is tender. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve hot with crusty bread. Crispy Chicken Skillet with Lemon and Garlic Ingredients: 1 C&F Farms whole chicken, cut into pieces 2 tbsp olive oil Salt and pepper, to taste 1 lemon, sliced 6 cloves garlic, smashed 1/2 cup chicken broth 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped Instructions: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Place chicken skin-side down in the skillet; cook until golden brown (about 4-5 minutes per side). Remove and set aside. Add garlic to the skillet and sauté until fragrant. Deglaze with chicken broth, scraping up browned bits. Return chicken to the skillet, add lemon slices, cover, and simmer on low heat for 20-25 minutes until fully cooked. Garnish with parsley and serve with rice or crusty bread. Breaded Pork Chops with Gravy Ingredients: 4 C&F Farms bone-in pork chops 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp garlic powder Salt and pepper, to taste 2 eggs, beaten 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 tbsp butter 2 tbsp flour (for gravy) 2 cups milk Instructions: Combine flour, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge pork chops in flour, dip in beaten eggs, then coat again in flour mixture. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry chops 3-4 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through. Remove and set aside. Reduce heat and melt butter in the skillet. Stir in 2 tbsp flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add milk, whisking until smooth. Simmer until thickened. Serve pork chops with gravy over mashed potatoes. Italian Sausage and Bacon White Bean Soup Ingredients: 1 lb C&F Farms Italian sausage links, sliced 4 slices bacon, chopped 1 onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed 4 cups chicken broth 1 can diced tomatoes 2 cups chopped kale or spinach 1 tsp dried thyme 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional) Salt and pepper, to taste Instructions: In a large pot, cook bacon until crispy. Remove and set aside. Add sausage to the pot and cook until browned; remove and set aside. Sauté onion and garlic in the drippings until softened. Add beans, broth, tomatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes. Return sausage and bacon to the pot, stir in kale, and cook until wilted. Add cream (if using) for richness. Adjust seasoning as needed. Serve with grated Parmesan and crusty bread.

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5 Cozy Fall Recipes

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Whether you’re craving a slow-cooked stew or a roasted dish that fills the house with savory aromas, these recipes will help you make the most of fall’s bounty.

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