The thing about having chickens is that there is no right way to have them. Traditionally we have not added heat or light to their coops. Yes, we do live in Maine where winters are long and dark and cold. When we first dipped our toes into chickens, we consulted everyone that we met who had chickens. The old timers were adamant that adding heat only weakens the chickens to Maine's challenging climes. Ambitious young farmers argued that chickens should be pampered, so that they will be a better, ethical product. Could they both be right?
If you want a chicken to lay throughout the year then either you'll need to live near the equator for days with equal light and dark, or add a light in the coop. The light extends what chickens think is the length of their day. It has, until now, felt as if adding light, so that hens will lay throughout the winter, unkind; as though we cannot not allow the hens the natural break in production, that they were designed with. But this choice, like to heat or not to heat, is not that straight-forward. Farms, like everywhere else, are feeling the pinch of scarcity and the pressure of lack of production.
Throughout Covid we had call after call from people hoping to buy chicks/pullets from us. We sold more chickens during that 2 year period than we had all the years before. Last spring we had requests to raise breed specific chicks for people - 20 chicks here, 30 chicks there. People seemed to really like having a hand in their food supply (and let's face it, chickens are fun:) Then money stopped going as far and was prioritized elsewhere. Where we used to keep about 25 chickens, we now have 120 give or take, courtesy of last-minute cancellations.
The calls still come for chickens but now, more often, we get calls for their eggs. The local stores run out regularly, the offerings are few and expensive. The organic or free-range/cage-free eggs are $6 -7 a dozen! People are paying a lot of money for and resentful about subpar, supermarket eggs. So that is where our dilemma comes into play.
Should we light (potentially heating too) the coop and get the girls laying again? We certainly have enough of them to produce eggs to feed ourselves, our families, and interested local community. Will it weaken them though through forced production?
I just don't know.
Maybe there is a compromise to be had. Maybe we could divide the winter up into periods and rotate hens in and out, so everyone gets a break. Or maybe only the youngest get the light and the older hens can rest. Or maybe we let them be as they are and wait for spring. We are percolating on it - would love to hear your thoughts.
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