Chickentalk: Chickens in the Spotlight!
Hobby chicken keepers know that from autumn onward they should expect few or no eggs from their hens. Professionally kept laying hens, however, continue to produce happily even in winter. How is that possible?
Every hen is born with about 2,000 egg cells on her ovary, all of which could theoretically develop into an egg. A sexually mature hen starts to ovulate and therefore lay eggs. At least … if there is enough (day)light!
Health
Housing
24 November '25 • 2 min reading time
Light stimulates the hypothalamus, a gland in the brain, to activate hormones that trigger the ovary to mature an egg cell into a yolk. The ripe yolk detaches from the ovary and is then further formed into an egg. The more hours of light, the higher this hormonal activity and thus the greater the number of eggs. With more than 14 hours of daylight, egg production is optimal; below that, production decreases, and with fewer than 10 hours of daylight, egg production stops in most hens.
After the moulting period, during which laying usually stops because the hen uses her energy and protein needs for feather renewal, the day length has usually decreased to that critical level of 10 hours of light. Egg production does not start up again. Only in spring, when there are enough daylight hours, does egg production resume.
We fool the laying hens on production farms. They do not go through a moulting period because they are kept under controlled conditions. With artificial light and warmth, the summer period is extended in the barns, preventing the hens from moulting. These same manipulated conditions also stimulate the hypothalamus and thus keep egg production going continuously, even in winter.
Our hobby chickens, however, are allowed their natural moulting period so that they are fully prepared for winter conditions with new feathers and sufficient resistance. That they then lay few or no eggs is something we accept. But for those who still want fresh daily eggs as soon as possible, there is also a trick to fool the hens. By creating an early “spring” using artificial light, the hypothalamus becomes more active again and egg production starts already in winter.
Hens already respond sufficiently to a simple (LED) lamp on a timer in the coop. However, chickens do not like sudden changes in their environment. To avoid stress, this artificial lighting regime should be introduced gradually. We set the timer so that the light turns on one hour before sunrise, and bring this time forward by half an hour each week until about 6:00 a.m. Optionally, a light timer can also be set for the evening, but the morning is preferred because chickens do not have the chance to calmly find their perches when the light is switched off suddenly in the evening—unless a dimmer is used.
So it is up to you whether you want to trick your chickens for the sake of a winter egg.
November 2025, Hans Krudde