Morning at Hen Haven!

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Every morning I run down to check on my hens and to provide fresh water, and grab the eggs they have laid so far for the day! Some days I give them treats, such as scratch and/or dried mealworms. They just love that! That’s probably why they all gather by the gate whenever they see me! 

In the winter months with the short days, the lights turn on by timer every morning at 3:30 and turn off at 8 am. Since I installed the WiFi cameras, I have learned a lot about their habits with these short days. By 3:30 pm, all of them are in the hen condo for the night before it gets dark around 4:15 pm. They sleep well until around 1 am and then they are awake for the most part, patiently waiting for daylight. Some of them get a little antsy at times too. I had my lights set to turn on at 4 am, however, after monitoring their nighttime habits inside the hen condo during the night, I decided to change the time to 3:30 am, And as soon as those lights turn on, they are thrilled! They leave within minutes to eat and drink and roam around the run areas! And most of the eggs are laid during this time! 

All in all, egg production has been terrific! I have fourteen hens and got a full dozen yesterday, and 11 the day before! But it also has been very warm out these last few days; in the 50’s and low 60’s. Will have to see what happens when it gets freezing cold again! I have a ceramic heat lamp bulb in the hen condo. I have it set to turn on when the temperature reaches 31 degrees or less, and set to turn off when the temperature reaches 38 degrees. This will help at night mostly, when they’re all inside the hen condo for the night. During the day they prefer to be out and about and occasionally some will sneak inside the hen condo for a brief nap here and there. I’m not sure if more will frequent the hen condo during the day to warm up when the temperature outside if frigidly cold. They’re just not that smart! LOL! 

Now, I’m not staying up all night monitoring my gals! My WiFi camera apps record on and off throughout the night and I can scan all of the saved videos when I have the time. 

Anyway, early morning at hen haven!


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