Poultry Nerds Podcast: A conversation about chicken, quail and turkeys with a side of humor Lighting, Molting & Egg Production: How Day Length Affects Your Chickens & Quail
Jul 10, 2025
Discover how daylight affects the reproductive cycles of chickens and quail, especially during seasonal changes. Explore the impact of artificial lighting on molting, egg production, and bird behavior. Learn about using LED and rope lights to manage laying schedules and minimize stress. Uncover the effects of light spectra, comparing blue and red lighting on fertility. Get practical tips for optimal lighting conditions and nutritional strategies to support your flock. Personal anecdotes add humor to the technical insights, making it entertaining and informative!
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Day Length Drives Egg Laying Cycle
- Chickens' laying is triggered by day lengthening in spring and shortens after the summer solstice as days shorten.
- They naturally molt and stop laying to replenish before winter, reflecting their reproductive cycle alignment to daylight.
Support Natural Molt Gracefully
- Allow chickens to molt naturally without forcing or rushing the process and provide supportive care.
- Remove males during molt to prevent hen aggravation and plan supplemental lighting starting around December for early egg production.
Managing Lighting Through Molt
- Kerry turns off breeding pen lights when molting starts to minimize stress and starts a molt ration with low protein and fiber.
- Lights are gradually turned back on after full feather regrowth to simulate natural sunrise at low increments.