Clarissa, Mabel and Henrietta - our three Speckeldy hens
It’s nice to think that although we’re in the middle of the dark and the cold of winter, warmer and brighter days will come again. One of the key dates each year is the winter solstice, when the days start getting longer. Another is the first egg of the new year.
Chickens stop laying in late autumn when the long nights begin, and they start laying again in the new year when the days have reached a particular length. I had the first egg today from my three chickens – Clarissa, Mabel and Henrietta.
I’ve kept a note of this date for the past three years now, and it is consistently in the last week of January. I now know when I can expect to have eggs again. It may not sound very important, but we’ve grown accustomed to tasty, fresh eggs from our free-range hens. I don’t like having to buy eggs from the supermarket. They’re not the same, believe me.
Tales from the Wood - The Diary of a Badger Watching Man 
SNAP!
One of our seven chickens is also called Henrietta – There has not been a single day when there were less than 3 eggs throughout the cold xmas period. Hens main claim to fame is she can fly to the top of any of the trees in the allotment.
Loved your small blog! Congratulations on the first egg, hope the changing climate is not affecting the egg laying cycle too!
Have to agree that there is nothing as nice as a ‘home grown’ egg when compared to the supermarket variety, although I do have to barter for mine off work mate and friend Neil.
Regards,
John
Hi Spiney – how are things?
Great stuff – Henrietta is a great chicken name. Funnily enough, our Henrietta is an escape artist too. She went through a phase when instead of sleeping in the coop, she would roost in the top of our apple tree. We found her there one cold night with her feathers covered in frost! It didn’t seem to bother her though, and it didn’t stop her roosting outdoors either.
All the best
BWM
Hi Wildlife Fan, and welcome
But “small blog”?! I suppose it is, really. All about my local patch, which isn’t large. As for the eggs, I think we should be fine. Egg laying is determined by light, not temperature, so it shouldn’t be affected. Mind you, my chickens seem to have no sense of timing at the best of times. It’s not unusual for them to moult and lose all their feathers just as the cold season starts, rather than in spring like they’re suppose to.
All the best
BWM
Hi John – I’d say that it’s time you got your own chickens then! If you’ve got a bit of space then they really are easy to keep. Everyone should do it. They’re fascinating creatures too – lots of personality. Too much personality in some respects…
All the best
BWM