Hen Log #002

Welcome back to another edition of The Sunday Scratch, your little window into life here at GreenHearth Homestead!

It’s been a little while since our last update, and with autumn well and truly upon us, there’s plenty happening around the coop. The girls have finally recovered from the summer heat stress, but just as we thought we could catch our breath, they’ve decided it’s time for their next big change: the autumn moult!

So, grab a cuppa, settle in, and let’s talk feathers, daylight and what the changing seasons mean for our girls.

🍂 What’s all this about the autumn moult?

If you’ve been keeping chickens for a while, you’ll know that hens don’t stay looking picture-perfect all year round. At some point, you’ll wander into the garden and discover feathers scattered everywhere, with some of your girls looking a little worse for wear!

Don’t panic. In most cases, this is a perfectly natural process called moulting.

Throughout the year, a hen’s feathers gradually become worn, damaged and less effective. Moulting allows her to shed those old feathers and grow a fresh set, ready to see her through the months ahead.

It’s a bit like changing your wardrobe for winter, except the girls grow their own coats!

Moulting commonly happens in autumn as the days get shorter. Changes in daylight, alongside the hen’s natural reproductive cycle, signal that it’s time to replace those feathers and take a break from laying.

🪶 What actually happens during a moult?

Moulting isn’t always the most glamorous process, and our girls certainly won’t be winning any beauty contests while it’s underway!

You might notice:

• Feathers everywhere. You’ll find them in the run, around the coop and sometimes in places you’d never expect.

• Patchy appearances. Some hens can look rather scruffy, with thin patches of feathers or little areas of exposed skin as old feathers fall out and new ones grow.

• Pin feathers. These are the little new feathers emerging through the skin, often enclosed in a protective sheath. They can look like tiny spikes and may be sensitive while growing.

• A change in behaviour. Some hens become quieter or more reluctant to be handled while their new feathers are growing.

• Fewer eggs. Feather production takes a considerable amount of protein and energy, so the hen’s body naturally prioritises replacing her feathers over producing eggs.

How long does it last? Every hen is different, but a moult often takes around six to eight weeks, although a lighter or more prolonged moult can take anywhere from four to twelve weeks.

During this time, good-quality, balanced feed, plenty of fresh water and a calm environment are particularly important. We’re letting our girls work through this natural process rather than trying to force them to keep laying.

☀️ Why does sunlight affect egg production?

Here’s something that surprises many new chicken keepers: it’s not just the temperature that affects how many eggs your hens lay. It’s also the amount of daylight they receive.

As the days get longer in spring, the increasing daylight stimulates the hormones involved in a hen’s reproductive cycle. This encourages her body to produce eggs.

For consistent laying, hens generally need around 14 hours of light per day. As autumn progresses and daylight hours fall, their reproductive activity naturally slows down. Egg production can drop significantly or stop altogether during the darker winter months.

And that’s exactly what we’re seeing as the seasons change here at GreenHearth.

We could use artificial lighting to encourage the girls to continue laying through winter, but that’s not the route we’re taking. We’re happy to let the flock follow its natural seasonal rhythm, giving the girls time to moult, recover and prepare for the next laying season.

It’s worth remembering that daylight isn’t the only factor affecting egg production. Age, nutrition, health, stress and the moult itself all play a part, too.

❄️ GreenHearth is winding down for winter

With the girls recovering from summer’s heat and now entering their autumn moult, we’re beginning to wind down egg production for the winter.

This isn’t a case of anything going wrong. It’s simply part of working with nature rather than against it.

As daylight decreases, fewer eggs are produced, and we need to make sure the flock has enough time and resources to recover. We would rather manage our stock responsibly than promise eggs we might not have available.

As we’ve mentioned before, we’re also limiting egg orders to a maximum of one dozen per customer while production is reduced. Our winter pause on egg sales begins today, 11 October.

We’ll keep looking after the girls, making sure they have suitable feed, clean water, shelter and the care they need as the weather changes. The eggs will return when the hens are ready, and we’ll be looking forward to sharing them with you again.

🐔 The new girls have finally settled in!

There’s another little bit of good news from the coop, too.

Houdini, Morticia and Arla are now fully grown and have finally settled properly into the flock!

It’s been quite the journey for these three. Introducing new hens to an established flock isn’t always straightforward. Chickens have their own social hierarchy, and the existing residents aren’t necessarily thrilled when newcomers arrive and start moving into their space.

Let’s just say our summer had more than its fair share of angry roommates!

There was plenty of sorting out who was who, establishing boundaries and working out where everyone fitted into the pecking order. But these things take time, and we’re pleased to see the girls looking much more settled now.

Houdini, our Cream Legbar, Morticia, one of our Marans, and Arla, our Araucana, have all grown into themselves. It’s lovely to see them becoming established members of the flock after such a challenging introduction.

Every hen has her own personality, and getting to know those little quirks is one of the things we love most about keeping chickens. They’re never just a collection of egg producers; they’re individuals, each with her own place in our little homestead.

🌱 Until next time…

Autumn is a reminder that keeping chickens isn’t all about collecting eggs. There are quieter periods, changes in routine and times when the best thing we can do is step back and let nature take its course.

Our girls have made it through a hot summer, navigated the social politics of flock life and are now growing their winter feathers. We’re proud of how they’ve come through it, and we’ll keep giving them the care they need as the seasons turn.

Egg production may slow down, but life at GreenHearth Homestead certainly doesn’t stop. There’s always something to learn, something to tend to and another little adventure waiting around the corner.

Thanks for joining us for another Sunday Scratch. We’ll be back with more news from the coop soon.

GreenHearth Homestead

Growing something a little different, one batch at a time.