It's just a matter of whether you want egg production and short lives for the hens, or longer life of the hens and seasonal production. They burn out faster and die younger if they are forced by lighting. I find that hens will lay pretty much through their first year of production during the winter, but after that first year, they will take a break when the length of daylight hours gets short. I didn't raise any new hens this last summer, and I am getting about 1 or 2 eggs every other day now. By the end of Feb. they will start laying again. The hen(s) that are laying for me right now are some of the Austra Whites, a cross between leghorns and Black Australorps. They are 4 years old this spring. With our cold temps the hens need to use their energy to stay warm.
