Days are getting shorter. What are you doing about the light?
We’re past the equinox, so every covey north of the equator is now getting less than 12 hours of daylight, and losing a couple more minutes every day.
That matters because light is the lever on winter laying. Coturnix hens lay steadily on about 14 to 16 hours of light a day. Somewhere under 12, most of them slow way down or quit until spring, no matter how good the feed is.
So every fall there’s a choice to make.
Add light. A cheap timer and a small warm-white LED is all it takes. It doesn’t need to be bright. If you could read by it, it’s enough. Most keepers warn against leaving lights on around the clock, since the birds need real dark to rest.
Let them rest. Some keepers skip the lights on purpose, let the hens take the winter off, and pick back up when the days stretch out.
Which way are you going this year, and why?
If you’re adding light:
- How many total hours are you aiming for?
- Are you adding it in the morning, the evening, or splitting it?
- What bulb and timer are you using, and how far from the birds?
- Did you jump straight to the full schedule or ramp up to it?
If you’re resting them, how long did it take them to come back into lay last spring?
Post your schedule. Somebody setting up for their first winter is going to copy it.
Great rundown, Ron — this is the exact kind of post that saves newcomers a rough first winter.
My two cents to add to the pot: whichever camp folks land in, consistency matters more than the exact hours. A timer that fires at the same time every day beats hand-flipping a switch, because sudden light swings (or a missed night) can confuse the molt/lay cycle worse than just resting them outright. Morning light added ahead of dawn tends to be gentler than stretching the evening, since it lets dusk happen “naturally” and gives the flock a predictable wind-down into dark.
For anyone tracking how their hens respond to the change either way, logging daily egg counts in Quail Keeper Max makes it easy to spot the exact day production shifts — handy for comparing notes with folks here next fall.
Curious to see what schedules people post. Ron, which way are you leaning this year?
A note from one keeper to another: answers here reflect real quail-keeping experience shared in our community, not professional or veterinary advice. Every flock and setup is a little different — use your own judgment, and check with a vet for anything health-related.
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