All my hens suddenly stopped laying eggs a few weeks ago. I didn't know why, so I went online and researched it. I learned hens need at least 12-14 hours of light to produce eggs. With a few adjustments, such as installing a light in their henhouse, they're laying again. Here's an interesting article on the time change and how it affects livestock.
Over the weekend, most of the U.S. “fell back” for daylight saving time. First adopted in the United States in 1918 in an effort to conserve fuel used to produce electricity during World War I, this biannual time adjustment has experienced its fair share of criticism over the years. While some say it saves energy and gives us more daylight for outdoor activities, like exercising, running errands or working on the farm, others say that it throws off humans’ circadian rhythm. As debates over the effects daylight saving time ensue, it’s important to remember that the time change can also impact our animals.
Just as humans have internal clocks, so do livestock. Many times livestock routines are formed by human activities, and psychological and physiological stress can occur if those routines are disrupted. For example, if a cow is used to being milked at a certain time each day and suddenly the farmer arrives an hour sooner, the cow will not feel that it is the proper time to be milked and may resist. Much the same, if the farmer waits an hour later, the cow will be more than ready to be milked because in its mind, the farmer is “late.” Physical effects can occur, as well, as the cow’s udder will continue
