Anyone not using light to up egg production?

[EllyMae]

Mine are still doing fine without a light. I'm just waiting on pins and needles for my new EE to start laying. Can't wait to see what color egg she will lay.

 

[Montana-Hens]

Light or no light is a personal preference like real or artificial tree.

I don't light. I have 4 hens picked for their winter heartiness in Montana to live in an unheated, but insulated coop. I get about 10 eggs a week. Works for me....might not work for you.

Find your style of raising chickens and crow because it works for you!

 

[Jena]

Hi,

I am not an expert as I have only just started in September, and to be honest I did not expect to get any eggs until next year, as my chickens were quite young and I really could not afford or engineer lights in the coup, as I am currently off work with severe arthritis, so I just muddled along bonding with my girls who I love dearly, eggs or no eggs, and BINGO!!!
To my amazement, 2 of them are laying, and now at this coldest time here.
I had bought Black Rocks as they are supposed to be hardy, but I was not hopeful. But they have exceeded all expectations. So completely without any artificial light or heat, they are producing 2 eggs a day ( and I only have 4 chickens) a third is now looking very much like she is due to start, her comb is well pronounced and she is huddling down if we approach her and this has been the main sign with the others too, and slowly the final girl Becca is coming along the same path.
The temp here for the past few days has been -5 degrees C, so I think they are doing ok, it is too cold for me...lol.

I don;t know if I am just lucky, but I am so very proud of my girls...lol.

Hope you have the same kind of luck,
Jena.

 

[digitS']

Cardiff, Wales (51°N)

Sunrise 07:04
Sunset 15:04

8 hours of sunlight!

Something to crow about Jena

!!

Steve

 

[VetsJetsnGuns]

I was planing to put one of those compact flourescent bulb lights in my coop for all but one month in the winter. Any suggestions on which should be the month off? Or will this plan actually increase stress on the birds? I'm hoping to keep fresh eggs coming, but I see the value of resting the birds, too.

I'm in Sotheastern Wisconsin (43 deg North Lattitude)

 

[sewincircle]

I use a white heat lamp (250 watt) from early am to about my bed time. Then I switch them to a red heat bulb (250 watt). My hens are in great shape and produce eggs at a normal pace. It is prefrence. My chickens are not stressed out. No picking at all and eat a good amount of food.

 

[curliet]

In our coop, since it's inside our garage, there would be hardly any natural light at all if I didn't use lights. Add to that the fact that we're in mid western Michigan and it's typically very gray and dreary here all winter. The fact that I'm getting 8-9 eggs a day from 9 hens is a bonus, but not why we add light. I like a 'vacation' as much as anyone, but wouldn't like for it to be in darkness for several months. That seems to me to be kind of cruel. I use low wattage appliance light bulbs for daytime, gives a cozy level of light, doesn't add heat, and at night there is a red heat lamp that keeps the coop just warm enough that the water doesn't freeze, and the hens don't seem to be bothered by the light while they sleep. It's almost like a nite light.

 

[hatchaholic]

We choose not to use artificial lighting in our coop. We have 23 girls, and collect an average of 15 eggs a day. And, I don't think all of them have started laying yet.

Ours free range all day, from about 7:00 am until about 5:00 pm.

 

[Ariestar]

I have read that if you use a light, it needs to go in earlier in the morning, not later at night. Take your daylight hours & subtract from 15, then have the light turn on that many hours before sunrise.

 

[Mommahiggy]

We chose not to use light because we are also not using heat. We came to a consensus that not adding stress to these already just begun egg layers was the best route, at the very least for this winter. That said, we have been getting about an egg per day from our three hens. We've only had one snow, but it has been very cold for the last week and a half. Tonight, it is a windchill of -13! I hope we have the holes plugged well enough. If this is a precursor, then I will go with my thought to put up some clear plastic as a wind break. Every night, they huddle together on the perch,I tell them, "Goodnight Ladies," (sometimes I sing it) and shut the coop door.

Back to lighting! When we built the roof of the coop, a roof on a dog kennel, we used pvc panels and 1 clear polycarbonite panel over part of the coop itself. This way they get daylight as long as there is any, not to mention light from neighbor's security light, the street light and such, just not right in the coop. I want these girls to be well rested for spring time.