Adding light (not heat). What's the best way?

[tsmith1499]

We'll all be using CFL's eventually, as they are trying to make obsolete anything over 100 watts. Or so I hear.

 

[VelvettFog]

100 sq feet can be adequately with a 40 watt bulb suspended at about 7' of height.

 

[rfwombat]

We use LED rope lights. Super easy to install and safe for the birds if they peck at it. And virtually no heat.

 

[wyododge]

A 40 watt incandescent bulb will not add a significant amount of heat to the coup, and it will only be on for a short time, so any effect, if any would be minimal (in my opinion).

We have our timer set to come on in the evening as the hens are waiting at the door at sun up, and neither one of us want to go out in the dark to let them out. We also have a lot more activity in the evening to ward off predators, in the morning everything is pretty quiet, so we like to wait until the sun is up to let them have the run of the place.

My Beautiful Bride read somewhere you want 14 hours of light, so that's what we try to do.

 

[bairo]

LED on a timer.

 

[gale65]

This has come up again. I have another question. If we're adding light now (we never did last winter) do we need to do it gradually? If so, does it really need to be in 15 minute increments? The guy we talked to insisted it should be done at night but I don't know that it would be a good idea for the light to suddenly go out like that.

 

[Rhoise]

We installed LED rope lights and turn them on at 6am, one sting
in the coop, and one in the run. The girls go to roost at natural sundown
or shortly after, and spend a few hours preening and resting before
the lights go out at 8pm. Fourteen hours a day has kept them laying
steady since August

 

[ptig78d]

I love the pictures! I have a bunch of old white rope lights that my wife doesn't like to use during Xmas (her father only ever used white lights, so we always have colored lights at Xmas) and it will be cheaper and safer! Thanks for the suggestion!