anyone else have this problem with artifical light in winter?

[montana girl]

I have set my timer to turn my coop light on at 3:30 am, which will give me about 15 hours a day of light for the chickens. I noticed this morning when I got up, that the light in the coop was on, it was dark out side, and the poor girls were milling about the run in the dark!

I know they can't see very well in the dark, I am wondering if I should put a motion detector light out in the run area?

Thanks for any imput.

 

[Chicken Fruit]

I'd just close the door to the run until you get up and let them out. Kinda silly to run all that lighting, and spend all that money on chickens who could just as easily wake up and mill around inside the coop for a few hours.

 

[sbarab]

I have my lights come on in the evening and have not had chickens wanting to stay out late. They just sit on the roost unless I come inside.

 

[montana girl]

I had thought of locking them in, but there are 5 bantam and 8 standard hens in a 48 sq foot coop, do you all think it would be too crowded to keep them in for a few hours?

Sbarab do you have trouble with the girls not being able to find their roosts in the dark if you light it up in the evening?

Thanks!!

 

[Mahlzeit]

That should be plenty of room for your chickens to hang out in until you let them out. I was wondering the same thing about the lighting in the evening myself. If they are wandering around the coop and the lights go out do they just freeze and stay where they are? I have always had my lights go on earlier in the mornings.