Artificial light for eggmaking - how much? *UPDATE*

[One Acre Wonder Farm]

My ducks quit laying in September and I am missing those duck eggs terribly!! So I put a light in the coop and have been turning it on between 5:30 and 6 each morning for a week. The chickens that share the coop with the ducks have already caught on and are cranking out the eggs. Still no duck eggs tho....

So, how many hours of light do they need in order to get the hint? They've been getting about 12 hours/day for over a week. Is that enough or should I keep the light on past dusk? Are they just about to come into it and I am simply lacking patience?

Thanks!

 

[ChickenToes]

I think they need 14 hours, but I could be mistaken.

Anyone else know for sure?

 

[One Acre Wonder Farm]

Thanks CT! I'll try leaving the light on for a couple of hours after dusk

 

[One Acre Wonder Farm]

Well we are in week 3 of artificial lighting with NO EGGS!!

Other peoples ducks are laying, why oh why aren't my girls (yes, I am positive they are girls) laying??

They are getting about 14 hours of light! I just don't understand why no eggs...

 

[duckluck]

Quote:
Maybe try slipping the goods to them...kelp, fresh or dried greens, cod liver oil, live minnows?

 

[Sweetfolly]

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Mine aren't laying either - and it's makes me crazy to read all the posts by people who are getting eggs every day already and are hatching from them! I want some too!

I haven't tried artificial lighting, because I'd have to run extension cords and remember to turn the lights off, and worry about something going wrong and starting a fire (I'm completely and utterly paranoid). It stinks living way up here in the North, but I'm stuck here, waiting until the end of March for my first eggs of the year.

 

[Willowbrook]

Ducks, along with other fowl, need approximately 14 hours of light to stimulate egg laying.

Artificial light is best started at the beginning of the day rather than extending it past dark. In other words, if the light needs to come on at 4 AM to give you a total of 14 hours of light for the day, choose that time. Timers work best as they are consistent and you will not have to think about turning the lights on or off. I find that the spiral, fluorescent, energy-saving bulbs work great.

You can also increase protein in the diet to stimulate egg laying.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
It's best not to add it all at once. Try adding 15-30 minutes of light a week until they are laying. As other have said, if you add it in the morning they can use the natural sunset to put themselves up at night. Otherwise just switching the light out suddenly can catch them by surprise.

 

[One Acre Wonder Farm]

Quote:
Mine aren't laying either - and it's makes me crazy to read all the posts by people who are getting eggs every day already and are hatching from them! I want some too!

I haven't tried artificial lighting, because I'd have to run extension cords and remember to turn the lights off, and worry about something going wrong and starting a fire (I'm completely and utterly paranoid). It stinks living way up here in the North, but I'm stuck here, waiting until the end of March for my first eggs of the year.

I hear you Annarie! I've run an extension cord through a window, out to the coop; I get up super early to turn on the lights and make an extra trip out to turn them off and DH is extremely paranoid about fires (he's giving me all kinds of grief about the extension cord spontaneously shooting out sparks and burning the coop to ashes

) and still no eggs! Some of my girls are in their second year and some will be laying for the very first time...

Duckluck- I've been feeding DH's leftover ice fishing bait (lots of little fish) and greens, etc... I haven't tried kelp or cod liver oil.

Willowbrook, they've been getting about 14 hours total, tho I am not sure I am committed enough to getting these eggs that I'll get up at 4am to turn the lights on. Tried a timer, but I must be dense cause it didn't quite work according to plan.

They'll give me eggs only when they're good and ready I guess!!

 

[One Acre Wonder Farm]

Well just when I was about to give up the getting up in the dark and turning the lights on in the coop.... I got an EGG

I went out at 5:40 this am, found it in the ducky nest, ice cold!!

So now, if only the other 6 girls would catch on then I would be swimming in my most favoritest duck eggs