Artificial light- how and when?

[Mt Top Chick]

Artificial light- how and when? I have never done artificial lighting before. I had always let them do what natures allowed. However, now i am depending on eggs throughout the year. so the nights are getting shorter. So what type of bulb and what wattage? should i have it come on in the morning or night. 14 hrs would be lets say, 5am to 7pm. is that a good setting?

Thanks
Gina

 

[Ridgerunner]

That is a good setting. I don't know the size of your coop, but if you can barely read a newspaper in there, it is light enough.

Hope that helps.

 

[Mt Top Chick]

so i guess just a regular white 75 watt bulb would be good?

 

[woodmort]

I buy a Light Stick from WalMart--it's a 40w florescent bulb with its own plug and switch--that I put up on the celling. Then I pug it into a dual timer that turns the light on a 6 am/off at 9 and on again at 4 pm/off at 9. Just started it on Sept 1st and will let it go through April. Keeps them laying all winter without over doing it.

 

[Mahonri]

I only have a single timer. Even though I have a sky-light in the coop, the 40 Watt bulb turns on at 6AM and goes off at 8PM.

But alas, they are going through a molt and I only got two eggs from that coop today.

 

[greenmulberry]

I have the light come on early enough in the morning so that when combined with the natural daylight, it makes about a 14 hr day. So once the days get short I have the light come on from 4 to 8 am. There is a window in the coop so I let the sun take over for electricity.

I just use a compact fluorescent bulb way up high on a timer.

 

[Mt Top Chick]

Wow, you are all the best. thanks so much for your help. You can ALWAYS count on fellow chicken folks
Gina