Artificial lighting how fast does it work?

[New2chickz]

Key is the length of daylight hours, they need about 14 hours to stimulate laying, adjust to your local sunset time. Cleaner windows won't work.

Some ducks only lay seasonally. Posting in the Ducks forum might help you there:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/ducks.42/

Oh yes. I've adjusted for the slowly getting shorter days. At 3 am they will have plenty of light and then some but daylight savings is around the corner. So I figured if I'm gonna start this now would be good so they are used to it.

And I knowwwwww my other females are call ducks and someone with call ducks has already let me know they are spring layers

Before I really started getting into ducks I got them not knowing but hey! They get excited when they hear me now so it's like my own cheering squad

 

[aart]

At 3 am they will have plenty of light and then some but daylight savings is around the corner.

That actually doesn't change the daylight length, but it may confuse your reading of your time setting(it sure does mine).

 

[New2chickz]

That actually doesn't change the daylight length, but it may confuse your reading of your time setting(it sure does mine).

Yea my timer accounts for daylight savings so it should be good!

Just wish I could fast forward a week and see if this set up works!

 

[aart]

How old are your chickens and ducks?

 

[GC-Raptor]

You can put a nightlight or two in the coop that come on when the lights go off, so they can see to get on the roost.
I used to leave the nightlight on all night, but discovered bullying behavior when I locked up the coop late a couple of nights, so I shut it off at lockup after I make sure everyone is on the roost.
I only add light in the morning at 5am year round, but the coop is darker than outside at sunset when hens go inside, reason I use a nightlight.
A 25 watt equivalent LED is good to light up 25/30 square foot coop. A 40 watt equivalent LED is good up to a 100 square feet. For larger coops use two or more 40 watt equivalent LEDs evenly spaced. You should be able to read in all areas of the coop, except the nests. Hens like darkened area to lay.
I am using a daylight bulb in my original coop and a soft white in my new coop. I don't know if one is better than the other for egg production, but I like the soft lights better.
14 hours of light is what I would use if I wanted max production.
I don't know how fast production will increase, but I would only increase light 20 minutes a day, up to 1 hour a week. GC

 

[New2chickz]

How old are your chickens and ducks?

The ducks are the youngest my khacki girls are 7 months or 8...which makes my call ducks around 6 or 7 the male runners are probably the same age as the khackis my pekin is probably the same age as the call ducks and my crested I was told was laying when I got her so idk how old she is.

All my chickens are almost year or more. Everyone is laying...when they feel like it as far as the chickens I have 20 chickens and probably 15 free loaded today

so I figure if I can work this light thing out for the ducks the chickens will benefit too that's the plan anyway!

 

[aart]

Not sure if ducks respond to supplemental lighting....post that question in Ducks Forum.

 

[New2chickz]

It doesn't take very much light at all; I have a 40w light in my 24'x14' coop and it's fine. Have it come on at about 3am, and off at 8am every day. It may take two or three weeks to matter to them. If there's a disruption and the light isn't on for a morning or two, they will notice too.
Fourteen to sixteen hours of light per day!
Mary

Thanks guys for all the response! It took a couple days to see any results but its coming! And the change happened quite suddenly lol

I was getting a couple eggs a day from 20 chickens! And suddenly yesterday I had 7 eggs! Today at 10 am I'm up to 5! I know excited at the little things lol. But when you have big egg buyers that buy in bulk and all your getting is 2 or 3 eggs a day it's a major victory!