I have a 65W bulb in the coop. Is that too bright for the hens? I just put it in a couple of days ago and have a timer too.
Rudy, it would be a matter of prompting bad behavior - pecking. At least, that's all that I can think of. You would need to watch for signs of that and decrease the amount of light if necessary. As far as would 65 watts be enuf: it would be a matter of distance from the birds. Fifty feet away, that bulb wouldn't illuminate much. On the 8' ceiling of a 10' by 10' coop, that size would probably be about right. Can you and your birds read a newspaper when it is turned on? (Make sure you are down where they can see over your shoulder .) Steve
I keep an 11 watt or 25 watt red light on 24/7 in my coops. I have a regular 15 or 25 watt regular incandescent light that goes on at around 5 am and off at 8 am. All of my girls lay pretty much an egg a day each.
I've got a 60-watt lamp in my (small) hen house on a timer from 5 pm to 9 pm every day. Sun rises at 7 am. So they're getting 14 hours of light. My two laying pullets lay 6 eggs each in seven days; sometimes seven eggs each in a week. I don't know if this helps you. I hope it provides some information at least. Thanks.
first off, a candle is enough extra light to make the chickens lay eggs I have two 150 W heat lamps on in my 12 x 16 foot coop 24/7 for heat mostly. I have 55 hens in there and a cage with baby turkeys. ,hence the heat lamps.. all my hens are really laid back and most of them are laying eggs despite the minus 20 degrees outside.. no feather pulling, no pecking, no fights. in fact I have a half dozen who want to be broody..