can i light my run as well as my coop?

[chickengirl1193]

So after doing a bunch of research on the pros and cons of putting lighting in my coop during the winter, i decided to put up some christmas lights in the coop to see if it will get my girls laying. One concern i have though is that my coop is on the smaller side so i dont have a heated water source in there and i lock my girls in the coop at night (because i go out at the crack of dawn to let them out so that they are only sleeping in the coop and not without water when the sun is up) Anyway my concern is that if i light the coop they wont have water for the few hours before sun rise because even if i leave the door open they wont be able to get to their waterer because it will be dark out still. Would it be possible for me to run the christmas lights along the fence so they have a lighted path to fresh water, and leave the pop door open? Or should i keep them closed up and somehow get some water in there for them....
(im also apprehensive about a waterer in the coop because of the added humidity as well as the fact that it may become more of a fire hazard than christmas lights)

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I wouldn't do that unless your run is absolutely predator proof.
They'll be fine without water till sunup.
The light needs to be bright enough to be able to read a newspaper by at roost height.
Like you, I don't like water in the coop either because of the humidity - especially in winter.

The added light is to activate the pineal gland, not to necessarily allow them more time to eat and drink.

 

[chickengirl1193]

okay. and when they come out in the am they dont run to the water. if im turning the light on early should i take the food out also so they aren't tempted to eat and then have no water? maybe I'll put something in there for them to play with so they aren't bored

 

[ChickenCanoe]

When I added light, most of the time they would just sit on the roost waiting for the door to open.
If they do come down to eat, I wouldn't worry about a couple hours without water.

 

[chickengirl1193]

okay thank you very much!

 

[Mahlzeit]

I have my light turn on at 3am with only food in the coop. Have been doing this for the past few years and have never had an issue with it. Like you said when I let them out in the morning they don't go rushing to the waterer. So they are not dying of thirst

 

[chickengirl1193]

well I set up some lights today on a timer and im planning on giving them 12 hours this week and work up to 14 hours next week cuz I wanted to try and get them used to it. is 14 hours optimal or should i just see how it goes?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

14 is optimal. As you are doing, it's best to raise it gradually but I believe commercial operations go from 8 to 14 over the course of about 3 weeks. For breeders, they're kept on 8 hours till about 22 weeks of age so their first eggs will be larger and more appropriate for hatching.
Critical light is 11 to 12 hours a day.

 

[chickengirl1193]

okay thank you!

 

[OrchidDragon]

Everyone talks about how water in the coop will increase the humidity. But does it always increase it? An open waterer, dripping, leaking or large surface area might.

I have 7 chickens in a 10 x 8 ventilated coop with a backup waterer (5 gallon water bucket with two water cups). They don't spill any on the floor and the level in the bucket seems to do down very slowly.

I guess I can get a humidity monitor and find out