Can the chickens go with 24 hours/day lighting?

When my family goes on vacation, we move all the chickens to the basement, because we don't want to worry about depending on people to shut the chickens up, etc. The chickens stay unattended down there with automatic waterers and a filled feeder for as long as we're on vacation. Since its completely dark, we need lighting. My question is, is it okay for them to be down there with constant light, day and night, for as long as maybe 2 weeks?

 

We did that last time, but it's very unreliable. Last time we went, the light just went off and stayed off, for reasons unknown. It completely goes out and stops working if the power goes out once. I'm pretty uneasy using it.

 

Okay, sure and all that, but can someone actually tell me if it's okay for them to be in 24 h/d light? I probably won't end up doing it, but I just want to know.

 

Quote:It is pretty risky, but putting all my trust in a neighbor is even more risky. See, my chickens run around free and then at dusk go into the coop, at which point I (or a neighbor) have to shut the doors against predators. We have predators coming at and occasionally before dusk, so it's imperative that someone is there to shut the doors. If the neighbors come late (very likely) it could be a total disaster, to say nothing of them forgetting to come at all. That, or the chickens stay in a completely predator-proof enclosure with automatic water and plenty of feed. If someone checks on them, they might not close the door properly, and I prefer not to put such risks on an untrustworthy person.