Coop Night Light? Verdict Needed!

[WaltzingBigBend]

Well, the main reason some argue FOR a night light seems to be about the chickens somehow "more comfortable" if/when they are startled in the night. However, it seems to me that (kind of like with humans) a night light might throw off their internal clocks. (Not clucks...har)

Oh well, obsession comes with this life it seems.

 

[Farmgirl1971]

Our darlins get nine hours of dark and then a nite lite kicks on that lighs our coop up.. This is to help encourge the girls to keep layin' in the winter.

 

[Marty1876]

IMO, it is good to have low light. It keeps youngsters eating at all hours. This is most valuable when you've got a large group of youngsters, or are feeding up dressing birds.

When hens are laying, in the winter keeping the light on at least long enough to insure 14 hours of light hitting the birds eye a day keeps eggs coming. If you happen to have ducks, you'll want the lights down close to their nests, to prevent eggs from freezing in the early hours when they lay. I leave my duck lights on all night, but the hens lights are on a timer for light from dark until 11 pm.

 

[cortner1195]

We chose to light the coop (5X8) with a single CFL 40w equiv. of the "day light" type. This burns 9 w of energy. I use a timer to turn it on in the morning so that they get 14 hours of light, with a natural progression to dusk in the afternoon. I live in the north, and we were down to one egg a day from seven hens. Now back up to four eggs per day.


Welcome to BYC!

 

[DuckieTam]

I have been lighting my coop from dusk until around 8:30 pm. I failed to do that for a couple days and my duck didn't give me her daily egg. I also leave a red heat lamp on near the water bucket to keep the water from freezing when the temps are low.

 

[NYcue]

In my experience... If I want my chickens to go back into the coop house in the evening by themselves I need to supply a light in their house at least 1/2 hour before it gets dark. If that light does not go on or goes on after it gets dark the girls will roost outside. Also, if the light in the coop house is too bright that it actually lightens the outside roost... they will stay on the outside roost almost no matter what the weather condition is outside.

 

[kdwag]

I moved my girls to their coop at 5 1/2 weeks . They weren't getting the hang of going to bed, so i thought a light would help. I tried it a few nights leaving it on a couple of hours before dark and then turning it off once it got dark and they were closed in, however, they would get hysterical when i turned it off. So, i turned it off completely and after a week or so, they got the hang of going to bed and now when i go out to close the coop, they are quiet and comfortable. It seems like the light just messed them up a bit with darkness and not getting adjusted. The one problem I do have now is no light outside to see when I close them in. I read that someone strung a set of xmas lights along the outside of their coop so I am contemplating that option just so I can see when I go out to close them in.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

We use lighting in the coop to simulate longer day hours and help them lay more eggs, but it's on a timer. It comes on in the morning at 6 and turns off at 8, then turns back on at 6pm and turns off at 9pm.

I seriously don't think chickens need a night light.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Hung Jury.

 

[Marty1876]

I've had my own birds, under my care, for over 30 years now. I've tried both ways, lights make a difference to layers in winter. Not late spring, summer, or fall, when they are getting enough light, but absolutely in winter. There are juried (researched) articles attesting to this fact. I am 100% pro light, but I only use a 25 watt bulb.