Decreased Egg Production Even WITH Supplemental Lighting??

[bruceha2000]

The florescent light fixture I put in their coop is brand new, it's one of those shop lights that you can hang from chains. They are outside all day unless laying an egg in the coop. They're usually in the coop between 5:30 and 6:00 pm depending on how dark it is. Here on the coast our temps haven't been that low, today it's 73 outside but will get down in the high 50's tonight. Usually January and February are our coldest months.

Changing subject but Sunday I saw a huge owl in our neighbors field and last night he decided to try and get into our run which is covered with netting. My chickens have been on high alert all day.

Since noon today we've been able to see him in a tree about 200 yards away.

Whoa, time for extreme avian predator defense. Good luck!!

I am experiencing a dramatic drop in eggs as well. All mine are pullets and those that mother nature said to lay, did start. Then suddenly the eggs dried up. I am getting ONE egg from 6 or more pullets that were laying. That includes EEs and Australorp. One Welsummer's comb looks very red but she hasn't laid that I'm aware of. The only one laying is a California White pullet that is currently laying a 2 1/4 oz egg daily. There is a 40W bulb that is on 13-14 hrs a day, starting about 4 and stays on until roughly 8:30pm. I have had this wattage bulb before that keep my girls laying all winter long (not same chickens however). But I will change the bulb and up the time a little and see what happens. Any that don't lay after that, that should be laying, will be culled. Interesting so many people are having the same problem.

Nice egg from the CW

Odd that the pullets would stop laying. But then my VAST experience with pullets laying in their first winter is a single flock of 12 birds so I can't really say what is "normal"

Kevin corresponds to the 'color' of the light....I've read that redder light is supposed to stimulate the reproduction in chickens.

If there is research to show that, it would be great. Maybe "early sunrise" color is the key rather than "light".

 

[aart]

Quote: Read it in some university or ag study on poultry production...all I remember is blue for growth, red for reproduction.

 

[WVDoug]

Whoa, time for extreme avian predator defense. Good luck!!


Nice egg from the CW

Odd that the pullets would stop laying. But then my VAST experience with pullets laying in their first winter is a single flock of 12 birds so I can't really say what is "normal"

If there is research to show that, it would be great. Maybe "early sunrise" color is the key rather than "light".

Yes, "cool" lighting is not very effective for increasing laying:

"My coop and barn are on solar power (12V). I was using two 2W LED lights, but they were not very bright and very cool white. It is recommended that supplemental lighting be more towards the "soft" (yellow) lighting. I removed the 4 watts of cool white LEDs and added one of these 7.5 watt units (about equal to 50W of incandescent lighting):

http://www.lowes.com/pd_745384-75774-BPLVEXNLED___?productId=999927146&Ns=p_product_price|0&pl=1&Ntt=7.5+watt+led

Within a couple of days the egg production increased noticeably.
My light comes on at 2:25 AM and off at 7:40AM. Sunset is about 4:55PM this time if year, and just starting to get later. Sunrise is 7:35 and will continue to get slightly later until it is at 7:43 the first full week of January."

 

[Betsy57]

I've always thought artificial light just isn't up to sunlight. There are no UV's for example.

What I do know is CFL's are disturbing to chickens. We can't see the flicker, but they can.

I only use incandescent bulbs. Full spectrum is probably the way to go if I really wanted to mimic sunlight,
but I prefer my hens to slow down when it gets cold. It gives their reproductive organs time to heal.

I've always just used the regular incandescent bulbs, 60 watts and never had an issue. The chickens don't seem to mind the extra light in the morning and evening. I have it come on at 5 am and off at 9 am, just like it would in the summer.

 

[wornoutmomto3]

Quote:

Quote:
Originally Posted by aart

The much faster flicker rates on the newer ballasts supposedly do not bother birds like the older ballasts with slower flicker rates.

I won't buy CFLs anymore, not with LEDs available. And I hate yellow light, I won't buy anything less than 3,000 Kelvin. For outside I want 5,000, it pretty much matches the color of the full moon on a clear night. I have no idea how the light "temperature" affects the birds though.

Kevin corresponds to the 'color' of the light....I've read that redder light is supposed to stimulate the reproduction in chickens.


I am not sure if a redder light stimulates any better than white light. I have a red light on my girls and egg production is down by at least half. In fact, I did not get a single egg two or three days straight earlier this week. We have also had temperatures in the low 30's those nights also.

It is possible that temperature plays a factor as well. I saw decreased egg production mid summer when temps were at their highest (humidity also), and now with nightly lows near freezing; all this with a light on the hens. (well, not during the summer. Too hot!)

 

[WVDoug]

I am not sure if a redder light stimulates any better than white light. I have a red light on my girls and egg production is down by at least half. In fact, I did not get a single egg two or three days straight earlier this week. We have also had temperatures in the low 30's those nights also.

It is possible that temperature plays a factor as well. I saw decreased egg production mid summer when temps were at their highest (humidity also), and now with nightly lows near freezing; all this with a light on the hens. (well, not during the summer. Too hot!)

You want "red-ER", not RED. 2700K-3000K is "redder" than 5000K.

 

[bbkaren]

Changed my bulb yesterday morning to a 60W Soft White incandescent. (Was using a 13?W fluorescent curlicue and noticed a drop in production when I changed from the 7W curlicue to the larger size a few months ago.)

I also hung the bulb slightly lower, so it's at eye level to the chickens while they're on the roost.

I've got ~30 hens at various stages of molt and ages. For a month now I've been getting 10-12 eggs a day.

Changed the bulb to incandescent yesterday.

Today, 17 eggs! Coincidence? Tomorrow we'll see if it stays up.

___________

Update: Saturday - got 10 eggs, so the number didn't stay elevated. Hmm.

 

[WVDoug]

I was getting 9 or 10 a day with the cool white LEDs. I got 16 today, which is just about average for last summer, but with two fewer hens.
I think "warmer" lighting works.

 

[dolfi]

I added a light to one of my pair three days and nothing. I'll give it a few days more.

 

[lazy gardener]

I have done nothing different with lighting. But my egg count and size have taken a recent jump. Was averaging 7/day. Now size and count up. 12 eggs 2 days ago, expecting the same today. Did switch from pellets to mash in my FF.