I don't know anything about your set-up or how much space you have for your birds, but sounds like you may need to keep turkeys and chickens separate. Also sounds like your original question about lighting is actually about getting the most production out of your chickens, and lighting may not be the answer in your case. It's really about maintaining their health and providingThank you for the information. I cannot free range without me watching, so it's pretty much limited to an hour before dark a few days a week. I did read the articles aart and you provided, they were extremely helpful. I will probably skip this year and maybe a few more in terms of light, it appears that they will not need it and will simply add more complications. I plan on getting more chickens a year from now, and maybe follow the plan that your article laid out. I will try making your feeder, it seems like an ingenious idea! Thanks again to all of you.
a good amount of nutrition with little waste. Correct?... free access to a good ration, and oyster shells to optimize production. Limiting feed will limit laying. It takes a lot to produce those eggs...
Back to the links I promised you:
There's lots of feeder ideas here, but I like this one. In my area, at Home Depot, the black plumbing accessories are ABS and more expensive. I use the white PVC... same result, just be sure to use that extra length where the chickens put their head --THAT makes it no-spill. My original version didn't have that and I had to add some duct tape to keep the feed inside.

A cheap easy version for this feeder is to just use a plastic drinking cup to block off the bottom.

Another food-bill-saver is growing sprouts or fodder. This is a system I'm very interested in and plan to do it myself soon.
Here's a good place to start How to Sprout Grains.
Fodder System -not as expensive as most systems that cost thousands, and with a good explanation of benefit.
Growing Fodder CHEAPLY
You may also want to look into the deep litter method. It requires a lot of bedding material (6-12 inches deep, added over time) but is a good way to entertain and supplement chickens. They spend their days scratching away and pooping, which eventually starts to compost, which allows bugs, worms and beneficial organisms to come and provide the chickens some tasty and nutritional snacks. Do not use DE (diatomaceous earth) in deep litter, it will kill all the bugs you're trying to invite. People use it, I guess, to keep the smell down? Though DE could be appropriate in a dust bath area. In my situation, I change the litter once a year, move the old to my compost bin until the next spring, then spread it in my garden beds and around my other landscape -- by then it's turned into beautiful rich dark soil. It's a very efficient no-waste rotation. Instead of buying litter, you could use leaves and grass clippings etc. as long as it's untreated.
The unfortunate reality of any really efficient and productive form of maintenance, is that it will require some investment to start with and may take some time and effort to pay for itself... whether it be no-spill containers, lots of bedding, a large predator-proof run (if free ranging isn't a viable option) or a fodder system. But in the long run, would be well worth the initial investment!
