Do I need a light for my chicken coop?

[path.otto]

My BO lays wonderful eggs but she's not adverse to going broody either, especially in hot weather. She's so sweet that I know when she growls at me when she's on the nest that she needs to go into solitary confinement. She hates that! The New Hampshire Red has gone broody a couple of times, too. They snap out of it in a day or two usually.

 

[Flockandfowl46]

I don't believe in lights but everyone has their opinion and I certainly respect that...i just think your asking for more trouble reproductive wise

 

[LikeTurkeys]

I have already decided not to get the light because of the trouble it will cause. My BO's are the awfullest chickens of the whole flock! They're not very smart either. They'll never let me pick them up, and when they're free ranging and it's feeding time, instead of going through the door they try to fly through the wall! What a fuss.

 

[21hens-incharge]

They're eating layer. No oyster shell yet, I'll get it when I get the next bag of feed. Plenty of fresh water, I change it every day. She stopped before I started feeding her layer though. I hope these breaks don't happen too often though because I got chickens mainly for the eggs. Next spring I'm going to get some Leghorns!

May I cast a vote for a leghorn cross that is less twitchy than a white leghorn?

I had California Whites that I really enjoyed for many reasons. They lay just as well as a white leghorn but aren't twitchy.
They are a white leghorn crossed with a gray leghorn and for whatever reason the mix is very nice.

 

[LikeTurkeys]

What do you mean by less "twitchy"? Also, I think what might have contributed to her stopping was a minor injury where all the feathers and a little bit of skin on the back of her came off. It was weird, I went out there, and she had this bloody spot. So I cleaned it up and two days later she layed an egg and that was the last one since. I'm not sure how she got injured, but she's growing pin feathers in that spot now.

 

[21hens-incharge]

By less twitchy I am referring to the reputation of leghorns being flighty, easily startled, more likely than most breeds to run away from the keepers.

IE.... Nervous birds.

 

[LikeTurkeys]

Hello everyone, I just wanted to thank you again for your help. Today my turkey's crop was completely empty (special thanks to @aart for the wonderful article) and she seems to be well on the path to recovery. My chickens are satisfied with the current feeding plan @FlappyFeathers provided and while Ginger is still not laying I am hopeful that the BO will lay within the next month. @21hens-incharge, California Whites are sold at TractorSupply here more than White Leghorns are so it would probably be easier to get them anyway. Thanks for letting me know that they lay as well as Leghorns but are less flighty. @True Patriot, @FarmerGirl101, and @oldhenlikesdogs, thanks for answering my question on whether to have a light or not. To the rest who replied, thanks for weighing in! I appreciate it.

 

[feathermaid]

Oh I'm so sorry to hear about what happened to your first chicks

BO should end up being decent layers but I think the lady at the feed store was just trying to sell you whatever chicks she had in stock.

Well, I am so happy everything is finally working out for you!! I can tell that you really care for your birds and you're on your way to being an excellent flock mama

 

[IamRainey]

I am in Southern California. I have not heard that it makes them lay not as long, thanks for the information! Do they produce less eggs in their lives with the light or without it overall?

I am also in SoCal too. The San Fernando Valley area of LA in case it makes a difference.

I wouldn't "push" my hens to lay if their biology is set to give them some downtime every year. I don't see the point since they are born with all the proto-yolks they'll ever have. That means you won't get more eggs you'll just get them sooner. That also means you're accelerating the time when they'll be past their laying years.

That said, I wish I had arranged to get my chicken coop and run equipped with electricity. It would make a big difference in our triple-digit Summers (and now Falls as well!) to be able to run fans.

It was my mistake to overlook an electric source. Now I have to run an extension cord across the utility area of my backyard to the chicken run for a couple box fans. Very Mickey Mouse.

 

[LikeTurkeys]

Yes, thanks. I was simply worried because Ginger had stopped laying. I will add hens every year and probably send them to the pot at 3 years since that's when laying will slow down. I don't think I'll need fans because the walls of their cage are completely open. They have buckets to lay in but that's about it. For keeping them cool I stick in a little wading pool.