Does the color of supplemental lighting matter?

[jimbob86]

At the beginning of December I was getting 6-8 eggs/day from my 9 BOrps ..... it's dropped to 4-6 now, and I added a 16 ft. LED yellow light rope tonite ..... and all hell broke loose, with the chooks beatting the tar out of each other.......

Is yellow a bad thing?

Pink maybe?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

At the beginning of December I was getting 6-8 eggs/day from my 9 BOrps ..... it's dropped to 4-6 now, and I added a 16 ft. LED yellow light rope tonite ..... and all hell broke loose, with the chooks beatting the tar out of each other.......

Is yellow a bad thing?

Pink maybe?

Use either a full spectrum florissant tube or even better is an old fashion light bulb. Chickens are very attuned to light and a hen (or rooster for that matter) is able to see in the UV light range. What you have failed to address is whether or not your flock is molting. Molting hens lay few eggs.

 

[jimbob86]

Quote:
???

Not that anybody asked, but these birds are just 9 months old ..... shouldn't be molting until next fall, right? ...... the dead of winter would be a bad time to molt .......

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Adding the additional light is probably what's causing your problems, first year hens in my opinion will not respond to it as far as laying and it can cause some behavioral problems because it messes up their natural sleep cycles. Your hens are laying less because energy gets diverted to staying warm, and this time of year laying naturally slows down, it will naturally start to pick up in a month or so without additional light.

 

[jimbob86]

Quote: Oh, they are certainly eating more .... I make sure they have plenty to eat, as I don't and won't heat their coop, for the same reason I won't put an incandescent bulb in there (fire risk).

The are are in a tractor (parked till spring), so they did not really eat much this summer and fall ..... they are ALWAYS hungry now, even if their crop is stuffed ......

 

[jimbob86]

FWIW, while stringing up the lightrope, I had to REALLY get into the "coop" (4x8x2 high attic of their tractor).... It was warm in there, despite it being 19 degrees and blowing snow outside ..... and Sweet PDZ works...... with the cold temps, they've been eating (and therefore poopin') WAY more ...... no smell at all ...... that stuff is terrible expensive locally, but worth every penny!

 

[aart]

Any drastic change will cause stress and possibly adverse behaviors.
Is your light in a timer?

Wonders just how 'warm' it is in the coop?
Just nice to be out of the wind warmer or really warm like not enough ventilation?

 

[jimbob86]

Quote:

Not yet. I'm on a timer...... rather than reset the timer twice a day to gradually extend light morning and night, I'm just resetting my alarm clock.

Quote: The former. It's bitter outside in the wind. Feels much better inside, though water still freezes in there. No frost on the walls this AM.

 

[jimbob86]

Well ...... the disturbance of putting in the light REALLY seems to have put them off their game. I got only 1 egg yesterday..... or it could be all the scratch and treats I fed them the last couple of days (they looked miserable in the cold and snow- I know, I know, BAD chicken farmer!)....or the cold ..... likely a combination of all three...... but had one butt warm one when I went out at 7 (light turned on @ 0630) to take them water, another when I took them water just now, and and two more settin' .......



They seemed to have gotten themselves sorted out OK when I went out this AM .....no major injuries (a couple of scabs on combs) and none hiding in a nest box overnight ..... the one egg yesterday and the two this AM were all good sized .....

.... I'll keep y'all posted.