Does your coop need light?

[cooper401]

Sounds logical to me, I will go out a find a low light with a timer.
'cause I am not getting up at 4

Thanks

 

[digitS']

Quote:
I've had this problem in past Winters, the light goes out and I didn't know it. However, I now check in the morning to see that it actually comes on . . . I think I did that before but it still caught me by surprise. The birds usually have the option of coming outside unless it's really cold, and then there they were, locked up in the dark .

Except for a little work during the Summer, I'm retired, Curliet. I was planning to be a veterinarian when I was a little farm kid. Then I learned that they had to take care of sick and injured animals . But, I stayed in agriculture.

Despite the little flocks of chickens - I never was, and I'm still not, a chicken farmer

.

Steve

 

[curliet]

Thanks Steve, for taking my questions in the spirit in which they were asked. You always seeme to have lots of documentation for all the advice you give, so I was sure that you were some kind of scientist or something. LOL. Now, when I come upong one of those things that doesn't make sense to me and I want to question it, I know who to go to for some research help.

 

[curliet]

Btw Cooper, it would probably make sense to try to duplicate natural light in the area where you live. For instance, my chickens while inside in their coop are totally in the dark, so I turn the ight on at 7:30 am, which is about sun up here, and off at about 7:00 pm, which is dark time here. The chickens actually do go in and start getting settled on the roost at around 6 , so they are all ready for bed when the light goes out. But I wouldn't want to leave the lights on from 4 in the morning to 10 at night, just too long. The poor chickies would be exhausted, LOL.
T

 

[cooper401]

Thanks for your input, I didn't want to keep the lights on all day that is a waste, so, I will try to turn them on at about 4 am and turn them off at about 6.30 since they don't come out till 7,
Sound good? I understand the idea now. Not at night, the light has to go down naturally.

Ok I just bought a setup with a timer and a 40 watt refrigerator light so it can stand the cold better. I hope they start laying I miss those eggs even though I have their frozen ones. Fresh IS better.
Thanks

 

[curliet]

yesterday I was happy to collect 9 eggs from 9 hens again. Only 2 days after leaving them in the dark. So, it doesn't take long for things to correct once the light is reintroduced.

I'm still confused about something however, and if I have missed something along the way, I apologise.

Cooper401, you mentioned turning lights on at 4:00 am? And then turning them off again at 6:30 am? Am I getting that right? Are your chooks going out to free range, or just to an enclosed run? Do they get daylight while they are out? For myself, I am talking about adding light to chickens that are in a coop that has no natural light, the artificial light would take the place of sunlight.
We are in the north, Michigan, so it's dark many more hours of the day at this time of the year. I am attempting to replicate the normal daylight conditions spring or fall times, not midsummer so I am lighting from 7:30 am to 7:00 pm. I chose this time to make it less stressful on the birds. I am getting peak egg production this way. I'm not sure why you would light at 4:00 am. Are you in a part of the country that has sun-up this early?
Again, I might have missed something here, but can you help me to understand this?

 

[cooper401]

Try looking back to my original question, I am the one looking for advise and that is what was suggested, like the following.

According to MY PET CHICKEN:
Winter Egg Production
Due to fewer daylight hours in the winter, your chickens' egg production will decrease. If you wish for more eggs, provide your girls supplemental light during the otherwise dark morning and early evening hours.
Some people feel that reduced production during the winter provides your chickens with a much-needed vacation. They say it results in better laying in the spring. To our knowledge there is no data to support this claim.

All I am trying to do is get my girls to give me a couple of eggs a week. Certainly you can understand that, I am not looking for optimal egg production just a little breakfast.
Sun goes down here at 4:30 it is not totally dark but they go to roost at that time and I was told I should not light the end of the day so the evening comes to an end naturally.
I do not understand why you are confused.
I am confused why your chickens do not get natural light. That seems a lttle cruel to me.​

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I am confused why your chickens do not get natural light. That seems a lttle cruel to me.

It's not a matter of getting better production in the spring. The idea behind giving them the break in the winter is so that they lay for a longer period of time over their lifetime and are healthier overall. Laying eggs is taxing to a hen's body.
Add light, get more eggs faster but the hen is likely to quit laying at an earlier age. Don't add light, fewer eggs per season but a hen that lays to a ripe old age.
Oh course a company that sells chicks will be more than happy to sell you new chicks after your hens have "burned out" after a few short years.
There is NOTHING cruel about what curliet is doing! She has "stealth" chickens. It's necessary for her to give them light because she has to keep them confined for the most part. She's doing the absolute best she can with her situation and we are not in her situation so it's not for us to judge.

 

[gottaknit]

Add light, get more eggs faster but the hen is likely to quit laying at an earlier age. Don't add light, fewer eggs per season but a hen that lays to a ripe old age.

Yes, this is true. Chickens are born already "programmed" for the exact number of ovum they will release in a lifetime, just like human females. (Only different, of course.

)

I don't think it's cruel to light them in the winter for more concentrated egg production, nor is it cruel to let them "rest" for a season. Just my opinion. Last year I let mine rest, this year I want the eggs! I'm not running a chicken retirement home here.

I do think being in complete darkness all day is a little odd, though. Maybe it's time to add a little window to the coop....? Am I misunderstanding?

A question: Can I use a compact fluorescent light? DH is reluctant to light the coop if it means extra $$ towards the power bill. Anyway, we're on day 3 and still no eggs...​

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I don't think anyone is keeping their chickens in complete darkness. Just giving artificial lighting because there is no way to give them the natural stuff.
Adding light or not is a personal choice. My chickens are pets with benefits (the eggs). Just like my dog is a pet that also happens to be good company and my cat is a pet that's also a good mouser. My chickens don't get supplemental light, but I am also not dependent on them to pay for their own feed; others are and I completely understand that.