Granny's gone and done it again

[CapricornFarm]

I had a terrible energy level today. And the cold made it even worse, it's hard to enjoy filling waterers when your hands are freezing. It is supposed to be below 32° F tonight. So that means frozen waterers tomorrow. As you all know, not the most fun. But once I get the submersible heaters set up in the nipple water buckets, it will be much better.
On the plus side, I had 2 naps today. There's a fire in the woodstove and my belly is full. Much better off than a lot of people.

 

[microchick]

Hey, guys, I have a chicken-keeping question. So I rigged a light out in my coop (hen house). Should I increase their lught exposure gradually, like an hour more a day, or can I just start right right away today leaving it on as many hours as I think they need? It gets dark here now about 4:50 pm, and I plan to leave the light on ultimately till about 8:00 pm. DH opens them up in the morning about 6:00 am, just about daylight. Thanks.

What are you trying to do? Give them artificial light during the day when it is gloomy our or stimulate laying?

If you want to just give them supplemental lighting during the day I'd put it on at daylight and turn it off at sunset.

Longer light hours if you are trying to stimulate egg laying.

I did that one year but decided to forgo winter laying. I usually have a few 'new hens' that will lay through the winter their first winter but with my older hens I would rather they lay longer in their maturity.

I have a single Ameraucana hen that was gifted to me by somebody who thought she was a young Fayoumi. Sure looked like one as an adolescent but turned out nope. She stopped laying in October, went through molt (and looked soooo pathetic, like she had survived a chicken plucker attack) and yesterday laid an extra large blue green egg for me! Sweet girl. I would love to hatch a few chicks from her sired by my Fayoumi rooster but she seems to have a lethal gene. All her chicks stop at about 5 days into gestation.

 

[microchick]

I had a terrible energy level today. And the cold made it even worse, it's hard to enjoy filling waterers when your hands are freezing. It is supposed to be below 32° F tonight. So that means frozen waterers tomorrow. As you all know, not the most fun. But once I get the submersible heaters set up in the nipple water buckets, it will be much better.
On the plus side, I had 2 naps today. There's a fire in the woodstove and my belly is full. Much better off than a lot of people.

Cap, try to reduce your stress as much as possible. I know, I know, not easy, but try. Stress has an effect on arrhythmias that isn't good.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Blue, I dont know what would be best but if it were me I would just go for the full time.

Thanks, Granny.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

What are you trying to do? Give them artificial light during the day when it is gloomy our or stimulate laying?

If you want to just give them supplemental lighting during the day I'd put it on at daylight and turn it off at sunset.

Longer light hours if you are trying to stimulate egg laying.

I did that one year but decided to forgo winter laying. I usually have a few 'new hens' that will lay through the winter their first winter but with my older hens I would rather they lay longer in their maturity.

I have a single Ameraucana hen that was gifted to me by somebody who thought she was a young Fayoumi. Sure looked like one as an adolescent but turned out nope. She stopped laying in October, went through molt (and looked soooo pathetic, like she had survived a chicken plucker attack) and yesterday laid an extra large blue green egg for me! Sweet girl. I would love to hatch a few chicks from her sired by my Fayoumi rooster but she seems to have a lethal gene. All her chicks stop at about 5 days into gestation.

None of my girls have laid any eggs for weeks. Closer to 2 months, I think. I am getting 2 eggs out of 23 hens, and 9 of them are only 8 months old. All the rest were a year old in March, so they should not be anywhere near being spent. I want to get them back in production. Reset their clocks, so to speak. They don't need supplemental lighting during the day, they are outside all day in a huge run and free range in the afternoon.

 

[microchick]

Then probably 8-10 hours of light should do the trick.

On gloomy days I turn on the lights for 6 to 8 hours. Always turn them out at sunset. My coop doesn't have a lot of windows so I try to put myself in their place. I sure shouldn't want to spend the day in cold gloom.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Then probably 8-10 hours of light should do the trick.

On gloomy days I turn on the lights for 6 to 8 hours. Always turn them out at sunset. My coop doesn't have a lot of windows so I try to put myself in their place. I sure shouldn't want to spend the day in cold gloom.

Thanks. And they are laying good?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Then probably 8-10 hours of light should do the trick.

On gloomy days I turn on the lights for 6 to 8 hours. Always turn them out at sunset. My coop doesn't have a lot of windows so I try to put myself in their place. I sure shouldn't want to spend the day in cold gloom.

Okay, done and done! We'll keep them on a 12-hr schedule for a while and see what happens! Thank you.

 

[h2oratt]

I am afraid of falling again, like I did 12/6/10. Ended up with a multiple concussion, that completely changed my life. It had rained before it started to snow. At work, I slipped on ice, and went flying. My head hit the ground at least 3 times before the rest of my body landed.

Oh yes. I can understand that. Horrible faLl you had.

 

[h2oratt]

I had a terrible energy level today. And the cold made it even worse, it's hard to enjoy filling waterers when your hands are freezing. It is supposed to be below 32° F tonight. So that means frozen waterers tomorrow. As you all know, not the most fun. But once I get the submersible heaters set up in the nipple water buckets, it will be much better.
On the plus side, I had 2 naps today. There's a fire in the woodstove and my belly is full. Much better off than a lot of people.

they will reset after the winter solstice. I just let mine be on a natural cycle.