How long for egg laying after supplemental lighting?

[Egghead_Jr]

Hey all,

I haven't used supplemental lighting in years. When doing so I'd just put a light on timer when the daylight hours hit 12/12 and run it through spring. This year I have to kick start birds to lay or I'll forever be caught in the endless loop of late spring hatching and pullets first egg following spring.

In searching the forums found only one post where a person said they achieved laying of some of the flock after only 10 days of supplemental lighting in mid winter. Anyone else have experience with time to get laying after adding light? Trying to figure out a schedule here to get a March hatch in.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

We have added a single 100 watt LED super bright bulb hanging from the center of the ceiling on a timer. The timer goes off approximately 4:30 in the morning. Shuts off at 8 am. It has brought us up from 70 chicken with only 2 eggs a day to 70 chickens with 45 to 50 eggs a day. I believe it took about 3 to 4 days to take effect. My other egg houses which are actually breeding houses, are not producing any eggs at all. Keep in mind it will wake your roosters up early.
Also you want them to wake up early not stay up late. If you set the timer for after dark you may have chickens wandering around outside your Coop confused,, not going in for shelter at night and becoming locked out by accident.
By the way, LED light bulbs to not get as hot as incandescent lights or halogen Etc. And are a lot easier on your utility bill as well plus eliminate the fire hazard.

 

[PirateGirl]

2 of my pullets laid their first eggs yesterday, almost exactly 3 weeks after solstice. I don't know if it would take a full 3 weeks for you since you would probably add lighting in larger increments. Also our length of day is now 9:35 so maybe that's a magic number. I know there are many factors, but maybe you will find some common thread once you have more responses.

 

[RonP]

You really shouldn't just turn the lights on from 9 1/2 to 16 hours per day...
Some say add 15 minutes per week... some say 30-60...
I have no personal experience, but I would add 30 minutes per week to have them lay early spring. Start asap. It could take 4-6 weeks depending on your breeds and age.

 

[lissalischicks]

I agree with ronp. It has to be gradual increase or it can mess with them. This was a good reference for me http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/09/supplemental-light-in-coop-why-how.html?m=1

 

[lazy gardener]

Actually, @RonP , I was and continue to be in agreement. However, Don Rae went to a poultry seminar several years ago. She asked that very question about suddenly giving 14 hours/day instead of ramping up slowly. The speaker was from a commercial poultry back ground, and he said that it was ok to simply turn on the light at the desired hours/day. Even though he "was the expert", I think I'd go the slower method, and am actually doing so right now. I started 12/26, adding 1 extra hour per day (CORRECTION!!!) Previous statement: adding 1 extra hour per WEEK!!! My schedule is: on at 6:30 AM, and adding extra light at THE END OF THE DAY, b/c that's what works for me. My all time low has been 0 - 2 eggs/day. Yesterday, I got 3!!! So, the hormones are shifting.

Typically, I let the flock slow down to almost stopped before adding light in November. And typically, with the ramping up method, it takes 2 - 3 weeks.

Would production still be going up if I had done nothing? Maybe. But, I know that those eggs will be coming with the extra light.

 

[lazy gardener]

To add to the above post: Commerical poultry houses often use light to manage their layers. Suddenly turning the lights off will send the flock into a molt. IMO this is much kinder than their alternate method of with holding feed and water to force a molt. So, it would stand to reason that they might do lights out to force a flock wide molt, and then do LIGHTS ON!!!! to kick them back into lay.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

We're currently at 9 hours daylight. I don't plan to and would never supplement 14-16 hours. That's just silly to me. Sure commercial egg houses have done studies to show continued increase laying with daylight but that's a marginal increase production from 12 hours to 14 that only makes sense with such high volume. Basically what I'm saying is you never hear of people on the equator adding an additional two hours for egg production year round.

So far what I'm hearing is two weeks would be a reasonable assumption of lead time. Read 10 days on an earlier thread, less than week here and also three weeks here with small incremental additions. May set up a light this weekend then. Let's see, laying by 27th, three weeks of egg collection and three weeks of incubating would get a hatch March 10th. Not bad at all.

 

[lazy gardener]

How ever, you also need to take into account that your fertility rate will be less in the winter, even if you do have the eggs!!!! Dig out your frying pan, and check those blastoderms.

 

[RonP]

Please post your results!