How to do a light in coop if at all

[Rbrown369]

I can’t find specifically the info I need on this, I see some people add a light and some don’t to the coop, I have been getting almost no eggs all winter so 3 months so far 2 more to go.
I don’t want to force too much light on them for an unnatural length just a little more light to mimic the spring or summer more.
Would it be better in the early morning or at dusk like which time do you “lengthen” the light.

I could set it to come on at like 3am or 4 am and then they would be stuck in the coop with light on until the doors opened at around 8am this would give an extra 4 or 5 hours

Or set it to turn on at 4 pm (when it gets dark here now) but then they’ll start going to bed at dark and be walking into a lot coop to try to sleep so that doesn’t seem good.

Any input? Thanks!!

 

[rosemarythyme]

I don't do supplemental lighting but it should be added on at the beginning of the day, not the end, so birds are using the waning natural light at sunset as an indicator to go to the coop.

That said, at this point in the season, you're already getting slowly increasing daylight hours, so adding light may be a moot point now.

 

[Rbrown369]

I don't do supplemental lighting but it should be added on at the beginning of the day, not the end, so birds are using the waning natural light at sunset as an indicator to go to the coop.

That said, at this point in the season, you're already getting slowly increasing daylight hours, so adding light may be a moot point now.

Yeah could be, we still have 2 months of pretty dark days, just sucks getting no eggs for like 5 months.
Do you know how much would be worth it? Right now they get maybe 8 hours of daylight (really though it’s way less because that’s the sunset/rise hours but there’s been no sun for weeks just dark cloudy. One sunny day in a month.
if I add 4 hours so it’s 12 hours is that worth it? or just wait until next year to do it?

 

[aart]

I could set it to come on at like 3am or 4 am and then they would be stuck in the coop with light on until the doors opened

Yes, coop needs enough space for birds not to be crowded and feed and water need to be available.

Whether it's worth it or not....there are many pros and cons.
I use lights, but don't start cranking them up(~15 minutes a week) until after the molt is done, usually around Winter Solstice.

just sucks getting no eggs for like 5 months.

Yep, but that's part of keeping chickens.
As @Blooie sez..."they aren't pez dispensers"

Another way to get winter eggs is to buy new chicks every spring as pullets usually lay thru the winter.

 

[jreardon1918]

We have 2, 3 year olds that stopped laying mid November. We also have 6 one year olds. They slowed down early December. We got a random egg once in a while until 1/19 when three started laying again.
We started our lighting program on 12/1 this year. The lights currently come on at 4:40 AM. And the Girls started laying again on 1/19. At this point 3 of 8 have started laying. We use a wireless smart plug to turn the lights on and off. They always have access to the run (food&water). They come out about 15 minutes after the lights come on.

 

[Rbrown369]

Yes, coop needs enough space for birds not to be crowded and feed and water need to be available.

Whether it's worth it or not....there are many pros and cons.
I use lights, but don't start cranking them up(~15 minutes a week) until after the molt is done, usually around Winter Solstice.


Yep, but that's part of keeping chickens.
As @Blooie sez..."they aren't pez dispensers"

Another way to get winter eggs is to buy new chicks every spring as pullets usually lay thru the winter.

Yes that’s why I said I don’t want to force too much light on them

 

[Rbrown369]

We have 2, 3 year olds that stopped laying mid November. We also have 6 one year olds. They slowed down early December. We got a random egg once in a while until 1/19 when three started laying again.
We started our lighting program on 12/1 this year. The lights currently come on at 4:40 AM. And the Girls started laying again on 1/19. At this point 3 of 8 have started laying. We use a wireless smart plug to turn the lights on and off. They always have access to the run (food&water). They come out about 15 minutes after the lights come on.

Okay that’s awesome mine have a big coop and a quarter acre of run, plus we let them out all the time in the main yard. *but* unfortunately mine don’t have access to the run until the auto door opens with daylight. Which is why I didn’t know if I should use a light.

 

[Yardmom]

Your birds will not likely wait until Spring to start laying again. The lengthening of days should trigger them to start laying again soon. Not unusual for our weather here to only have 1 day of sun in a month, but it is what my birds are used to. Several of my birds have started to lay again. I have never added artificial lights.

 

[Rbrown369]

I think we’re going to put the light in the undercover run instead so there’s tons of room and food but we have an auto door so hopefully the light will trigger it to open , the ad claimed it only open to natural light so we’ll have to test it. And I don’t know if the light coming on at 5 outside will be enough to trigger them into getting up.

 

[Rbrown369]

Your birds will not likely wait until Spring to start laying again. The lengthening of days should trigger them to start laying again soon. Not unusual for our weather here to only have 1 day of sun in a month, but it is what my birds are used to. Several of my birds have started to lay again. I have never added artificial lights.

Okay, I don’t know maybe I’ll wait until next year. I only want to add 4 hours max which would be still a lot less than they get in summer if I do it.