I have a question for people who live in Alaska

[M To The Maxx]

We went to Alaska a couple years ago and I know that half of the year there is only 3 hours of darkness and the other half is mostly darkness. I have a question the half where ther is only 3 hours of darkness. Usually chickens go inside to roost at nightime. Do your chickens only sleep 3 hours? Do you still put them in when it is like 8:00 p.m. even though it is still light out? Thanks for answers in advance. I am just really curious.

 

[dacjohns]

I'll let the Alaska residents answer the chicken part but I'll address the daylight part.

I lived in Alaska for a total of 14 years. Alaska is a huge state and covers a lot of territory from north to south. Some of it lies above the Arctic Circle where the sun doesn not rise above the horizon for many days during the winter and does not dip below the horizon for part of the summer.

As far as the year being divided in halves it is not that simple. Just like in the Lower 48 daylight decreases from the summer solstice to the winter solstice and increases from the winter solstice to the summer solstice.

Check out this link for Anchorage.

http://www.anchorage.net/684.cfm

The numbers will be different for Fairbanks and different for Ketchikan.

Here is another fun site.

http://www.daylightmap.com/index.php

 

[M To The Maxx]

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Thanks for the info!

 

[mom'sfolly]

I grew up in southeast Alaska. The farmer I worked for as a kid did supplemental light for his laying flock. He had the light on a timer, and kept leghorns. He rotated 1/2 the flock out every year, and a had about 150 layers. He collected about 120 eggs a day.

He also kept ducks, geese, peafowl, guineas, pigeons and yard birds. I don't remember what the yard birds did in the winter, but I would guess that they roosted early. He was solely responsible for the town's now feral pigeon population, and I also heard there are feral peafowl. I just wonder about feral peafowl, though. They just don't seem like they would make it.

 

[mjdtexan]

I am suprised AK Michelle has not answered your question already

 

[Southernbelle]

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You may have to point it out to her- she pretty much stays on the one thread...

 

[AK Michelle]

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I put mine in and close the door when I go in for the evening regardless of sunshine. Sometimes that's 6 pm sometimes that's 1 am. As the sun starts going down earlier they take themselves in as it starts to get dark even if we're all still out there. Sometimes they line up in the door of the coop and keep an eye on us when we're sitting around the fire.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

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the daylight/dark is not quite what you think.
I live two hours north of Anchorage.
Right now we are losing around 5 minutes of light per day. Solstice is almost here, and we will gain a few seconds of light that first day, leading up to gaining about 5 minutes a day, until its fully light.
The sun dips below the horizen for a short time on the longest days.
The closer you get tot he Arctic Circle, the more drastic the light and dark difference is.

Today, the sunrise was at 10:46 and the sunset will be at 3:41.
But, just so you know, dawn and dusk last several times longer then in the lower 48. So its not actualy dark until around 5 I think.

On to your question now. During the summer, our chickens nap off an on throughout the day, and roost up around 10 I think......
We let them decide when they want to go to bed. Most do sleep for a good period though.
Then we let them out of their run around breakfast time.

During the winter, its never the same. Some will roost at 5, and sleep all night, even with the coop being lit up from 6am till 10pm.
Others will party till the lights are out, LOL!

Suffice it to say, most chickens do adapt tot he constant change, while others just do what they please!

 

[PandoraTaylor]

I live 67 miles south of Fairbanks. I use timered Lights in the winter, and in the summer my birds go to roost when they wished, I don't lock up my coop, as they are in a fairly secured run.

As for the lighting question, I have no darkness for about a month or so, My chickens go to roost anytime they feel like it.
some sleep while dust bathing (maybe why my layers lay through out the day instead of just in the morning)

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

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Mine lay all day to.