I put a low voltage light in my coop

[bobbieschicks]

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No heating. Red is fine. I just added white Christmas rope lights. I'll find out soon if it works. I added two hours at morning and two at evening.

 

[theperdews]

We are having trouble getting an electrician to give us electrical access to our coop. We've tried putting solar yard lights in the coop each evening which don't provide much light, and are still only getting 3 eggs per day from 11 hens since the days have become so short. I have found a solar light that has a solar panel which mounts outside, and has 6 LEDs in the fixture.

Is LED light going to be helpful for improving egg laying?

If not, is a fluorescent light proper or should we go with a regular bulb?

The coop is 9 x 8. Would one bulb, or one 18" fluorescent light be adequate (we have a timer)?

Thanks!

Toni

 

[bobbieschicks]

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Any lighting will be helpful. The LEDs are very bright but they don't use up much power. I need to find a longer term solution as running extension cords to the coop isn't a great idea for the long term. Where did you find the LED lights? I figured I'd get a solar battery time setup from automated home, but I don't know where to get 9volt lights. BTW I got an egg this a.m. And last night was the first time I lite my coop. Could be coincidence but time will tell.

 

[bobbieschicks]

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What voltage is it? Is it 9 or 12volt? I'm looking into getting something low voltage for a solar timer since I don't have power at my coop and DH has said "no water or power" is being added out there.

 

[theperdews]

We just have the little landscaping lights that you can buy in the spring/summer from Walmart or Menards/Lowes types of stores in the garden departments for $3. We have 4 in there, but they just "glow" and don't really light anything up.

The light I was thinking of buying is from Walmart.com: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Maxsa-Innovations-Solar-Powered-Flood-Light/16617554?findingMethod=rl

This might not work, as it may turn on too early in the day since the sensor is inside the building. It will still be charging though, as the solar panel would be outside. So maybe it would run out of power by midnight instead of 3 or 4 in the morning, which is ok.

Hmmm...what WOULD happen if the building was lit all the time? Maybe the chickens wouldn't want to come inside to roost. Or, maybe they would because it would get dark outside and drive them inside.

If I can't get the electrician here this week, I'll have to try something like this. We have several friends/family members that we like to share eggs with, and we aren't getting enough eggs due to the short days.

Toni

 

[jaj121159]

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You adding light to mimic the sun, so go with white. It doesn't have to be a bright light and using a CFL bulb is fine. I would have your timer set to give them an early morning instead of a late night. Since I have put a light in my coops, I have found I get my eggs much earlier in the morning than I did under natural lighting.

 

[kilby]

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Don't want to put a wrench in things but light must not be the only thing making them lay in the winter. I have a heated smallish rabbit hutch for my 3 hens. I use a 60 watt ceramic bulb meant for reptile habitat. The minimum maximum thermometer says it only went down to 2 C when it was -4 outside. They have not slowed down laying one bit. -4 was the coldest night yet so take that into consideration for your situation.
Light up the run if you want to watch your chickens. For me it would depend on when they usually end up in the roost. Which is just past 4:30PM. Oh but better lighting while they are running outside is best to put in the 12-14 hrs you may need.
For mine the light they have inside is very dim. The same I have used all summer. It is a very dim battery light which I take out after 7PM. The total light they get now outside is only 7:30 to 4:30. I wonder what is the difference? I thought a motion sensor that turned on for 30 seconds tilll they went to sleep would be perfect or a night light that stayed on always for the night. Won't keep them awake and cause more stress.
Well, that is all I have to say, hope it makes you prosperous

 

[ECBW]

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I had the same observation that they roost at sunset even when the artificial light was on. That seemed to be a waste. So I did only pre-dawn light and had good results, and saved on electric bill.