I set my timer for 14 hours of light

[joebryant]

Considering some of the responses above, I went out to check on them in the dark about a half hour before the 75-watt bulb was to go off; you folks were right, they were already on the roost. Evidently they could see through the four windows and realized that it was already dark outside. Interesting!

 

[Tman2]

I wasn't getting the egg production I thought I should be getting and added light via a timer. It's on for an extra hour in the morning, and 3 more at night. I went out twice this evening and both times, they were on the roost with their eyes CLOSED!! This last time, most had their heads under their wings. IF chickens lay eggs relating to light, how is it helping them to have a light on with their eyes closed? Seems to me I'm just wasting electricity at the moment.

 

[Lynn57]

I find this interesting, and I was wondering about it myself. I have a 75 watt come on from 5:30 am till 8:30 p.m. in their inside coop. (10x12 feet) They have a 12x40 outdoor attached run. I thought that they would stay up and busy, eating etc. until the light went off...but they aren't. It is getting dark here now around 6:30 pm. Around 6ish they head inside and will pretty much stay inside, keeping busy till about 8 pm. At this time they pretty much get up on their perches or find their places and stay there. It's like they know, even though it is dark outside what time their light goes out and take their perches prior to it getting dark inside. You've got to wonder how they know this, but my salt water fish go to their sleeping spots ten minutes before the lights go off...so if a fish can sense this then I have no doubt that the chickens can sense it or know it as well.
I do have a tiny tiny nightlight that stays on all the time. I'm not sure why I do, as it's so tiny it lights up only a few inches around it and it's still too dark in there to see. But I feel that maybe there is one hen in there that is afraid of the dark and needs one. lol

 

[Tman2]

I just went out this morning ( still fairly dark) to see what was happening. My light goes on at 6 (prior to sunrise) and they are all awake. They aren't moving too much, but they are all standing with eyes open. I may change my timer to add more of the extra 'daylight' hours in the morning to be more effective.

 

[Goose and Fig]

I tried this last year, and ended up with a bunch of naked-back birds. They were staying up as long as the light was on, and fighting over perches. I tried using a red light instead (for added heat as well in the fall. They hated the red light! They repeatedly spun the fixture until the bulb fell out 3 nights in a row.
I gave up- rather have less eggs and birds that live longer.

*this was in my layer coop where I had lots of RIR and Rocks