I set my timer for 14 hours of light

[Bircheggfarm20]

mine comes on at 6 am-10 pm 16 hours of light easy n simple

 

[joebryant]

Quote:
Do they have any trouble finding their way to the roost after the light goes out suddenly?

 

[darkroo]

I can only speak for what I see my girls do, I have a small area tractor and they don't have alot of room anyway. When dusk comes they head upstairs and find a place (I still check to make sure they are on the roosts and not down on the shaveings) to sleep and wait for the lights to go out. It's not like they are wandering around shopping or something before dark they they are looking for a place to spend the night. This is my first year with fancy birds and I don't understand alot of peoples complaints. From what I've seen they head for the bedroom before it's dark and the last one in the bedroom is the head boss. When they were young and just out in the backyard before dusk she would start making a certian call like it's time for bed get there. When one of the other girls was out wandering around and not looking for a place to sleep she would chase them down and make them go to bed. Moon seems to be a great boss she is not abusive but only corrects when someone is out of line. Where as the lower girls seem to take ever oportunity to put someone else in there place. I may be lucky to have such a good head boss but when the my birds go into the bedroom they are going to bed not wandering around like my children playing games and doing home work.

 

[joebryant]

darkroo, that's really interesting, thanks. Tonight I'm going to check to see if they're on the roost before it gets dark and before the bright light goes off.

 

[mdbokc]

I have both a 60W bulb and a 7W night light on separate timers. The night light goes off about 10-15 minutes after the main light to transition them into the dark in case someone is still on the floor. Our alpha hen likes to eat last and we found sometimes she was still eating in the dark (not that it slowed her down any). When we go to the AM lights (doing it naturally for about another 2 weeks), the night night will come on first followed by the 60W bulb 10-15 minutes later.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
FWIW, I periodically forget to turn the chicken bldg light off when I leave it on winter afternoons or summer evenings. When it's pitch dark out and I look out the house window before going to bed and say "Oh pooh" and go out there to turn it off, all the chickens are always boppin' around eating and dusting and generally being chickens; they are certainly *not* on the roost.

Although this may be different if it happens every single day all winter and one or more is bright enough to develop a Plan of What To Do.


Pat

 

[darkroo]

There does appear to be a very big difference in our housing capabilities, in my little tractor if your not on the roost your in the walk way and used as a floor mat. Both Joe and Pat look they have room for a ball or at least a dance contest in there coop

. Although Joe I have a hard time calling your set up a coop. It looks more like a castle.

 

[joebryant]

Quote:
L&LOL Awww, gosh, THANKS, but this winter all of my hens, my rooster, and the new chicks, hens, and roosters that I'm using in my breeding program are or will be in the west end of the barn (12x24) area that we have converted to a breeding area. They will be in there until March, three or four in each of the 4'x10' "coops.

 

[LynneP]

Hi Joe, I set my timer yesterday for 5 am -8 am. The reason I don't do a dusk lighting is that it is so dark here that the light would go out suddenly, possibly catching a hen or two on the floor, temporarily blinded. I also like the morning setting because it lessens fire hazard, even though we are wired properly to a panel and do not use extension cords- it puts me in the barn when the light is on, and enable me to collect about half of my eggs before leaving.

 

[Bircheggfarm20]

i switched it to 5 am 8-pm no once the chickens get use to the light goin out suddelny they figure out that about 30 mins before the light goes off they start to roost i have no problems