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Faraday40 said:
Today my loving hens only gave me 4 eggs....... and it's my birthday too!
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Happy Birthday, Faraday40!
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Faraday40 said:
Does anyone use artificial light?  If so, what's the best month to start?
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You can start at any time but you should only increase the light a little bit each day, nothing more than 30 minutes a day until you get to your desired light schedule if you do it too fast it confuses their sleep pattern and could disrupt egg laying or even force a molt... I used to adjust my lights based on minus 16 hours from sunset but that was a hassle as the timer needed to be adjusted about every 2 weeks, instead I now just leave the lights on from 5am to about 9am then they again go on againt about 5pm to 10pm, this gives them a steady 17 hour day a little longer then many suggest but I don't have to constantly adjust for sunrise and sunset... But, my chickens also spend a lot more time in the coop, if you let them out every day you should ideally adjust the lights to go on about 14-16 hours before current sunset, that way they still return to the coop and go immediately to roost at natural sunset...

Do be aware if you try to get that 14-16 hours of sunlight during the winter months using the natural sunset as the end of day your birds will be waking up at about midnight and that might not be ideal especially if you have roosters ;)
 
Thank you for all the birthday wishes.

DH brought home a pizza for dinner & we had a 4H meeting. Because I do not need any more "stuff", I decided my gift from DH & the kids will be a trip to the Sandwich Fair on Sunday. That's when they have a Demolition Derby!
 
MeepBeep said:
You can start at any time but you should only increase the light a little bit each day, nothing more than 30 minutes a day until you get to your desired light schedule if you do it too fast it confuses their sleep pattern and could disrupt egg laying or even force a molt... I used to adjust my lights based on minus 16 hours from sunset but that was a hassle as the timer needed to be adjusted about every 2 weeks, instead I now just leave the lights on from 5am to about 9am then they again go on againt about 5pm to 10pm, this gives them a steady 17 hour day a little longer then many suggest but I don't have to constantly adjust for sunrise and sunset... But, my chickens also spend a lot more time in the coop, if you let them out every day you should ideally adjust the lights to go on about 14-16 hours before current sunset, that way they still return to the coop and go immediately to roost at natural sunset...

Do be aware if you try to get that 14-16 hours of sunlight during the winter months using the natural sunset as the end of day your birds will be waking up at about midnight and that might not be ideal especially if you have roosters
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Because I put the roos in the garage, they won't get the added light. What's funny is that they don't always crow at sunrise. (I can barely hear them in my bedroom, so I try to listen each morning.) I was thinking it was just me & that I was sleeping too deeply. However, I have confirmed that on some mornings they don't crow at all until I put them in the backyard with the hens. I just recently figured out that the silent sunrises are on very hot nights. In other words, the nights when I left a big fan on for them inside the garage. Not sure why they barely crow with the fan going. Perhaps the sound waves are cancelling each other, or they're afraid of it, or if the noise keeps them asleep. But, I find myself keeping it on when it doesn't need to be,
 

DD was playing with the chickens again & made Darth Layer a floral necklace. She ate her pretty necklace a few min after the pic was taken.

Kids & chickens make good playmates.
 
I love Saturday and Sundays. No grandbabies to watch, so I get to hang out with my guys and enjoy. Below is my pretty mottled little girl and boy. This little mottled frizzle girl is a perfect little ball with a head attached! Should have a few more of these hatching again soon, did a quick candling tonight under the double broodies and all eggs were fertile and doing well. If anyone wants some bantams let me know.





My 3 boys hanging out cleaning themselves at the broodies coop. I think my SL feels safer with that plastic fencing between him and the older girls. I noticed my black orps are going to be a bit bossy. They are the youngest out of the LFs, but they like to chase the bantams and the chicks and are not fearful of the older girls. They are so sweet to me, even the handsome roo. And my poor SL is the biggest out of the bunch, but such a chicken, in every sense of the word, lol. Older bossy hen walk too close, he runs. I bend down to pet him, he tries to hide. I had a talk with him as I carried him in the coop for bed time and told him he is the biggest out of the bunch, if he keeps hiding the girls won't think much of him. My Mottled boy still hasn't crowed or have tried anything with the girls. Tonight is their 3rd or 4th night in the coop, and still carrying them in each night. I also think they are afraid of the dark in the coop. I always left a light on in the garage.

And below is my 1 SL chick I hatched out from my girls. She is a bit younger than the blacks, and such a sweetheart.
 

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