Is my mecury vapor light giving off to much light for the chickend

[skydivr000]

My girlfiend is convinced that our mercury vapor light which is an easy 125' from the coop is creating problems for the chickens. She says they need complete darkness to sleep. The coop has two 1.5 x 2' windows in it and they are facing the light., but its not at all bright in the coop.I personally think she is reaching and trying to fabricate reasons for the girls not laying yet. Any thoughts???? Do I now need to tint the windows so the birds have darkness? To me they are birds that better git to a layin or will be dinner and to her they are her babies that need cuddling coddling and their nails done every friday while sipping on a fuzzy navel... Please feel free to weigh in here

 

[Leslieb118]

LOL! Well, I cuddle and coddle my girls, but I draw the line at painting nails and fuzzy navels! How old are your chickens, and what breed? Some breeds tend to lay earlier than others.

As for the light, light stimulates laying. The longer the daylight, the better the girls will lay (typically). That's why some don't lay much in winter when daylight hours are much shorter. Some people add artificial lights on timers to extend "daylight" in the coop. I would think that if it's fairly dark in the coop, they should be sleeping ok. My first location for my coop was very near my husbands metal building and he has one of those lights on it, over the big door. It was maybe 15 feet away and I never had an issue with it. We did move the coop pretty far away eventually, when we got everything set up where we wanted it. Like I said before, it would help to know age and breed. My Tetra Tints and Golden Comets all decided to start laying the same week, the first week in July. They were only 16 weeks old. Last year my EE's waited until around 25 weeks. That was a long wait!

 

[Pharmacy Chick]

Tell your girlfriend that I like her style

 

[skydivr000]

ok guys!!!!! Help me out here. as soon as she reads this I am going to be installing room darkening shades in the coop and somehow it will be my job to close them every night. after that it will be off to the groomer to have their feathers done.

 

[Imp]

Chicken stylists everywhere are rejoicing.

She can read that I have lights in my coop, and the chickens sleep just fine. They also take naps in the sun.

btw- room darkening shades needs curtains, and skydivr000, will have to open them every morning too.

Imp- maybe sunglasses,