Is there a downside to putting a light in the coop for the winter months?

[Mtn Laurel]

I'm not big on lighting the coop to push egg production as I feel Mother Nature designed the birds to have a bit of a rest during this time. That being said, I have been giving them just an extra 1 1/2 hrs. of light, more for our convenience in closing them up than anything else. It was getting dark so early that we'd be out there in the dark trying to close things down and they're already on the roost.

So I began to turn the light on around 4:30 PM - before it starts to get dark - and turn it off at 6:30 PM when we close up the coop.

What goes on in that coop when we turn on that light makes for some of our best "chicken entertainment". I've got 8 girls and they march right in when the light goes on. Then the party begins! I can watch them from my kitchen when cooking dinner and they appear to be having a hoe-down! You can see them going into and out of the coop - hopping up onto the roost - flying from one roost to the other. It's a pre-bedtime dance.

Last night we went in to close up the coop at 6:30 PM and they were in the coop taking dust baths in the deep litter. I love watching them all twisting, turning, flitting about.

So, yeah, I now leave a light on for an extra hour or so. More for my entertainment than for eggs.

 

[Tacampbell1973]

I didn't realize that my little cochin may not dry easily because of her dense feathers and feathered feet.
What should I do to make the winter easier on her??? Straw/hay on the ground of the pen and parts of the recreation area. I have a protective pen around the coop and also an extended area I call the recreation room. It's not as secure as the pen, but I let the girls and guy out and into the recreation room daily, as well as allow them to roam the property when I'm out and about working.
I have shavings inside the coop. Straw in the pen. But what about in the winter when they are out roaming? Do they dry off by their own body heat when perched???
I'm not planning to put a light bulb in the coop, as I thought I would, for some bit of heat in the winter, because from all I've read it keeps them awake and may stress them. I don't care about the egg production. These three (two hens and a cockerel) are our little "bambinos". Like you, we spoil them with everything from meal worms (wish I could find a lot for less) to warm oatmeal.
Thanks for the information. I'll read your response.

Hi Steena,
Just a quick note on what I mentioned about my birds having booted feet. They do free range all day and consequently that is why I have a light in the coop at night. I live in southwest washington where it rains for 90% of the year. As yet i do not have a covered run for my birds and the pen I do have is not high enough to keep two of my expert flyers in. I wound up having to trim off some of the foot feathers on my two white cochins because they where getting broken and ratty looking. I clipped them off at the broken parts, but these girls foot feathers where about 5-6 inches long! If i had it to do over, i would have a dry indoor run for them during yucky days. It is a source of constant distress for me having them out in the rain. My husband swears they don't mind, but if that were true then whyis it I find them all ducked under the porch when it is raining? I wouldn't want to be out in it, and maybe I am trying to "humanize" my birds too much ( i have been guilty of this with my dog) but if it pours rain I brinng them in the coop to stay dry. I hate rain....great choice of states for someone who hates rain. I swear I was a cat in one of my past lives

 

[homeworkin]

I was under the impression that Monsanto, et al, own the seeds the sell. So they usually make it clear if they own the seeds so no one grows them without permission.

 

[aart]

I was under the impression that Monsanto, et al, own the seeds the sell. So they usually make it clear if they own the seeds so no one grows them without permission.

Yeah, but.......the pollen spreads.

 

[Hannahs Hollow]

I was under the impression that Monsanto, et al, own the seeds the sell. So they usually make it clear if they own the seeds so no one grows them without permission.

Chances are by now all corn among other things has/ have been "infected" by GMO.

 

[3chickchicks]

Currently I light my coop. I get quite a few compliments on the excellent condition of my birds despite their few hours of added light. After dumping a bunch of money into building their nice coop, the feed, meds, etc, I was getting impatient on the eggs, lol!
Next year, I'll see how bad their egg production drops off before deciding whether to keep light out there. I don't really want electricity in the coop. Currently the sun goes down at about 5:30 where I live. I have a light that comes on at 4:30am, off by 8 or 9am. I don't provide any light at night.
So mine are getting 11 hours of sleep at night. It would be interesting to do a study on what amount of daylight yields the best production vs cost. What if 12 hours of light is as effective as 14? Surely someone has researched this. I haven't looked anything up.

I have a theory about why they go "dormant" in the winter and here it is-
Their ancestors were from near the equator so I don't agree with the "needing a rest" theory. What sounds more logical to me is, for a hen who is 100% self sufficient for her food, is the evolution of a trait based upon the availability of food. Less daylight hours means less food is available. Less food mean less energy available to maintain their condition. When there isn't enough to maintain, extra things such as producing eggs get nixed in favor of survival. Hens who shut down unnecessary functions (and sooner) may have been more likely to survive the winter and were in better health with better quality production in the spring. The bird with greater "fitness" have more offspring survive which leads to chickens evolving this method of using a lack of daylight as a signal to stop egg production and focus on storing energy.

Based on my theory (and I have a biology background so I'm not talking out of my butt completely), the longevity of the hen wouldn't be hurt so long as she has the food available to sustain her egg production. Should we pump them full of hormones or other synthetic crap to get their bodies to produce eggs despite what it cost the hens, then it would be harmful. Or putting bright lights on them and not allowing them to rest at night.

Those using a few hours of extra light and caring for them by giving proper nutrition are simply mimicking conditions near the equator.

Those breeding birds to continue laying through winter are merely selecting against this survival skill they've evolved. But it's okay because the birds are well fed and don't need to shut down. It's another step in "domestication". However, should hens with this trait bred out of them be released into the wild, they may starve to death the first winter.


IMO, as long as your birds are healthy and happy, then whatever. They say there's more than one way to skin a cat.

 

[aart]

Makes sense to me 3chickchicks.

Here's an interesting article on supplemental light.

 

[chickwhispers]

I agree 3chickchicks, it does make sense. As for the 12 hours of light that is what my 14 hens get and average 9- 10 eggs a day. I currently have 2 hens though that are only laying 1 a week each. The hens are usually in the coop between 4 and 4:30 pm these days. The 60 watt light comes on at 4:30 am with no extra at night except 7 watt night light for me to see in the storage side.

 

[Tacampbell1973]

Makes sense to me 3chickchicks.

Here's an interesting article on supplemental light.

I am a little bit confused. by supplemental light do you mean any light whatsoefver or just bright natural lights. would the red brooder light I use as a night lite be considered supplemental lighting? I don't use itfor egg production. I am not getting any extra eggs. What I am getting is the satisfaction of knowing that if my birds need water or something in the early hours or after daylight they can see their way around the coop. I even have one hen,a polish go figure, that is just ditzy enough to occasionally fall off her perch at night. I like knowing that they aren't bumbling around in pitch black scared. I don't want my birds to get hurt or scared. They are healthy and appear happy and well rested. Maybe evven spoiled, but they deserve it. The polish hen was a battery hen and after researching and finding out the horrors that she may have expereienced for egg laying, I would never expect her to produce anything for me. Just the joy of watching her forage for the first time and stretch out is more than enough for me. I admit I am new to all of this still , but I do know animals and they appear happy and healthy but we also live in a cold dark state (washington) even the people here most of us are vitamin D deficient as we do not get enough sunlight naturally. I just want to provide my birds with warmth and safety. Heck if I could move them into my house with me i would in a heartbeat.

 

[aart]

Makes sense to me 3chickchicks.

Here's an interesting article on supplemental light.

I am a little bit confused. by supplemental light do you mean any light whatsoefver or just bright natural lights. would the red brooder light I use as a night lite be considered supplemental lighting? I don't use itfor egg production. I am not getting any extra eggs. What I am getting is the satisfaction of knowing that if my birds need water or something in the early hours or after daylight they can see their way around the coop. I even have one hen,a polish go figure, that is just ditzy enough to occasionally fall off her perch at night. I like knowing that they aren't bumbling around in pitch black scared. I don't want my birds to get hurt or scared. They are healthy and appear happy and well rested. Maybe evven spoiled, but they deserve it. The polish hen was a battery hen and after researching and finding out the horrors that she may have expereienced for egg laying, I would never expect her to produce anything for me. Just the joy of watching her forage for the first time and stretch out is more than enough for me. I admit I am new to all of this still , but I do know animals and they appear happy and healthy but we also live in a cold dark state (washington) even the people here most of us are vitamin D deficient as we do not get enough sunlight naturally. I just want to provide my birds with warmth and safety. Heck if I could move them into my house with me i would in a heartbeat.

Supplemental means supplemental Definition

We are discussing the addition of white light to increase winter egg laying production in backyard flocks...not quite the same as a 'battery' situation.
Not all people agree on this technique, nothing wrong with disagreeing.