Just got up and clucking

Date sort Score sort
Homestead Hamp

Homestead Hamp

In the Brooder
5 Years
Dec 6, 2014
10
0
24
we just finnished a small coop and run and hope to be having eggs after our girls get acclimated to the place and start getting more light. we have a light in there coop all night long. not only for the artificial light factor but a little heat too

we have 4 hens

2 barred rock
1 road island red
1 Campine .........they told me she was a Amuracauna ?? we asked for a blue egg layer and gave us her, then got home a found out she wasnt what we thought.....

we will see how it turns out... we want the hens for egg production but need the birds to be winter tolerant, decent foragers, and meaty enough to eat once they quit laying eggs.

ill add some pix here soon
 
Hi and welcome! If you want to have confirmation of the breeds of your birds you can post photos of them (there is a forum for ID's here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/15/what-breed-or-gender-is-this ) and we will be happy to help you.

I notice you say you have a light on all night for heat and supplemental lighting - a little clarification there may help. Are you using a heat light (red) or a regular spectrum light? The reason I ask is that providing heat and providing supplemental daylight to encourage production are accomplished in different ways. Birds need a natural day/night cycle where there are hours of darkness - so using regular spectrum lighting 24/7 is ill-advised (generally the target is 14-16 hours of light by combining the artificial light with that of the natural day cycle). On the flip side, the lights commonly used to provide heat (unnecessary and more trouble that benefit, imo - espeically in a small coop such as yours where the birds have no option to move to a cooler area due to size constraints of the area they are in) are not of the type that provide the extra *light* needed to encourage production.

Your coop is adorable - but I don't see much in the way of ventilation in the photos that are posted - good ventilation is important in maintaining flock health, so that may be something to consider trying to address moving forward.
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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Ol Grey Mare X2 on the lighting. You never want to leave a light on 24/7. Chickens need at least 8 full hours of complete darkness. Only if they are chicks less than 6 weeks of age, you are having a super cold snap or you have a sick bird can you leave a red lamp on 24/7. Make sure to turn your light off for 8 full hours. Continuous lighting can kill your birds over time.

Good luck with your flock and we do welcome you to our flock!
 

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