Leave the light on even though they are in bed?

[Beau coop]

I am over-wintering 4 hens. My girls go to roost even if the lights are on. Will the light being on help egg production even if they are roosting or am i wasting electricity?

 

[gritsar]

If you want to add light and save on electricity, my suggestion to you is to get a cheap timer from walmart. It's best that you add light at the beginning of the day - before dawn. That way the chickens get to go to roost naturally, with the light fading gradually. No one will be caught off the roost when the light suddenly goes out.
Set the timer so that they are getting a total of 14 hours of daylight, artificial and natural combined.

 

[nsanywhere]

I usually have a brooder lamp on throughout the winter. Last week I switched to a red bulb instead of white - thought they might appreciate a more ambient light to the strong bright white.

Well....the last 3 days I've noticed my egg production is way down, almost by half. I'm pretty sure its the light since nothing else has changed.

 

[Beau coop]

I have a red bulb too and egg production is down. Maybe I'll get two. One to get the girls up and one to try to keep the water from freezing.

 

[sojono]

i keep a 25 watt bulb on mine 24 hours a day and i get about 10 eggs from 12 hens a day they go to roost when it starts getting dark.sojono

 

[gritsar]

A chickens brain doesn't percieve red light in the same way it does white. Sorry, I don't know how to explain it any better than that. So white light if you are using light to encourage egg laying.

 

[Mahonri]

My light goes on at 6AM and off at 8PM. It's been that way for over a year now.