Light for eggs

[Fred's Hens]

How old are your ISAs?? Two year ISAs will not lay well without supplemental light.

Here is what I might suggest. I also keep ISA's for the laying ability. The first year ISA pullet will lay at 80-90% of the flock with very little added light. Just an extra hour or two.

No doubt 14 hours pushes them to the MAX. Remember, in most places, about the only month of 14 hours of natural light is June in the N. hemisphere. 14 hours of light artificially creates a "no seasons", "June" like atmosphere, 365 days a year. And yes, the hen industrial businesses burn out their hens. Most flip them after a laying season, or at most, keep them, moult them, and allow one more year. Most don't even bother with the moult and second season.

A BackYarder can certainly copy those management systems and expect similar results.

As to your light at night, Think about having two bulbs. One main one, say 40 watts which snaps off at the time you wish. A second bulb, 15 watts, just leave it on. That's enough light for them to settle onto their roosts and not bother their sleep too awful much.

The problem with night lighting is this. I have a window and the birds aren't fooled. They see it getting dark outside and they head to their roosts. Night lighting simply is not as effective as pre-dawn lighting, for a "wake up" call, in my experience. Wish you the best in your endeavor.

 

[newchickens2009]

My Browns are two years old and have only laid about 50% or less since their molt back in late Oct early Nov. The first year was unbelievable! I must say they are some GREAT layers of extra large to jumbo brown eggs.
I am going to try the bright light/dim light theory for now and see what kind of results I get.
Thank you Fred for the good luck wishes

 

[Capvin]

First it is never a good idea to have the extended artificial light go on in the evening. If you do want to add some light put your light on a timer to come on at 5AM. The amount of light is really minimal as a small wattage bulb in the run will bve quite sufficient. Second, from my experience as a BYC'er with six red sex links their usual output has been 5 to 6 eggs per day. When winter was coming I put in the light on a timer to come on at 5AM and their output remained constant at 5 to 6 eggs per day. Sometime around the middle of January I decided that I wanted them to get sleep and took the light out and since that time their output has remained exactly the same...5 to 6 eggs per day. If you want to add light to their day, do it, but do it in the morning hours and not the evening.

 

[bobbi-j]

First it is never a good idea to have the extended artificial light go on in the evening. If you do want to add some light put your light on a timer to come on at 5AM. The amount of light is really minimal as a small wattage bulb in the run will bve quite sufficient. Second, from my experience as a BYC'er with six red sex links their usual output has been 5 to 6 eggs per day. When winter was coming I put in the light on a timer to come on at 5AM and their output remained constant at 5 to 6 eggs per day. Sometime around the middle of January I decided that I wanted them to get sleep and took the light out and since that time their output has remained exactly the same...5 to 6 eggs per day. If you want to add light to their day, do it, but do it in the morning hours and not the evening.

Just out of curiosity, what difference does it make what end of the day the light goes on?

 

[newchickens2009]

First it is never a good idea to have the extended artificial light go on in the evening. If you do want to add some light put your light on a timer to come on at 5AM. The amount of light is really minimal as a small wattage bulb in the run will bve quite sufficient. Second, from my experience as a BYC'er with six red sex links their usual output has been 5 to 6 eggs per day. When winter was coming I put in the light on a timer to come on at 5AM and their output remained constant at 5 to 6 eggs per day. Sometime around the middle of January I decided that I wanted them to get sleep and took the light out and since that time their output has remained exactly the same...5 to 6 eggs per day. If you want to add light to their day, do it, but do it in the morning hours and not the evening.

Has I mentioned in my first post, I don't have the option of lighting in the morning because my neighbors don't want my roosters crowing at 3, 4 or 5am.

 

[Capvin]

The reason for NOT having the lights extend the evening hours is that chickens are sensative to the light and as it is getting darker they go into their coops and onto their roosts and are usually there and ready to stay there for the night by the time it is dark. If you have a light on in the run they will be fooled and they will not go into the coop and onto their roosts and then, all of a sudden, the artificial light goes off and they are blind and stuck outside for the night. To the OP if you are hindered in having the extended light in the AM then it would be my advise to just leave it natural and do not attempt to do any artifical lighting.

 

[mstricer]

I think the reason they are not laying is because they are production birds. They slow down after the first year. I add NO lighting, and even all of my pullets that just came into laying are all laying. Just as everyone else has said, if you have a light on at night they will just stay outside and get stuck even if there is a dim light in the coop they may not roost, they may just scratch around and still not get on the roost before the light goes out. On the thing of your neighbors not wanting to here the roosters, my crow even in the night. Your other option is to bribe them with eggs.

 

[newchickens2009]

Can I use the daylight spiral bulbs like these?
http://www.amazon.com/89095-26-Watt...orescent/dp/B002YEXMUK/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_0_2

 

[PtldChick]

I'm using a 13w CFL (60W) in a reflector on a timer that comes on about 5:30 am and goes off at 8am. My coop is 6x12 chain link with tarps for winter - one end open air - and the light is about six feet above where they eat. I started this about a month ago moving it back from before sunrise 15 min every other day until I got 12 hours of total light. That was enough to jump start their laying machinery. I'll periodically adjust the off time as sunrise gets earlier. I am getting so many eggs now...so yes, I think it would work. I'm not even sure if mine is a daylight or soft white CFL; it was a free one from the power company.

I like the CFL for power savings and lack of heat - if the lamp falls for whatever reason, it won't likely start a fire or burn a chicken.

 

[Yoke]

There are light switches that can be programmed to dim at a slow rate.

I have a switch like this http://www.smarthome.com/22901A/UPB-Lighting-Dimmer-Switch-US1140W/p.aspx

You will need some type of controller also. I have mine set to turn on 15 min prior to sunset and go off at 9:00 - 9:30. Yes, it takes 30 min for the light to turn off with a very very slow dimming rate. I need to use a regular lightbulb that can dim, so I can't use a CFL. (Which is just as good as I don't want to risk breakage and all the mercury.)

I have two flocks now, pullets and layers. Only the Layers get the light. At sunset the Layers head back to the coop but stay active to well into dusk. By the time it is dark they are all on the roost well before the light even starts to dim. The pullets are always on the roost before sunset while the other flock is still active.

The layers are a new flock of adult hens but only one or two hens were laying in January. I only had 39 eggs in January. I added light in the evening beginning the last week in January. Now in February I have 6 birds laying 66 eggs in 20 days. Maybe it was just their time to start back up or maybe it was the artificial lighting.