Light for winter months

[tChicky]

Hi everyone. Being new to raising chickens, I’m trying to be proactive. I’m wondering how everyone keeps light in their coup in the cold winter months. I live in New England and in the winter it gets dark around 4:00 p.m. I don’t have electricity in my coup. Any good solar lights for chicken coups out there? What do you all use?

 

[DobieLover]

Hi everyone. Being new to raising chickens, I’m trying to be proactive. I’m wondering how everyone keeps light in their coup in the cold winter months. I live in New England and in the winter it gets dark around 4:00 p.m. I don’t have electricity in my coup. Any good solar lights for chicken coups out there? What do you all use?

I don't use any lights in my coop in the winter. I allow my hens to take the break that they need and deserve from egg-laying all summer long.

 

[Sonya9]

I don't use lights either though spring chicks usually start laying in the fall and all through winter.

 

[aart]

Hi everyone. Being new to raising chickens, I’m trying to be proactive. I’m wondering how everyone keeps light in their coup in the cold winter months. I live in New England and in the winter it gets dark around 4:00 p.m. I don’t have electricity in my coup. Any good solar lights for chicken coups out there? What do you all use?

I use lights but not solar......and my birds also get a break to molt.
Solar won't work unless you get a good system that will gather and store enough power for a consistent amount light day to day(that's very important)...and a timer to control that.

 

[RumneyRoost]

My husband is an electrician so he ran power to the coop for me.
I have a light on a timer that comes on at 6:30am so that I can observe them up and about before I leave for work at 7:15. I can switch it on in the evenings if I need to do anything out there after dark as well.
It isn’t enough light to affect their laying. They still molt and take a break.

My biggest reason for wanting power was to heat their water though.

We have a cheap battery light in our shed. It works even at -30C. But it isn’t on a timer.

Do you mean solar as in a panel with a battery to store power? Or something like those small garden lights?

 

[ironsightfarm]

I'm in New England too!

I use a battery powered camping lantern I got on Amazon if needed during the winter. I adjust my chores in the coop with the seasons which is helpful, tucking the girls in at dusk and letting them out when the sun's up. Not too much need for extra light that way so the lantern does the trick!

 

[aart]

I use a headlight for locking up and exams chores.