light in coop?

[donnaIL]

Thanks for the advice and I was thinking of getting one of the red lights also. I have pullets 5 months old approx, and now they are all layingm i am averaging 5 eggs per day, got 34 last week. They roost on a top shelf facing away from the light. I never thought about messing up the laying routine, have never seen it discussed before. donna

 

[coolchickens]

This is getting interesting...I have left the light on for 2 yrs. now 24/7! My reasoning was caused by the chickens actions, and I know nothing about chickens so went by them. The neighbors rooster and 3 hens moved over to my house when something started eating them at night. They showed up one evening, climbing the stairs out back and perched right under the porch light on the railing (& stayed for 2 yrs!) So... I ended up liking chickens and getting fancy ones and put a light in their pen/house so I could see critters at night if they showed. Been that way ever since. They do lay good! ha (all winter) Didn't know it was the light that helped, just thought they felt safer. Now they cackle if they see anything at night around their pen and I go running out there.

 

[waynesgarden]

Quote:
It's always best to use the red bulbs.

Not necessarily. In my opinion, a red light is better than a white light, but a ceramic heat lamp that emits no light, in conjunction with a white light on a few hours to extend daylight to a reasonable length is an even better method when heat is necessary in winter.

Definitely look for a method that does not leave the birds in light 24/7.

Wayne

 

[GopherBoyFarms]

I have a small little night light in the coop that comes on at dark. We just put that in there when they were tiny because if it was total darkness they would fall of the perches, and fly into the walls....the sound of all those little chickens flying around hitting the walls in the darkness made me sad so DH put a night light way up right abouve their heads. But now that they are older (5 months) I have noticed that if I leave the coop light on(the florecent overhead) when they go into bed they dont settle down right away. I think they do need some hours of darkness to relax and sleep. I am thinking about taking out the night light and having the main light on a timer so they get the couple exta hours of light in the winter to lay....but then again I also read that forcing them to keep laying by using light can be harmful to them? Anyone know if that is true?

 

[donnaIL]

I can relate coolchickens;

I started with 25 then some raccoons showed up and I now have 1 cockerel and 6 pullets, I left the light on all this time to so that they could possibly see if another one showed up. I also have taken other steps to protect them, but they seem like they like the light on, and when the bulb burns out they seem upset when I show up the next day. Also when they were chicks I have light on all the time for warmth, just regular heat flood light, they didn't seem to mind.

I'm going to get some red lights, I figure this is why the red ones cost more than regular heat lamps*L*. donna

 

[GopherBoyFarms]

when it comes to lighs to fend off preditors we have motion sensor lights on the front and back of the coop. They only come on at night, and only if there is movement around them. Kinda neat I can be in the kitchen or the living room and know if there is anything prowling around the chicken coop. (most the time it's just our darn chicken CAT)

 

[gritsar]

My understanding of the whole light debate is this: A chicken has a certain number of eggs to produce in her lifetime; just as human females do.
If you leave a light on all winter then sure they are going to produce eggs at a time when they would otherwise naturally be taking a break, but they'll "run out" of eggs faster and you'll have to replace that hen with another.
If you go with natural lighting, the hens going to take a break during the colder, darker months (or not, since some breeds don't) but that hen will lay longer over her lifetime.
Not saying either way is right or wrong. Just trying to address the misconception that some people have that a hen has an indefinite number of eggs; she doesn't.

 

[waynesgarden]

Quote:
Gopherboy,

This is often claimed here and elsewhere, often passionately and to the point of inciting flame-wars.

But I haven't yet seen anyone in their zeal to express what is really only mere opinion as true fact, while at the same time berating others for their cruel and inhumane treatment of their birds, offer any (as in not one tiny shred) of scientific evidence to support their claims.

So is it true that a couple of hours of extra light can be harmful to the birds? Not from any scientific evidence I've seen in these or any other forums. The most rational response that I've seen was in another thread on this forum that pointed out that chickens are a tropical bird, in their native lands accustomed to much longer day lengths than are certainly found here in Western Maine.

So on that basis, and with the lack of any actual facts presented by those who will accuse you of "destroying your poor hens' reproductive systems to get a few extra eggs, " I say ignore the opinionated few and keep the lights on a reasonable amount of time, at least until fact and not mere opinion convinces you otherwise.

Wayne

 

[donnaIL]

Quote:
An elderly lady I know and she loved chickens back in the 30's! even showed me pictures told me this. She said it was always sad when she processed (killed) one and saw how many eggs were left in the girl!

The greatest story she told me was, during the great depression, she was wanting to go to the picture show and kept hounding her husband...his response was "we don't have money to go to the show", she said "we will take a couple of chickens, they'll let us in"...and they did. Trade a couple chickens for a movie

 

[foxcrossing26]

I plan on mounting a 40 watt light bulb in my chickens' pen (on the outside of the coop, because sunlight comes from the outside...) and setting a timer to turn on the light in the morning so that the girls have at least 12 hours of light a day.

My question is, when should I turn this off so my girls have a chance to rest and molt? How long a break do they need? 6 weeks? 2 months? I dont want to go without eggs any longer than I have to, but I do feel that my girls deserve a break from egg laying.

When I start up again with the light in the early spring, do I just have it turn on at 5 a.m. one morning, or should I ease into it a bit? How long will it take the girls to get back into the swing of laying again? Do they start up all at once, or does it begin more slowly?

Thanks for your advice! It's my first winter with my girlies -- can ya tell?? -- and I dont want to mess up!