Light requirements?

[MNBobcat]

We just got 13 adults hens that are laying eggs. I was told we should put a light in their coop and we've been doing that. However, we're leaving the light on all night. Some reading I did suggested they only need 14 - 16 hours of light and that other people put them on a timer.

Should I be keeping the coop dark at night and not leaving the light on?

 

[chicklover 1998]

They really don't need supplemental light it can shorten their laying life, they will be fine after they stop laying but they won't lay for as long as their non light counterparts.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If you read through the Egg Quality Handbook you will see several egg defects that have a possible cause of improper lighting. That normally means too much light or irregular lights. They need a certain amount of dark downtime to perform at their best. There is no magic amount of dark time that is required, you might look at your shortest night to see what might work for you.

Egg Quality Handbook
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/ourbooks/1/egg-quality-handbook/

Lighting plays a big part in their laying and general life cycle. Whether the days are getting longer or shorter plays the biggest role but length of day or night has some influence. A lot of us do not play with the lights but instead let them follow the seasons, but many people do provide lights. There is no real right or wrong way to do this, just different ways we choose for our own reasons. But they do need some dark downtime.