Lighting in coop

[cosmicredneck]

Hey y'all just wondering I got some chicks a few weeks back they're not ready to go outside in the coop for a few more weeks yet but what I'm wondering is do I need to put a light in the coop right away or do I start giving artificial light when the days get shorter in fall also does my coop absolutely have to have a window

 

[peopleRanimals2]

Hi, and

!
To answer your questions, no, you do not need a window, but you do need some sort of ventilation. A window might be nice, though.
If you decide you do want to use artificial lighting, you should start it in the fall when you start to get less sunlight.
Artificial lighting should not be used all night, and generally it should turn on sometime in the early morning while your chickens are in the coop, and then when they come out in the morning it can be turned off. The light should not be on for more than a few hours, depending on the time of year.
Personally, I don’t use artificial lighting, because I feel that it would be bad/unnatural for the chickens to be laying full throttle all year. I like to give my hens a break in the winter, to let their bodies focus on keeping warm and other things. I get about an egg a day in the winter for every three one year old hens. It is up to you to choose whether to use artificial lighting or not, but you should take your hens’ needs into account, too.
Hope this helps!