Lighting in the coop

[MysteryChik]

my girls have STOPPED laying. 37 hens, one egg per day, out of all of them. Want to supplement lighting. Ideas? I have a VERY LARGE Coop (21 feet by 17 feet. ) How much lighting do I need to try to kick it back in gear? I will put the lighting on a timer, to add few extra daylight hours, bc we are getting only about 10 hours here. Red brooding bulbs? white LED bulbs? how many of them do I need for sufficient lighting? thanks in advance. Need to get this done asap!

 

[lazy gardener]

I use warm spectrum white LED on a timer. You need enough light to allow you to read a newspaper in the coop. (if you wanted to do that!) When I add light, I add some in the morning, and some in afternoon/evening. Otherwise, if it was all in the morning, it would be coming on at 2:30 AM.

My flock is laying pretty well this season, with a lot of new pullets, so I may not add any light at all.

 

[MysteryChik]

I use warm spectrum white LED on a timer. You need enough light to allow you to read a newspaper in the coop. (if you wanted to do that!) When I add light, I add some in the morning, and some in afternoon/evening. Otherwise, if it was all in the morning, it would be coming on at 2:30 AM.

My flock is laying pretty well this season, with a lot of new pullets, so I may not add any light at all.

Thanks! I think my problem is I added 12 eighteen week old pullets (after letting my existing hens get use to them through wire in a separate fenced in area for a couple weeks of course) right around the time that the time changed.. I'm assuming the time change PLUS the addition of my new hyline browns messed something up with my girls. Hylines (from what I have heard) are supposed to lay year around. I had 9 of them already and added these twelve. those nine stopped laying, and my other breeds have as well.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The time change isn't the impetus. It is whether day length is increasing or decreasing - which doesn't jump an hour at a time.
Chickens don't have clocks. They go by the amount of daylight they witness which changes incrementally about a minute or two per day. The day after daylight savings time ended, is only a couple minutes shorter than the day before.
Most breeds of pullets will lay right through their first winter, but all breeds, whether hyline or something else won't lay year round continuously. That's impossible because they have to molt annually beginning in their second autumn. (some earlier)
Since building a new winter coat that is 93% protein interrupts the ability to kick out a big lump of protein encased in a calcium carbonate housing every day, they can't do both at the same time. All chickens will take an annual break from laying. Changing flock dynamics stresses birds out and that stops ovulation. It is likely a combination of things but most importantly declining day length. They'll all start up like gangbusters after the winter solstice.
If you do add light, add about 30 minutes at a time every week. Jump starting light by adding several hours immediately adds its own problems.
Chickens aren't vending machines.

 

[MysteryChik]

The time change isn't the impetus. It is whether day length is increasing or decreasing - which doesn't jump an hour at a time.
Chickens don't have clocks. They go by the amount of daylight they witness which changes incrementally about a minute or two per day. The day after daylight savings time ended, is only a couple minutes shorter than the day before.

Yeah I thought so. But it was just weird, when it happened. I guess just coincidence? Do you think it was added the new hens that did it?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I edited my original post. Reread it since I addressed that.

 

[MysteryChik]

The time change isn't the impetus. It is whether day length is increasing or decreasing - which doesn't jump an hour at a time.
Chickens don't have clocks. They go by the amount of daylight they witness which changes incrementally about a minute or two per day. The day after daylight savings time ended, is only a couple minutes shorter than the day before.
Most breeds of pullets will lay right through their first winter, but all breeds, whether hyline or something else won't lay year round continuously. That's impossible because they have to molt annually beginning in their second autumn. (some earlier)
Since building a new winter coat that is 93% protein interrupts the ability to kick out a big lump of protein encased in a calcium carbonate housing every day, they can't do both at the same time. All chickens will take an annual break from laying. Changing flock dynamics stresses birds out and that stops ovulation. It is likely a combination of things but most importantly declining day length. They'll all start up like gangbusters after the winter solstice.
If you do add light, add about 30 minutes at a time every week. Jump starting light by adding several hours immediately adds its own problems.
Chickens aren't vending machines.

thanks that makes sense. I Didn't want to add light, as I understand that they need a break. but it just really worried me that I went from having atleast 15 eggs a day, to ONE at the most. Today, I got none. So I guess what I am trying to figure out is.. is it going to be like this until spring? or will they start laying again eventually during fall/winter, (after molting or whatever) just not as often?I have asked this question before with no answer. "if a chicken needs 15 hours of daylight a to lay an egg, and they don't get that in one day, but instead say over 2 days. Can those two days worth of daylight produce one egg or no?" I dont even know if that makes sense. this is my first year having any number of chickens through the fall/winter so I am still learning. If I can still get a dozen eggs every three days or so, i'd be happy.

 

[GC-Raptor]

MysteryChik said.
So I guess what I am trying to figure out is.. is it going to be like this until spring? or will they start laying again eventually during fall/winter, (after molting or whatever) just not as often?

After molting hens lay fewer, but larger eggs. If they have enough light, they will lay after molting. I like 18 - 20 percent protein year round. Higher protein will help them through molt a little quicker.
MysteryChik said
I have asked this question before with no answer. "if a chicken needs 15 hours of daylight a to lay an egg, and they don't get that in one day, but instead say over 2 days. Can those two days worth of daylight produce one egg or no?"

No. But there are exceptions. A high production hen like my five 19 month old Golden Comets gave me 28 eggs last week. I only add light in the morning at 5am. Sunset today was 4:24.
My girls had a partial molt late summer.
I use a daylight spectrum LED in the coop. . I also light up under my raised coop and their pen. . GC

 

[ChickenCanoe]

thanks that makes sense. I Didn't want to add light, as I understand that they need a break. but it just really worried me that I went from having atleast 15 eggs a day, to ONE at the most. Today, I got none. So I guess what I am trying to figure out is.. is it going to be like this until spring? or will they start laying again eventually during fall/winter, (after molting or whatever) just not as often?I have asked this question before with no answer. "if a chicken needs 15 hours of daylight a to lay an egg, and they don't get that in one day, but instead say over 2 days. Can those two days worth of daylight produce one egg or no?" I dont even know if that makes sense. this is my first year having any number of chickens through the fall/winter so I am still learning. If I can still get a dozen eggs every three days or so, i'd be happy.

It doesn't necessarily take till spring. It isn't about temperature. It is about declining vs. increasing day length. I'll post about the science behind it but I'm getting ready to go to pool league so won't have time till morning.
Winter solstice is on December 21 and in the northern hemisphere, days begin to get longer. I've had malingerers start laying like gangbusters in January and February.

 

[MysteryChik]

MysteryChik said.
So I guess what I am trying to figure out is.. is it going to be like this until spring? or will they start laying again eventually during fall/winter, (after molting or whatever) just not as often?

After molting hens lay fewer, but larger eggs. If they have enough light, they will lay after molting. I like 18 - 20 percent protein year round. Higher protein will help them through molt a little quicker.
MysteryChik said
I have asked this question before with no answer. "if a chicken needs 15 hours of daylight a to lay an egg, and they don't get that in one day, but instead say over 2 days. Can those two days worth of daylight produce one egg or no?"

No. But there are exceptions. A high production hen like my five 19 month old Golden Comets gave me 28 eggs last week. I only add light in the morning at 5am. Sunset today was 4:24.
My girls had a partial molt late summer.
I use a daylight spectrum LED in the coop.View attachment 1193468. I also light up under my raised coop and their pen.View attachment 1193469.View attachment 1193477 GC

you got 28 eggs out of 5 hens in a week? how is that!? wow.. i guess it has alot to do with your lighting. My coop is really BIG though. They prob have too much room. its more of an open air coop in the warmer seasons, but can be completely enclosed minues the venting for cooler seasons like now.. 20ft by 17 foot. I have four golden comets, 21 hyline browns (high production breed) 2 silver laced wyandottes, 3 plymouth barred rocks, 3 buffs, 3 EE