Lighting the coop for warmth and egg production?

[chookchick]

I would try going without the light if you can in such a small space, it could cause drastic temperature swings. If you are concerned about them being cold, you could wrap the coop in insulation and throw a tarp over the insulation. But make sure they still have ventilation. That's what I did last year with my coop that was about that size. Also put a thermometer in there that you can read from the outside (window or remote sensor). I think you would be surprised at how much heat those hens will put off, and you will know if you really need to supplement the heat.

 

[miche]

Our set/up and method here in Wisconsin:

First, our 4 hens have a coop with a secure (buried hardware cloth floor) attached small run. There is door that can be pulled shut, but we only do this at night if below zero. Mostly it is open, and has overhang and sides to protect from drafts. I have a 40 watt incandescent bulb with wire cage in the run near food and water. The light is on a timer, coming on 5am-8:30am, then again from 3:30pm-6pm. We use this from about mid October through late March, by then regular sunlight does enough. I also learned that compact florescents are not recommended for use on a timer, due to the trickle of electricity.

Heated dog dish is used to keep water ice free, usually end of Dec - to March.

For warmth, we drilled a hole in the bottom of the coop (it is raised a few feet off of the ground) and run a light fixture in. Again a 40 watt bulb is used and we cover it with a terra cotta pot. This is on a separate timer, coming on 6pm-12am, and 2am-5am. It gets quite toasty in there, which is why we have it shut off in the middle of the night. The girls stay on the roosts, and only on the bitterest of nights (sub zero temps) do they crowd around the warm pot.

All of the cords go into a plastic lidded bucket, with notches cut to allow the cords out. This protects the timers and plugs from water and snow and is a central point for one extension cord to be run to the coop.

Using this method, our girls lay all winter long.

Our neighbors by contrast are more hard core. No lights for those sturdy ladies! They did the same thing you did their first year, and the hens started pulling their feathers out from stress. They ditched the light, forgo any heat source, and they are fine all winter long, even here in cold Wisconsin. They do not lay eggs during the winter.

 

[fiberart57]

Hi, I live in Colorado also (Western Slope) and have a four by six foot coop with six birds. The house is insulated but has a significant amount of ventilation. I don't light and I don't heat and I get eggs. They are just starting to lay at six months so I get about four eggs a week each for three girls now.

I have ventilation at the top of all four sides of the coop which is only 4'6" at the high point, down to four feet. Since I was concerned about ventilation and drafts what I did was get some vinyl from the fabric store; the kind they use to make zippered windows on Jeeps and things, and made "windows" that can be hung over the ventilation to block some wind but will still allow cracks and air to move around. It's not elegant but it works and on warm days I can lift them up and allow more air flow.

Last night it got down to 24 degrees at my house and when I went out to let the girls out, the waterer in the coop had not frozen and the inside of the house did not stink or smell like ammonia. A couple of the girls actually seemed reluctant to leave the comfort.

I'm really pleased because I wasn't sure this method of blocking drafts would work but it did. Before I put the vinyl up the waterer froze in the house.

This is my first winter with chickens but according to much of the information I've read here, they seem to do okay without additional heat. Of course, I may change my mind if it gets down to -11 like it did one year.

Mary

 

[#1California Chick]

Quote:
What do you mean by "trickle of electricity"?? Why is that bad??

I ask because I have a compact florescent in my coop that is on from 4am to 7am.

Thanks!

Cindy

 

[Mac in Wisco]

#1California Chick :

Quote:
What do you mean by "trickle of electricity"?? Why is that bad??

I'm lost there also. A timer is just a switch...

Unless you're taking about conserving the tiny amount of power to run the clock.​

 

[greathorse]

Maybe poster is thinking dimmer I think that may be true but not sure. On the other hand there are plenty of green groups fussing about all kind of trickle electricity. Unplug the TV even though it is off. Unplug the mircrowave Not sure where that trickle goes to but the list goes on and on.

 

[can you hear me now?]

In my experience last winter when my girls stopped laying altogether I added a light with a multiple timer set. It went on a little earlier in the morning and on later after they started going in the coop because it was getting darker outside. That started them laying again. It wasnt instantly but it helped. The one thing I do know is when they could see me turning on the light, they didn't lay anything. When I set the timer they started laying again about a few days later. I won't say it is a permanent fix but it helped us a lot since we had to start buying our eggs for that period of time and that just sucks to eat store bought eggs. In any instance good luck.

 

[chookchick]

Miche--it sounds like you have a pretty good system worked out. I'm curious about how large your coop is, and how warm it gets with a 40 watt bulb. I guess I would have to know the approximate ambient temps also. I think I am going to have to add some light soon because I can't stand the store eggs anymore....

 

[Shoshana]

#1California Chick :

Quote:
What do you mean by "trickle of electricity"?? Why is that bad??

I ask because I have a compact florescent in my coop that is on from 4am to 7am.

Thanks!

Cindy

There was a story in a paper somewhere, Rush Limbaugh referred to it the other day, about someone with one of these bulbs on a dimmer in their home... caused the home to burn down because of the oscillating electric source not matching up or some such thing... also, these bulbs are hazardous waste and can't be disposed of in regular trash, so IMHO not the great benefit to the environment they are touted to be.​

 

[joerobscatfarm]

I like the terra cotta pot/bulb idea, and am considering modifications to my coop. Thanks.

Regarding the bulbs - I know that the old style fluorescent bulbs are charged gas (giving it that trinkling noise as the light flickers on) and need a steady electric stream. That is why those types of lights were never on dimmers. My guess is the newer versions may still need a steadier on/off electric current, and the nature of a thermostat/temp control may compromise that electric stream - whereas a regular style incandescent bulb will operate on a fluctuating current.......(but I'm no electrician!!)

And for my environmental 2 cents. The new bulbs might be more of a hazard for the chix if the break.