lighting the coop

[mmclaughlin]

This is my 1st season with chickens..got the girls 4/13 I have 3 laying 3 waiting
they are 2- NH Red, Blk Astralop, welsummer, cukoo maran and americauna? (EE)
They are in a 20'x20' run with a coop to sleep and lay in... question is to extend the light of day as fall approches do I light the whole run area or just inside the coop????
thanks

 

[Fred's Hens]

Just wake them up at 5 am. consistently, every day using a timer. In the coop is all you need.

As the sun is rising later and later each day, they've taken to sleeping in. They've already lost over an hour since June 21 and they'll lose another morning hour by Halloween and another morning hour by Christmas if you do nothing.

 

[ChknObssd]

Just wake them up at 5 am. consistently, every day using a timer. In the coop is all you need.

As the sun is rising later and later each day, they've taken to sleeping in. They've already lost over an hour since June 21 and they'll lose another morning hour by Halloween and another morning hour by Christmas if you do nothing.

Wow, I didnt know this!
So you can just sit an alarm clock/timer in the coop and it will wake them up without further prodding, like you would do for a teenager?!

 

[Fred's Hens]

hahahah. The light snapping on is the alarm clock. Yes, there is some similarities to waking teenagers, but chickens actually wake up and get busy. Teens? not so much.

 

[ChknObssd]

Wow thats great to know!! Now just need to find a good clock/timer for them that they cant hit snooze button on!

 

[ChknObssd]

Quick question--should I wait till they are laying age to do the timer-5 am, or should I start while they are still young? I have no idea what time my chickens even wake up...they are always awake at 7 when I go out to see them.

 

[TOP KNOT]

Wow thats great to know!! Now just need to find a good clock/timer for them that they cant hit snooze button on!

I think she meant a timer on the light in your coop so the light comes on at 5 am. A beeping alarm clock will do no good at all. I would wait until they are of laying age.

 

[ChknObssd]

oh, i completely misunderstood the post than.

 

[RentaPig311]

So do they need this just for the extra hours or for the vitamins? Can I use a cheapy solar light on a timer from the hardware store just to wake them up or do I need to be looking at Full spectrum grow style lighting that will provide them with d3.

 

[travis5292]

I bought a timer from Walmart for 5 bucks. It's made by Brinks, and has worked just fine for me. I began using it about 3 weeks ago, and set it to come on at around 4:30am. Every morning at 5:45, I walk out to check on them, and they are all out in the run, sitting on a perch, or eating. My coop is located close to the base of a dusk/dawn street light in my backyard, so it's not completely dark outside the coop.
Now I'm lucky enough to have electric in my coop since I built the it as an add on to the side of my 12x16 dutch storage shed/barn. The barn has electric, so I just cut a hole in the adjoining wall big enough to get an electrical plug through. My dad makes "bucket lights" for all of his camping buddies, so I use one of those in the coop. The white, 2 gallon bucket is sealed with the lid, the light fixture secured to the lid with silicone, and the light bulb causes the bucket to glow, instead of a direct shine. I'm not sure what wattage I have in there, but i'm sure it's 40 or less. I feel 100% comfortable with this, without worrying about it being a fire hazard.