I am wondering about installing a timed lighting ... My coop is close to an electrical source..... my hubby, was thinking of it being a heat lamp, but I sort of feel that as not so much being timed, but a seconday source turned on as needed would certainly apreciate, any sugestions yesterday, was a sunny day, and I got way more eggs than I have been
I plugged in one of those clamp lamps up in the corner and plugged into a wall timer. This is in addition to the permanent lighting I have, but a 65 watt bulb in the clamp light provides more than enough light. We don't ever even turn on the permanent lighting.
Light to encourage egg production can be good. For a coop of about 100 sq ft, one 40 watt bulb about 7' off the floor is perfect. Light to provide warmth, is not recommended. The added warmth from the light discourages the proper feathering. Should the power suddenly go out, your birds can suffer greatly in just short period time.
thank you for your responces... ok...velvettfog..I will just concentrate on the lighting... Mike55544...thank you so very much for the picture...FANTASTIC.!!!! know now what to look for... If I don't see one like mike has..will look for a clamp light...the top of our coop has rafter so might work out perfectly... wyododge.. was just seeming somewhat techncal..
Electric in the coop is great. On short days, it's nice to be able to see what you're doing out there, without needing a flashlight. We run timed supplemental lighting in the winter to provide adequate day length. I've always used fluorescent in the coops, to conserve energy. At some point in the future that will probably be changed to LED. I don't heat the coop, but I have used a heat lamp to brood in the coop. There's some type of heater for the water or a heated water font in the winter. I've used a variety of different things over the years. You might want to think about some of that when you're deciding where to locate your sockets or outlets, in case it makes a difference for you. We have a large enough coop that I had to think about cord lengths on some equipment.
