Lights for the run/coop during winter when sun goes down by 4:30!

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Hello! I may have made a post asking this, but havnt received any response so I’ll assume it didnt post. Is it unheard of to add lights to the run/coop from 4:30-6pm or so? I live in a valley in CT and the girls go to roost around 4:30-4:45pm. Sunrise around 6:45am. Adding light to run/coop will allow them to ‘stay up a little longer’. Opinions and expertise is appreciated. Thank you!

 

[_-Captain BRM-_]

I put Christmas lights in my rabbit hutch and coop where they can't reach it. I line the top inside and the nesting boxes. I also line around the be coop with it and it's super cute and works well. They stay on all night long and through out the day and they give enough light but the flock is able to sleep well as they are dim enough. It's a super cute look and it worked all last year for me

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

If the only reason is to allow the chickens to stay up I don't think it matters. Their bodies adjust to the limited day light. If you want to do it to increase egg production during the winter I will give you my personal thoughts on that which is that it might get you more eggs in the short tern but over the hen's lifetime it will actually decrease her laying overall. Hens who are encouraged to lay unnaturally through the winter will be done laying sooner. I hope I am explaining that in a way that makes sense.
I don't see any reason to keep them up either way. They are animals and nature knows what its doing. Mine are roosting at about 5:30 and I don't live in a valley. They even like to sleep a little past sun rise-i think because of the cold. Can't blame them!

 

[littledog]

Adding lights to lengthen the "daylight" is helpful if you're trying to get them to lay eggs during winter, but there's no other reason to do it really, unless you just like the look.

I don't have lights in my coop, so my hens' egg production is definitely reduced every winter. But they also tend to keep laying as they get older - a couple are 7 years old and still laying.

 

[DobieLover]

Hello! I may have made a post asking this, but havnt received any response so I’ll assume it didnt post. Is it unheard of to add lights to the run/coop from 4:30-6pm or so? I live in a valley in CT and the girls go to roost around 4:30-4:45pm. Sunrise around 6:45am. Adding light to run/coop will allow them to ‘stay up a little longer’. Opinions and expertise is appreciated. Thank you!

It's not clear to me why you want to add lighting.
Is it just to keep the birds off the roost longer? If this is the case, why do you want to do that?
Is it for you so you can see in the evening? If this is the case, wear a head lamp instead.
Is it because you want to try to increase egg production?

Regardless of the reason, adding light in the morning is a much better idea. If you add light in the evening after the sun has gone down and the birds are scratching around in the run or coop and the lights suddenly go off, they are stuck where they are as they cannot see well enough to get themselves roosted.

I use lights in the run/coop in the morning so I can get them fed and ready for the day prior to dawn because I have to leave for work well before it is safe to let them out of the run. I have someone that lets them out about 30 minutes after I leave and turns the coop light off.

I start by turning the run light on. It indirectly shines through the coop window on the run side so it isn't just suddenly ON. By the time I finish in the run, a couple of birds will have hopped down and wandered out the door but they prefer more light to get off the roost. Once the coop light goes on they are ready to come down and get out of my way.

Chickens see light in the UV spectrum. We cannot. So when the UV light starts to come over the horizon well before our dawn, the roosters start crowing and the birds start getting restless and ready to start their day. Turning lights on at this time is not disturbing to them at all.

 

[Alaskan]

I like both the Christmas lights, as well as regular lights.

The Christmas lights are great since yes, they can sleep with them on, but they are bright enough so that they can find a perch.

I prefer lights on in the evening.... with the Christmas lights, they can always find their perches. But yes, if you have lights on at evening, then you do need to do something so they know the light will be shutting off soon... so they can roost.

Lights on in the evening makes way more sense to me....

No reason to get them off their perches earlier than the sun. Blasted cold then. Also, no one in this house hold is bringing out water that early.

Evening hours are a bit warmer than morning... so perfect time for more light.

If it is getting horrid cold (below zero F, but definitely by -10F) they need the extra light, at least 10 hours so that they have enough time to eat. Eating keeps them warm.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

If the only reason is to allow the chickens to stay up I don't think it matters. Their bodies adjust to the limited day light. If you want to do it to increase egg production during the winter I will give you my personal thoughts on that which is that it might get you more eggs in the short tern but over the hen's lifetime it will actually decrease her laying overall. Hens who are encouraged to lay unnaturally through the winter will be done laying sooner. I hope I am explaining that in a way that makes sense.
I don't see any reason to keep them up either way. They are animals and nature knows what its doing. Mine are roosting at about 5:30 and I don't live in a valley. They even like to sleep a little past sun rise-i think because of the cold. Can't blame them!

Thank you for your response. That is exactly the angle i needed perspective from. I thought it would be unnatural to use a light, and to just let nature be. Thank you again.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

I like both the Christmas lights, as well as regular lights.

The Christmas lights are great since yes, they can sleep with them on, but they are bright enough so that they can find a perch.

I prefer lights on in the evening.... with the Christmas lights, they can always find their perches. But yes, if you have lights on at evening, then you do need to do something so they know the light will be shutting off soon... so they can roost.

Lights on in the evening makes way more sense to me....

No reason to get them off their perches earlier than the sun. Blasted cold then. Also, no one in this house hold is bringing out water that early.

Evening hours are a bit warmer than morning... so perfect time for more light.

If it is getting horrid cold (below zero F, but definitely by -10F) they need the extra light, at least 10 hours so that they have enough time to eat. Eating keeps them warm.

This is great input. I originally considered the lights since they are roosting at 4:45pm until
6-6:30 am. Seemed to be too much perch time, but i dunno, in nature they get along fine. Maybe I’ll do the low light from 4:30pm-5:30.
One less hour on the roost. I figured they are bored bored bored on the roost that entire time. Thanks for your input.

 

[MTKitty]

....

No reason to get them off their perches earlier than the sun. Blasted cold then. Also, no one in this house hold is bringing out water that early. ....

Glad I’m not the only one. I’m usually up when it’s getting light out, but the sun hasn’t fully risen. By the time I get out with water and food, fluff coop bedding and check/clean nest boxes, the sun has struck the coop and my coffee is brewed.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

It's not clear to me why you want to add lighting.
Is it just to keep the birds off the roost longer? If this is the case, why do you want to do that?
Is it for you so you can see in the evening? If this is the case, wear a head lamp instead.
Is it because you want to try to increase egg production?

Regardless of the reason, adding light in the morning is a much better idea. If you add light in the evening after the sun has gone down and the birds are scratching around in the run or coop and the lights suddenly go off, they are stuck where they are as they cannot see well enough to get themselves roosted.

I use lights in the run/coop in the morning so I can get them fed and ready for the day prior to dawn because I have to leave for work well before it is safe to let them out of the run. I have someone that lets them out about 30 minutes after I leave and turns the coop light off.

I start by turning the run light on. It indirectly shines through the coop window on the run side so it isn't just suddenly ON. By the time I finish in the run, a couple of birds will have hopped down and wandered out the door but they prefer more light to get off the roost. Once the coop light goes on they are ready to come down and get out of my way.

Chickens see light in the UV spectrum. We cannot. So when the UV light starts to come over the horizon well before our dawn, the roosters start crowing and the birds start getting restless and ready to start their day. Turning lights on at this time is not disturbing to them at all.

Hey hey! My reason for the lights is; they are roosting 4:45pm - 6:30am and i thought about ways to keep them ‘awake’ a little longer. 10hrs a night is a lot of roosty time. I wanted to engage in conversation with the chicken pros (YOU being one Dobie, lol). Them not being able to see when the light clicks off is certainly the #1 reason i will not attempt this. And also because it goes against nature. Thats really the #1 reason, but you know what i mean. Thanks for your time Dobie.