New pullets, night lights advice?

[aart]

We have a mild climate (average winter lows in the 40s and 30s, with rare 20s) and good ventilation.

It's not about temperatures, it's about the length of day.

I mostly just want to do my morning coop chores before leaving for work, without having to fumble around in the dark.

Get yourself a headlight, best tool I ever bought and an essential(IMO) for all chickeneers.

 

[Kee11]

It's not about temperatures, it's about the length of day.

I was just noting the temperature because someone said chickens need light to eat more if they are in a cold climate.

 

[mdquilts]

If the chickens go into a lit coop at dusk would it work if the light is a solar one that will dim and go off after a couple of hours?

 

[aart]

I was just noting the temperature because someone said chickens need light to eat more if they are in a cold climate.

Good point for folks in warmer climes.

If the chickens go into a lit coop at dusk would it work if the light is a solar one that will dim and go off after a couple of hours?

Solar lights are usually not consistent enough...and could affect laying detrimentally, but may be enough for prolonged eating time.

Wish @lazygardener was still around, she used lights at night and had some good info on how it affected behaviors...and there's someone else too, hmmmm....can't recall who.

 

[Meg-in-MT]

I haven't read through the whole thread, but I live in Montana and I do not offer extra light, nor heat, in the winter. They come out to eat and drink just fine, as long as I shovel them a path. I assume our climates are pretty similar.

 

[Meg-in-MT]

Worth noting that 1. My chickens are not culled for lack of production and 2. I have a covered and enclosed run that the pop door is open to year round. I do not put water or feed inside the coop, but they have access to it whenever they need.

 

[Meg-in-MT]

Does anyone have an auto chicken door that they get to open when it is still dark so their chickens can go to an enclosed, secure lighted run? Like, have a light on a timer outside in the run, over the auto door, that turns on at 6:00 AM so the sensor on the auto door thinks it's daylight and opens the door?

For the coop, I have one of those sunrise-simulation lights that I though I might foist off on my chickens. Personally, I'd rather have complete dark while hitting my snooze repeatedly. The light is so annoying I just want to smack it!

But since chickens don't need to hit snooze 5 times before they can function in the morning, they might appreciate that sunrise simulation crap???

Great thread, by the way! This will be my first winter, so I'm also trying to decide how much effort I want to go through for extra light. We have a mild climate (average winter lows in the 40s and 30s, with rare 20s) and good ventilation. Since I have 18 chickens I'm not too worried about egg production falling off... there will still be some, I imagine.

I mostly just want to do my morning coop chores before leaving for work, without having to fumble around in the dark. I'd like to just breeze out to an empty, lighted coop, while the chickens are all out in a lighted yard, and have things be business as usual!

Just curious, why do you have a pop door on a timer when your run is secure?

 

[Kee11]

Just curious, why do you have a pop door on a timer when your run is secure?

Well, I guess I should have said "relatively" secure! We live out in the country and have a lot of predators, including black bears, coyotes, foxes and weasels. We hope the run is secure against flying, digging and climbing predators, but would rather not put it to the test at night. The coop itself is much more secure, plus it's raised a couple feet off the ground, which helps. My boyfriend works outdoors during the day and is around the yard a lot, so we never have predators around during the day, except the flying kind, but at night we just have the motion lights to deter predators, so we have the pop door close at night for extra security.

 

[centrarchid]

My assumption is the birds at higher latitudes are kept in more light tight confines that I do here. I provide supplemental light in part to make so birds can find the roost as the day ends. It need not be enough to stimulate normal feeding or egg laying. During winter I have been using red LED's. The same level of low light can allow really hungry birds to come off roost to consume feed. Normally I do not like to have feed out over night to control rodent issues but when it gets really cold feed is left out or I apply feed extra early. An added benefit of the night light is it can allow chickens to see a predator that has breached or is attempting to breach pen perimeter. Chickens give alarm before predator pulls them off roost giving me and dogs more time to get there and correct situation.

If lighting not to be on throughout night, then have so starts in pre-dawn morning so birds not suddenly trapped on ground when lights go out.

 

[wyoDreamer]

The light in the coop goes off at 8:30. Pop, instant dark, lol.
If I go out to check on them at 8:00 or so, they are milling around, snacking, telling tales at the water cooler or whatever it is that chickens do. When I go out at 8:15 or later, they are on the roosts. Sometimes standing looking around, sometimes settled down and ready to sleep or a combination of both. Somehow they know that the light will go off at 8:30 and they are ready that that time.
I have one chicken that insists on roosting on the handle of the gutter feeder that I use. She had done that for 2 years. She is there at 8:15 and ready to sleep - all alone.