Non Electric Lighting Help Please??

[CarolAnn]

We've installed a timed light to come on a for an hour past dusk to give them time to settle in for the night. Then back on a few hours before daybreak to compensate for the shorter days during winter. My neighbor feels that's better than having them come in when it's almost dark only to have the light on for a few more hours. I had decided to try it his way, although I am going to ask another friend what she does since I know she has a tied light in her coop.

 

[jomoncon]

I'm just getting started with chickens - in fact, we started building the house & run today. I have one question about lights in the winter: Are the lights only for inside the house, or in the run also?

And I guess I have 2 questions: Is the only purpose of the lights to maintain egg production during the shorter days of winter?

Jo-Ann

 

[Cindy in PA]

If you are Ok with lighting in the afternoon, solar spotlights work pretty well. I purchased a 3 light set with a remote solar panel at Lowes last year for $30 to light my mobile bantam coop. They are dusk to dawn lights, so they go on before dark and last a few hours. In spring & fall they may actually stay on until dawn, but are very dim at the end. If they do stay on too long at those times you can try covering part of the solar panel or turning it away from the sun during the day. In the winter they probably run 2-4 hours at most, but my bantams get to go in at dark and grab so more food and water. They usually setlle down before the lights go off. These lights gradually fade and don't go off abruptly. When I have several cloudy days, they do not come on, so I have a push on LED light that I turn on at dusk over their feeder and leave on all night. The single light in a concentrated area, doesn't seem to bother them on those days. My three spotlights are mounted in the front of the coop, pointing at different areas and the solar panel is mounted on the outside. The light they give off is pretty bright. They each have 3 LED bulbs. My bantams layed pretty well all winter, so I think they did the job. There are several brands of these lights out there. Hope this helps.