post your chicken coop pictures here!

[lynnehd]

Well their automatic door opens up to their run, it let's them out in the morning and then it closes in the night, they are double protected,you could say...I don't want them to be held up in the hen house all day....So I'm thinking that a night light would be the best... It will only be or 2 weeks....Rae

Yes, you don't want to worry while you are gone.

A night light, or I've heard some use a short string of those rope lights.

 

[Sylvester017]

Yes, you don't want to worry while you are gone.

A night light, or I've heard some use a short string of those rope lights.

JMHO - Our friends used the string of small rope lights outdoors but I'd be careful with them - those tiny bulbs get extremely hot - I consider them a fire hazard. I won't even use them for Xmas decorating around the house - get way too hot. I gave all my unused packages of string lights away. A single night light bulb gets very hot too and I won't leave them on and get the ones with little on/off switches instead of leaving them on steadily. When we ordered our new coop we got a couple windows in it so that when the outside porch light is left on for the night it casts a diffused light into the coop. Our hens are not fooled by artificial light - they definitely know the difference between a porch light and daylight! Even if it's pitch dark, cloudy, and raining, they still know when it's 6 a.m.!

 

[lynnehd]

JMHO - Our friends used the string of small rope lights outdoors but I'd be careful with them - those tiny bulbs get extremely hot - I consider them a fire hazard. I won't even use them for Xmas decorating around the house - get way too hot. I gave all my unused packages of string lights away. A single night light bulb gets very hot too and I won't leave them on and get the ones with little on/off switches instead of leaving them on steadily. When we ordered our new coop we got a couple windows in it so that when the outside porch light is left on for the night it casts a diffused light into the coop. Our hens are not fooled by artificial light - they definitely know the difference between a porch light and daylight! Even if it's pitch dark, cloudy, and raining, they still know when it's 6 a.m.!

Good warning! I haven't used them, but have seen them in some coop pics. I wonder if LED rope lights (if they exist) are as bad.

@Granny368W , it might be a good idea someday to have an electrician tap into your wiring and add a plug inside the coop, so you can make use of a timer.

 

[Sylvester017]

The old coop next to our garage.

The old coop is re-homed:

Hey, Mom, this step is where the old coop door is supposed to be!

Meanwhile the new block wall is slowly progressing - we've been living in this chaos since Halloween Day!

The new slab is poured in place of the old coop's location next to the garage. An overhead roof still goes up before we can locate the new Barn Coop on here.

The new Barn Coop patiently waiting for its new location.

Well, I guess there's a little bit of progress on the front yard wall ! Can't pay workers time-and-a-half on weekends so the wall waits for Monday to roll around!.

 

[Sylvester017]

Good warning! I haven't used them, but have seen them in some coop pics. I wonder if LED rope lights (if they exist) are as bad.
They all get too hot in my safety-conscious mind. Just too many fire horror stories for my comfort zone.

@Granny368W , it might be a good idea someday to have an electrician tap into your wiring and add a plug inside the coop, so you can make use of a timer.
I'm a bit old-fashioned and prefer to account for all my chickens after dusk so a timer light or an auto pop door are moot for me - plus our yard is so small that anything automatic or electrical wouldn't add to the ease of care I now enjoy. The porch light between the house and the coop have been good for 5 years to keep away night critters and give diffused light for the coop interior. The automatic security light at the back yard only works to turn on in a wind storm but if something moves in the back yard it refuses to light up - go figure these new-fangled gadgets that don't work half the time!

 

[jmandawn]

Here in Alaska we do need to use supplemental light because of the almost no light.during winter months. MDH found an LED bulb at Lowe's in the 5000k light range (simulates daylight). It only cost $4/year to operate and gives off great light. We have it set on a timer to come on at 6 a.m. and off at 6:30 p.m.. Our egg production has averaged 8/day from 10 laying hens for the last two months. Our temps have dipped down to -5 during this time as well and we didn't have any heat on.

MDH bought a DeLonghi Ceramic heater and a Thermo-Cube to turn it on at 20 degrees and off at 30 and installed it yesterday as the temperature dropped back down to almost zero again this weekend.

We also feed mash and in the mornings I make the girls hot oatmeal and add mash to it for a hot early breakfast treat

 

[Granny368W]

I do have a switch that I turn on the light up on the ceiling.... So I don't know how I would put a timer on that... I do have 2 plug-ins, but I would worry if I put a lamp in there,they may knock it over.... Do you know if they make something to plug-in to the light socket that would make it be on a timer? Rae

 

[Granny368W]

Here in Alaska we do need to use supplemental light because of the almost no light.during winter months.  MDH found an LED bulb at Lowe's in the 5000k light range (simulates daylight).  It only cost $4/year to operate and gives off great light.  We have it set on a timer to come on at 6 a.m. and off at 6:30 p.m.. Our egg production has averaged 8/day from 10 laying hens for the last two months. Our temps have dipped down to -5 during this time as well and we didn't have any heat on.  

MDH bought a DeLonghi Ceramic heater and a Thermo-Cube to turn it on at 20 degrees and off at 30 and installed it yesterday as the temperature dropped back down to almost zero again this weekend.

We also feed mash and in the mornings I make the girls hot oatmeal and add mash to it for a hot early breakfast treat 

What part of Alaska do you live? Rae

 

[Latestarter]

don't know if the link will work until I post... Anyway, Walmart has a socket timer that has a photo cell that turns the light on and you select how long to stay on after it comes on.
COLEMAN CABLE INC Light Control Socket With Timed Photocell Sensor, Indoor/Outdoor

http://www.walmart.com/ip/45836571?...04005538&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=88557994178&veh=sem

 

[Latestarter]

I imagine you could couple that with a red light or low wattage light and set it to stay on for 2 hours then watch to see when it goes out before you leave. If it's not long enough, then you could use 4 hours.