post your chicken coop pictures here!

[Chicken Egg 17]

we have pole light and the light shines right in the window and lights up the whole backyard

 

[Sylvester017]

Yup! That's what I meant! But ohhh okay, hadn't realized they were actual garden beds haha whoops. I thought you had made them! Might see if they have those still or maybe i could make one?

There are a lot of corner sets sold where you buy your own planks of lumber to put together yourself. I'm not that handy so bought the ready-to-assemble package of garden boxes. By the time I figured the cost of materials it was easier/cheaper to get a ready-to-assemble garden box kit.

 

[ShrekDawg]

There's some discussion about lights for the chickens at night. We have a patio light that we leave on at night because we found it deterred night predators like possums, raccoons, rats, mice. Not 100% effective but it seemed we had less problems leaving the light on. Our coop has a couple windows that lets the light in and our Breda and Ameraucana both like perching by the window seats. With 2 windows there's one for each of the two LFs to sit by. They've had a night patio light for 5 years and it hasn't affected their laying cycles pros nor cons -- they aren't fooled by artificial lights at all.

I forgot about patio lights. We have ours off the back deck and I don't trust our coop kit so leave one on.

 

[ShrekDawg]

There are a lot of corner sets sold where you buy your own planks of lumber to put together yourself.  I'm not that handy so bought the ready-to-assemble package of garden boxes.  By the time I figured the cost of materials it was easier/cheaper to get a ready-to-assemble garden box kit.

That makes sense! I'm not very handy either so maybe I should just see if they have any ready made ones haha

 

[MeepBeep]

They've had a night patio light for 5 years and it hasn't affected their laying cycles pros nor cons -- they aren't fooled by artificial lights at all.

There has to be enough light and the right color light to stimulate their pineal gland (and hypothalamus) that releases the hormone that tells there body to start producing an egg... If the light is not sufficient it won't stimulate the gland...

 

[MeepBeep]

Maybe it's me and this is also probably a stupid question but.... doesn't turning the lights on at night when they're sleeping disturb them? Unless you leave it on continously all day? Mine get ****** when i shine a flashlight on them lol

I try to avoid turning the lights on when they are at roost sleeping as it does spook them and that can cause stress, but studies have shown short durations of light or dark do not disrupt their night/day cycle... As I said my lights are on between about 5AM and 10PM... I actually I cycle them off in the middle of that cycle once the sun is out and the light in the coop is sufficient, as to not waste...

So say sunrise it at 7AM and sunset at 7PM, my lights would be on from 5AM to 8AM and then come on at 6PM until 10PM...

As I said I sometimes adjust the times if the birds are not returning to the coop with normal sunset, but that is rare they have it figured out that the coop stays lighted even after the sun sets and thus return and do their normal thing inside the coop until about an hour before the coop lights go out, then they go to roost...

 

[ShrekDawg]

I try to avoid turning the lights on when they are at roost sleeping as it does spook them and that can cause stress, but studies have shown short durations of light or dark do not disrupt their night/day cycle... As I said my lights are on between about 5AM and 10PM... I actually I cycle them off in the middle of that cycle once the sun is out and the light in the coop is sufficient, as to not waste...

So say sunrise it at 7AM and sunset at 7PM, my lights would be on from 5AM to 8AM and then come on at 6PM until 10PM...

As I said I sometimes adjust the times if the birds are not returning to the coop with normal sunset, but that is rare they have it figured out that the coop stays lighted even after the sun sets and thus return and do their normal thing inside the coop until about an hour before the coop lights go out, then they go to roost...

Ohhhh okay. That makes sense and seems like a good way to do it then. So they don't go to bed until 10 pm? I try to svoid turning a light on too but have a couple times to make sure they're all still there. Like for instance yesterday I couldn't count all of them and could only see 7 heads/tails and 14 little toes and couldn't really see under the roosts to see if one foot belonged to the missing chicken or both belonged to the one next to her. So turned the flashlight on for that and checked. And double and triple checked lol turns out she was just sneaky and tucked up next to the window and hiding LOL she was on the back roost and hunched down so with the 4 on the front roost i couldn't see her in the back corner behind them and tucked up next to the other 3 in the back roost but she was there hiding and all 8 were fine. Did some minor readjusting with the light though lol

 

[gpeters3]

Maybe it's me and this is also probably a stupid question but.... doesn't turning the lights on at night when they're sleeping disturb them? Unless you leave it on continously all day? Mine get ****** when i shine a flashlight on them lol

That is why i help determine their sleep time by auto timer red lighting.  Comes on around 6am goes off after sunup then comes on around 6pm and goes off around 9pm.  I also have a white light i can turn on in the work room to see what im doing if i happen to be feeding or watering after dark.  I also have strategically placed outlet boxes for such things as additional lamps or tools when working in there.  I dont like dragging long extension cords all over.  250 ft of  12/2 w ground is less than $100 and outlets are cheap.  My granddad used to start milking at first light and finished evening milking just after dark in the 50's so he did have some lighting but nothing like we have today.  It was pretty shadowy in there  Back then people put 20 loads on a circuit and hoped only a few were on at a time (Ever see "A Christmas Story"? Remember the tree light plug?).  I personally hate blowing breakers so limit potential loads to the circuit capacity which means a lot more circuits. My electrical inspector said that was a newby mistake...to each his own but i havent had to reset a breaker in years

 

[ShrekDawg]

That is why i help determine their sleep time by auto timer red lighting.  Comes on around 6am goes off after sunup then comes on around 6pm and goes off around 9pm.  I also have a white light i can turn on in the work room to see what im doing if i happen to be feeding or watering after dark.  I also have strategically placed outlet boxes for such things as additional lamps or tools when working in there.  I dont like dagging long extension cords all over.  250 ft of  12/2 w ground is less than $100 and outlets are cheap.  My granddad used to start milking at first light and finished evening milking just after dark in the 50's so he did have some lighting but nothing like we have today.  It was pretty shadowy in there  Back then people put 20 loads on a circuit and hoped only a few were on at a time.  I personally hate blowijg breakers so limit potential loads to the circuit capacity

That sounds like a good idea! And I assume the red helps with fighting and stuff or doesn't disturb them as much? I thought about running electric to the new coop we're building but it seems so complicated and/or dangerous haha I might try to figure out how to. But wow that's so interesting! That seems smart honestly though.

 

[Sylvester017]

That makes sense! I'm not very handy either so maybe I should just see if they have any ready made ones haha

I always look for end-of-season garden sales in-store and on-line both. You gotta be quick to catch the deals because they go fast.