Ques. re: the extra light added to coops - how much exactly is needed?

[mylittlehof]

My coop is attached to the back of our garage and there is a good sized window between the garage that looks into into the coop.

If I wanted to increase the light for the chix in the coop to aid in egg laying, would the overhead light from the garage be enough? or do the chickens need more direct light - ie. needs to be in the coop?

Thanks!

 

[cjeanean]

14-16 hrs per day, and you want the extra light to start in the morning not at night. If the light suddenly kicks off at night they won't be able to see when it's time to roost, and it'll sound like there's a fox in the henhouse from all the screeching and screaming and feathers flying...they don't like each other when they're trying to roost in the dark LOL! I speak from experience....

 

[mylittlehof]

oh - good advise! thanks.

 

[Biddieacres]

I wonder about the light being in the coop as well. I often think it is too much of a fire hazard so I haven't put one in yet.

 

[A.J.'s]

The light is a wonder.. wow.. I put a 40 watt bulb in my chicken house with a timer set to come on at 3am and go off at 7am. I went from 0 eggs to 17 on highest count.
I had 10 old gals, aprox 3 years old that had not laid an egg in weeks (probably molt) and 30 hens that should have started laying in august but had shown no interest at all in the process.
Now Im swamped with eggs, I have no customers and a refrigerator full of wonderful eggs.
The sign goes up today.
some of them are two weeks old, but have been refrigerated from day one or sooner. Some I immediately got to since I keep a very close eye on my girls, none were left very long. Dont you think they will be just fine? Of course Id tell any customer that came along the dates.
Ive never found a bad egg from my refrigerator. Some with small little bitty blood clots in them. YEP blood clots, looked like a small bee bee of a thingy and upon closer examination I discovered they were tiny blood clots.
Does anyone ever have this happen to them? My first time. Lots of small pullets in my gang laying like gang busters.
I feel guilty at times since I considered this pushing them, but a post here talking about hens that live on the equator or somewhere where the days are always 14 hours and its normal for them changed my mind about it.
We all have our jobs and I "burned the mid night oil" for years trying to keep a roof over my childrens heads in my younger days.
Sometimes you have to do what you have to do. I make it up to them with good treats and very good food and a wonderful house and protection from the elements and an appreciation of their talents and careers. A.J.'s

p.s. someone has got to help pay for this chicken feed. lol seriously

 

[mylittlehof]

Being more specific on this - will a lamp with a 60 watt bulb that shines into the coop through a window - not in the coop itself - be enough light to fool the girls into laying more in the winter?

Thanks!!

 

[Mr. Frizzles Hen House]

I believe the idea is to get them awake and off their roosts and eating. I suppose you could set an alarm to go check on them in the wee hours to see if they are up. Then you'll know if its enough light from the garage. I put the equivalent of a hundred watt florecent bulb in my coop. It doesn't get hot, so no fire hazard and cheap to run. My coop is real dingy, only one small window & in the pacific NW, so I have it on a timer from 4 am till 4:30pm. That's about a half hour before it gets dark. It's funny. My rooster sees the light go off and calls all the girls to start roosting. That gives them some time to get settled. Mine are about 25 weeks and started laying at 23 weeks. I get about four eggs a day from nine girls so far. So, I believe it's working for me. I will probably start the timer a little earlier gradually to increase the dayhours. Hope that helps. Good luck!

 

[mylittlehof]

Thanks - I'll give it a try and see how it goes.