Question about providing light

[jp57]

As the days are getting shorter, i know I need to start providing light to keep egg production at its maximum. The question I have is do I provide the extra light prior to sunrise and after sunset? Also, if it is getting dark and the girls are heading in for the night, would the light on in the coop throw that off? Do they hang out in the coop in the light while it is dark outside?

 

[Lauren Kim]

I think that they are fine as of now, I don't think that a light would be necessary so that they can sleep. If there is a light on when they sleep, they might get stressed out so that they will not lay eggs.

 

[RonP]

This topic comes up often, my reply to a previous query, hope it helps:

There are a lot of opinions on supplementing light to keep the chickens laying during time period where there is less than 12-14 hours of available daylight.

My coop gets 16 hours of light 365 days per year.

Having had to install electricity for the thermostatically controlled water heater, I took advantage and installed a lighting system.

My system has two timers. The first is set to turn the lights on at 5am, off at 9pm.
Power goes on, passes through a photocell, then to a 300 lumen LED bulb, 4.8 watts, in the coop, and 2 4.8 watt LEDs for the outside run.
All bulbs are warm white - 3000K
I light the run because I found the birds huddled outside the coop door in the dark one 5:30am morning...
They have access to the run 24/7, as it is as secure as the coop.

The lights are on only when it is dark enough outside to be necessary.
The time on very closely mimics my Summer Solstice.

The second timer is set to go on at 8:30pm, off at 9:30pm, a diffused 200 lumen LED 4 watt bulb.
This low light allows the birds to settle in before all lights out.

This system costs less than $5 per year to operate.

 

[DuckMom2017]

I use yard decor solar lights for my ducks, mainly so they can get settled in their house with a little light. I'll set it out to charge during the day and I usually put them in their house around 10pm (they have lights outside so we watch them when the sun goes down) and usually the solar light dies out around midnight.

 

[lazy gardener]

I start ramping up my light after the girls have had a fall break, most of them have molted, and my egg count goes down to the point when my customers start following me around trying to shove money in my pocket for eggs I can't give them. I add an hour/week with light provided at both ends of the day, until my final schedule looks like this: Light on @ 6:30 AM, off at 10 AM. On at 3:30 PM, off at 8:30 PM. I use a warm spectrum LED, on a single timer, and set a landscaping light close to the LED bulb so it can act as a night light. (Though this is totally not necessary. The birds are always on the roost before the big light goes out, and to my knowledge have never been caught in the dark off the roost. They are very quick learners and learn the light pattern.)

I choose to do a split schedule, b/c otherwise, that light would go on at 2:30 AM, the roo would start crowing, the birds would be stuck in the coop for hours, waiting for breakfast, and the pop door to open. Their first eggs would surely be frozen by the time I got out to tend the birds.