Show Off Your American Gamefowl and Chat Thread!!!

[flypen]

Something I often wondered and saw it mentioned on another thread anyway.
Has anybody ever had hens lay with artificial lighting? You yourself not hearsay or what was read. If so is there a specific spectrum of light? And do you think the chicks from that type laying are just as healthy as natural light? Imo I would think they would not be as healthy as nature's way. I guess its more that I believe to let nature do its thing. But that's just me

Adding a timer with lights will get them laying for sure, I start my lights at 4am till 7am, it works for me. Oh and I use the 13w fluorescent bulbs, same amount of light as a regular 60w bulb.

 

[sdm111]

Thanks y'all that's something that you can mimic with a regular light and seems not that much, thanks again

 

[Temujin]

Dark Hennie cock. Hope I didn't post this already.

 

[centrarchid]

You did. I want to see a pic from front and back.

 

[B123]

Something I often wondered and saw it mentioned on another thread anyway.
Has anybody ever had hens lay with artificial lighting? You yourself not hearsay or what was read. If so is there a specific spectrum of light? And do you think the chicks from that type laying are just as healthy as natural light? Imo I would think they would not be as healthy as nature's way. I guess its more that I believe to let nature do its thing. But that's just me

I haven't for a while, but when I did, it was just as Flypen described. Add the light in the morning so they go up to roost at night. It is surprising how little light it takes to stimulate them to lay.

 

[centrarchid]

We used supplemental lighting with backup hens and pullets kept in a hen house. One hen house was 12 feet wide x 20 feet long by about 12 feet high where it had one 100 watt incandescent bulb like you have in house immediately above door. Bigger hen house that was about 50 feet x 40 feet x 8 feet had three bulbs, one on each of three walls (back wall with pens for special hens had no bulb). Bulbs similar and all covered by a cage. Bulbs kept hens in lay even during November through February when egg production would be close of zero otherwise. Those eggs not hatched and used for sale as table-eggs. Nutrition of hens not babied like I do penned hens now which does effect quality of chicks. I am not one that can speak of quality of such forced breeding because forage quality for chicks is close to zero until at least late March. Hatching a brood off during dead of winter every third year is not enough to make a call on. Those later December - early January broods were not valued from the the start because they were often fed on hog feed and may not get outside barn until they a good six weeks old.


There is literature out on what spectrum is best for promotion of egg production in chickens. If memory serves, then the best light is on the bluer end of the spectrum. I bet the commercial egg producers are already switching over to the LED's.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Are you guys running production chickens or what? I just let em lay when they're ready. Imo no need in screwing with Mother Nature.

 

[roosterhavoc]

I shall not kill anymore chickens.

 

[sdm111]

Good u got one of the culprits

 

[roosterhavoc]

Good u got one of the culprits

Yeah. I'm so dumb sometimes. I'm in the house tying flies and the birds are going nuts every couple minutes. I go out looking for a hawk and don't see anything, go back in. Then I realized I better check my snares again. B*stard came around 11am.