Solar Lighting

[Cotton Farmer]

Hey y'all, does no one produce a solar light with a timer so it comes on in the morning? I have searched all over the internet and have found nothing. Thanks

 

[rjohns39]

Hey y'all, does no one produce a solar light with a timer so it comes on in the morning? I have searched all over the internet and have found nothing. Thanks

Here are a couple of links that might help.
https://www.mypetchicken.com/catalo...cQgDQVqAJx_lKb7L-k2lV4uiP8vP6KRBoCA-0QAvD_BwE

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-timer-for-the-chicken-coop-in-winter.764520/

I've been working on a solar option for my brooder, still haven't found good one. Need too many amp hours.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Hey y'all, does no one produce a solar light with a timer so it comes on in the morning? I have searched all over the internet and have found nothing. Thanks

What are you trying to do----have the solar lights to come on at a certain time in the morning----then off at late evening?? How bright would the solar lights need to be to do what you are wanting? You want to do this with solar, no 120volts?

 

[Cotton Farmer]

I want the light in the coop to come on early in the morning. It can go off when the sun comes up. The ladies need about 15 hours of light a day on the front end. You can't have them being suddenly plunged into darkness at night as they cannot see in the dark. It would be cool to have this powerful enough to operate a door, but not mandatory. I find plenty of automatic doors powered by solar that use light sensors. I also find plenty of solar powered lights that come on a dusk and go off at dawn, but that would not work.
McMurray used to have a door light setup that closed the door at dusk, then the light came on eight or nine hours later and stayed on until the door opened at dawn. I think they had a lot of trouble with it. They do not carry it any more.

 

[Cotton Farmer]

I think I read that it doesn't have to be really bright, just 40watts would do, .but with LED's you should be able to have it really bright

 

[PD-Riverman]

I think I read that it doesn't have to be really bright, just 40watts would do, .but with LED's you should be able to have it really bright

Are you to far away from 120 volts to do this? 40 watts/equivalent sounds about right but what kind of solar light you thinking about to produce 40 watts. That's a lot for a small solar set-up. Do you feed/water the chickens in the coop?

I have done this for years--with solar, 8 pens lite up at 3 am, but I have a rather Large battery bank and a some what decent solar panel set-up. My chickens would be up, outside, eating and doing their thing a little after the lights come on----even laying eggs before daylight.

 

[Cotton Farmer]

Wow! I say you are overrun. I just have one unlighted coop (planning on adding another). I would like lights, because I don't want to run extension cords and don't want to get up at 3am to turn on lights. I didn't think it would take a very big battery and therefore not a huge solar charger. We live in a warm climate so don't need heat.

 

[cholland]

I used a couple of timers like this for my door. You could use just one for a light. Simple 12v set up.

https://www.amazon.com/Amico-Digital-Power-Programmable-Switch/dp/B008999RYY/

 

[PD-Riverman]

Wow! I say you are overrun. I just have one unlighted coop (planning on adding another). I would like lights, because I don't want to run extension cords and don't want to get up at 3am to turn on lights. I didn't think it would take a very big battery and therefore not a huge solar charger. We live in a warm climate so don't need heat.

Well a cord run from your home and a timer would save you some money and headache, but solar can be done but a little small set-up would not work for what you want. You have to have enough battery reserve to run the lights for 2 or 3 days incase it gets cloudy--it would mess the chickens up to run the light one morning and not the next, etc, etc. You could probably do a cheap solar set-up for a few hundred but I do not feel it would have enough reserve to make it work like you want---plus you have maintenance on the solar/batteries.

If you have electricity close---would not cost a lot to run a wire, simple to run, $5/$8 timer and you are set. But, if solar is what you want----a system can be figured.

 

[Cotton Farmer]

OK, Thanks. I guess I will have to see how long the longest cord at the big box store is.