Well, it's not technically free, since my tax dollars fund it, but I'm wondering if the light from the street and alley lamps is providing that extra bit that's needed to keep my young hens laying.
It had to be on these boards that I read only a very small amount of light is needed to keep hens laying through the winter. Seems like many of you have already started to provide supplemental lighting, to make up for the less than 14 hours of light we're getting. I haven't added any lights, but my 3 hens keep giving me an egg a day.
These girls have only been laying for about 6 weeks, so maybe that factors into this high productivity. Or, could it just be that the light from the lamps in the alley (and there's one right near where the coop is located) is providing the extra needed to keep their egg production in high gear?
The streetlamps in the alley come on at dusk and go off at dawn. It doesn't seem to disturb their sleep...although, I'm not sure how to tell if a chicken is suffering from insomnia.
What do you all think?
This could be a benefit of living in the city, perhaps.
It had to be on these boards that I read only a very small amount of light is needed to keep hens laying through the winter. Seems like many of you have already started to provide supplemental lighting, to make up for the less than 14 hours of light we're getting. I haven't added any lights, but my 3 hens keep giving me an egg a day.
These girls have only been laying for about 6 weeks, so maybe that factors into this high productivity. Or, could it just be that the light from the lamps in the alley (and there's one right near where the coop is located) is providing the extra needed to keep their egg production in high gear?
The streetlamps in the alley come on at dusk and go off at dawn. It doesn't seem to disturb their sleep...although, I'm not sure how to tell if a chicken is suffering from insomnia.
What do you all think?
This could be a benefit of living in the city, perhaps.
