Supplemental Lighting in the winter

[Benderb15]

Hello all,

I have a question about supplemental lighting in the winter. I have read about it here on Backyard chickens but had a more direct question. Everything i read says AM supplemental is better than PM so the chickens don't get trapped off the roost when the light goes out.

However, where i live (Buffalo, NY) it gets dark around 430 in the heart of winter (And temps get down into the single digit highs in February).

This would mean to get 14 - 16 hours of sunlight to keep production up, i would have to have my lights kick on around 2am. This seems kind of crazy early for the lights to kick on. Do people have their lights turn on this early? Also, will the sometimes extreme cold affect anything? I do not plan on any supplemental heating beside a heated water dish. And the light would be a regular LED bulb (40W equiv).

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Howdy! I live in Corning, NY.
If you want your flock to lay eggs all winter, then yes, you will need supplemental lighting in the coop. I do not do that, as I give my flock a break. There are several hens, however, that will lay when the weather isn't so bitter cold. I, too, use 2 heated dog bowls in the run for my flock. Best wishes to you! Hoping for another mild winter!!!!!

 

[Mosey2003]

Yes, that's exactly what it means, from all I've seen. I bought a timer for mine, this will be the first fall/winter I try lights. I got an LED daylight type bulb, not sure if it makes a difference.

 

[PirateGirl]

I cannot speak to lighting, as choose not to use it, but yes, temperature can affect them in a few ways. I do not heat my coop. I find that on the worst weather days, whether it's a summer rain storm or a winter blizzard, regardless of season, on the worst weather days I seem to get the fewest eggs. I think the birds are a bit stressed and maybe their energy is being conserved as a survival mechanism instead of laying eggs. I'm not sure exactly why scientifically, but there does seem to be a link between bad weather and poor laying, at least in my experience.

If you do choose to heat/insulate your coop, do some research first. From what I understand, there should not be too great a temperature difference between the inside of the coop and the outside world otherwise it can be detrimental to their systems, too shocking and too much acclimation needed when they go from inside the coop at night to outside during the day.

I live somewhere that it can freeze any night of the year, we have far more winter than summer, select your breeds and build your coop according to your climate, give them a wind break outdoors, and they will be fine, with or without heat or lights. Light will help egg production, however neither the heat nor light is required for a healthy bird and they can survive without.

 

[DobieLover]

Howdy! I live in Corning, NY.
If you want your flock to lay eggs all winter, then yes, you will need supplemental lighting in the coop. I do not do that, as I give my flock a break. There are several hens, however, that will lay when the weather isn't so bitter cold. I, too, use 2 heated dog bowls in the run for my flock. Best wishes to you! Hoping for another mild winter!!!!!

Last winter was mild?!
We had several sub-zero nights in a row with highs below 10! I'm also in upstate NY.

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Last winter was mild?!
We had several sub-zero nights in a row with highs below 10! I'm also in upstate NY.

It was milder than the typical winter. Only went through half of the firewood that we burned from years prior. I HATE the winter, but where I live, it was one of the better ones. I don’t get the lake effect snow like near Buffalo.

 

[rebrascora]

Just want to say that supplemental lighting is not necessary for winter laying if you have pullets. They should lay through their first winter regardless. Older hens will moult and then wait for the days to start getting longer before they begin to lay again. My older girls usually begin to start laying just after the winter solstice without artificial light, although some wait until Jan or Feb and the odd one holds out till March....the older they get the longer it takes.
If your birds are "pets with benefits" then you might consider allowing the older girls an extended period of down time rather than using artificial light to stimulate them because their reproductive system will almost certainly benefit from the longer, natural rest. Many chickens develop (often fatal) reproductive disorders once they hit 3 years old as their reproductive tract starts to get worn and glitches occur.
If your chickens are purely egg laying livestock (and maybe meat/soup) then artificial lighting may be beneficial but be aware that you will need to have some young stock ready to replace them in a couple of years as they start to die off.

 

[Benderb15]

It was milder than the typical winter. Only went through half of the firewood that we burned from years prior. I HATE the winter, but where I live, it was one of the better ones. I don’t get the lake effect snow like near Buffalo.

I live just south of Buffalo, and just north of Ski Country. Depending on the wind direction we can get a couple feet in a day or nothing at all when the southtowns get hammered.

I do plan on putting some wind / snow breaks on the run. All the wind / snow drifts come from one direction all year round as my property is open fields. I plan on putting a wall up on the corner the wind will hit and that should keep the "run" fairly snow free.

 

[aart]

This would mean to get 14 - 16 hours of sunlight to keep production up, i would have to have my lights kick on around 2am. This seems kind of crazy early for the lights to kick on. Do people have their lights turn on this early?

14 hours is plenty, and you can have part of the light in the morning and part in the evening. Folks who don't want crowing at 3am split it into two sessions.
@lazy gardener (maybe needs an article to explain her technique-hinthint) does this, it doesn't effect their bedtime, they still absorb the light even hen roosting.

There's lots of pros and cons to supplemental lighting and how it may affect their molting and 'rest' period...and it's not like flipping a switch(haha!) there's no guarantees. Pullets may, or may not, lay all winter without it. Older birds may, or may not, molt under the lights. Some folks light all year, some ramp it up about now, some crank it up around Solstice. Careful consistent timing is the most important aspect.

 

[mandelyn]

I used to light the coop, now I don't. You gotta get replacement hens sooner if they don't get their breaks in. It can also shift the Spring laying, and they may try to molt/break during prime time of Spring.

Using light to encourage laying is a commercial method, commercial methods are designed for hens who will live until about 18 months old, at which point they find themselves as a nugget or soup. The goal is to get as many eggs from them as possible before their first big molt.

You may also find yourself in the situation of using the light, getting the eggs, but the eggs freeze before you can get to them, causing wasted eggs. They crack when they freeze and sometimes the texture changes. You can store them in the freezer and thaw them later for baking or something but it won't be the same as fresh, never frozen eggs.

My way around it is always having up and coming pullets, who take over laying when the older girls break. I like March babies for Winter layers. This way I get an extra year or two out of my breeder hens, without burning them out too soon. January babies will start up when older girls do their first big summer molt. June babies... well they're worth a lot that next Spring as fresh layers when everyone else has chicks.