Supplemental lighting question

[Grizzlydog]

Ive been reading posts in here about supplemental lighting and from what I can see, I need about 12-14 hours of total light per day to continue egg production.
The articles suggest the artificial light to come on in the morning, and that time is determined by subtracting 14 from the earliest sunset. In my northern area, that would be 2:18am! That seems kind of early to me, but because this will be our first winter with chickens, I'll do what is necessary.
Thoughts? Opinions??

Thanks all

 

[TheKindaFarmGal]

I wouldn't give any lighting. Let your hens have the natural break that is healthy and good for them.

But if that's the way you want to go, then you could do it the way you said. Maybe turn on the light a hour or two later.

 

[Akrnaf2]

I wouldn't give any lighting. Let your hens have the natural break that is healthy and good for them.

But if that's the way you want to go, then you could do it the way you said. Maybe turn on the light a hour or two later.

There is nothing natural in a bird laying 280- 330 eggs a year.
I give all year long light, I have a 8W LED bulb that begins at 19:00 to 24:00 (the time changes according the season ) 3 things happens
1: they lay very good all year long, and they do manage to regulate their laying
2. They have a very mild molth never loosing a big percentage of their feathears
3. They don't molth in autumn or winter, (which it is stupid from a homothermic Critter point of view to do!) They molt in the beginning /middle of summer which is much more logical to do!

 

[Cindy in PA]

Yes, my light in the winter goes on between 2:30 & 3 a.m. Not a problem if you keep food & water in the house & don't have roosters, otherwise it could be. 12 Hours may get the laying done. You would have to try it & see.

 

[Grizzlydog]

I was going off this article that was posted in the coop build forum. Thanks for the input!

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/09/supplemental-light-in-coop-why-how.html?m=1

 

[lazy gardener]

Hey Grizzly: your choice to provide supplemental lighting is a personal choice. Don't let the "don't do it" folks intimidate you from what you perceive as a method you want to try. I live at 44.5 parallel, and if I relied only on natural lighting, my flock would be free loading a good part of the year. It's unreasonable to compare the chicken of today with the chicken of 100 years ago in terms of production. You raise a valid point in terms of the "provide light in the AM" suggestion, and I have chosen my own method instead of following the lemmings. Here's a copy of a recent post to an other person:

I provide lights here. But, I do my lighting a bit differently from all of the "they said" advice. "They say" to give them their light in the morning, so that they have a normal dusk. "They say" that if you give them supplemental lighting at the end of the day, that your birds will be caught off guard when lights suddenly go out after dark. "They say" to give your birds 14 hours of total light. IF, I followed all of the "they say" advice, my coop light would come on at 2:30 AM. My rooster would start crowing at 2:30 AM. My birds would start laying their first eggs of the day shortly after 2:30 AM. My eggs would all be frozen by the time I got up, had a bite to eat, and went out to the coop to feed and water and gather those first eggs. No thank you.

I let my birds have a natural slow down in the fall. When egg count gets down to the point where I fear running out, and when my customers start begging for more eggs, I start ramping up the light. (Usually starting in late October.) I add 1/2 - 1 hour/week. By the time they are at a 14 hour day, the schedule looks like this: Light on 6:30 - 10:00 AM, and 3:00 - 8:30 PM. I have a solar light near the bulb. When the LED goes off, the solar light clicks on and gives them a "night light" for a bit. But, honestly, they really don't need the night light. They are always up on the perch before the light goes out at 8:30 PM. They seem to become very well tuned into the light cycle and respond accordingly.

Additionally, current research points to providing light that leans toward the red spectrum. (warm light)

 

[TheKindaFarmGal]

Hey Grizzly: your choice to provide supplemental lighting is a personal choice. Don't let the "don't do it" folks intimidate you from what you perceive as a method you want to try. I live at 44.5 parallel, and if I relied only on natural lighting, my flock would be free loading a good part of the year. It's unreasonable to compare the chicken of today with the chicken of 100 years ago in terms of production. You raise a valid point in terms of the "provide light in the AM" suggestion, and I have chosen my own method instead of following the lemmings. Here's a copy of a recent post to an other person:

I provide lights here. But, I do my lighting a bit differently from all of the "they said" advice. "They say" to give them their light in the morning, so that they have a normal dusk. "They say" that if you give them supplemental lighting at the end of the day, that your birds will be caught off guard when lights suddenly go out after dark. "They say" to give your birds 14 hours of total light. IF, I followed all of the "they say" advice, my coop light would come on at 2:30 AM. My rooster would start crowing at 2:30 AM. My birds would start laying their first eggs of the day shortly after 2:30 AM. My eggs would all be frozen by the time I got up, had a bite to eat, and went out to the coop to feed and water and gather those first eggs. No thank you.

I let my birds have a natural slow down in the fall. When egg count gets down to the point where I fear running out, and when my customers start begging for more eggs, I start ramping up the light. (Usually starting in late October.) I add 1/2 - 1 hour/week. By the time they are at a 14 hour day, the schedule looks like this: Light on 6:30 - 10:00 AM, and 3:00 - 8:30 PM. I have a solar light near the bulb. When the LED goes off, the solar light clicks on and gives them a "night light" for a bit. But, honestly, they really don't need the night light. They are always up on the perch before the light goes out at 8:30 PM. They seem to become very well tuned into the light cycle and respond accordingly.

Additionally, current research points to providing light that leans toward the red spectrum. (warm light)

This sounds much better to me...good post.

 

[lazy gardener]

This sounds much better to me...good post.

And, your method (no supplemental lighting) is just as valid as mine.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

What a great site we have, all good advice, and you do what is best for you and your flock. I am in the gulf south, so don't need to worry about winter lighting. My girls lay okay without it. Also don't need to worry much about cold. Very few freezes here.

 

[Akrnaf2]

There is no different, from the bird POV, if you artificially prolong the day from the beginning of it or from the end! But ther is a HUGE DIFFERENCE from yours! You really don't want your flock starting they day at 3 AM!