Supplemental lighting with my setup?

[pibb]

My coop is about 3.5' x 3.5'. Basically big enough for them to roost above the floor and also have 3 nest boxes on floor level. I keep the food and water outside in the run.

This doesn't make sense to me to light the coop up as the birds will just be sitting there looking at the wall. No room to play, just enough to move around and get outside basically. When they wake up they will be hungry, but the food and water will be outside in the dark.

Do I have to light up the run too or what do other people do with a small coop?

 

[ChickNanny13]

How many birds do you have?
The recommended coop space per chicken is 4sq ft while the run space 10sq ft per bird & 1 nest box per 4 birds, they love to bunch up in one but having 2 gives them the option.

If you're feeding & watering in the run, is the run secure from predators & rodents?
Don't think it necessary to light up your coop & don't think they'll be up before dawn. Will you be letting them out to the run or have an automatic door or will there be no door to shut them in?

Picture of your set up would help

 

[pibb]

I have 5 hens and a rooster. Yes the run is encolsed top and sides. One part of the run is 4'x8' and another part is 7'x8' and everything is connected together. I always leave the coop door open. They can come and go from the coop to the run as they please.

 

[aart]

If you want to use supplemental lighting for winter laying,
then yes, IMO they need light and feed/water in the same place.

 

[GC-Raptor]

Do I have to light up the run too or what do other people do with a small coop?

Both my coops are small, 20 square feet and the other 22.5 square feet.
I light up inside the coops and outside in the pens.

. GC

 

[pibb]

So I would have to use two bulbs, one in the coop and another in the run. The water and food is at the end of the coop ramp so that would be completely lighted. In the far end of the run it might be 50% lighted as I visualize it. The coop and run sit inside an electric fenced in garden, but the run is still locked up at night so they will not be in the garden area.

Do your chickens venture out into the darker areas or stay within the brightly lighted areas?

I have a digital timer. I see no need in running the lights in the daytime. What time do you turn your lights on and off?

 

[Spartan22]

Lighting the coop or run is a personal choice, on my first year with chickens I have light in the coop from 5:30 am to 7:30 am during winter months since I have a big coop and I kept feeders inside. The 2nd winter I moved all feeders and waterers in the run including the light on timer since I’ve noticed that they prefer to go in the run when they wake up anyways (I keep the coop/run acces 24/7).

The 3rd year, I decided not to use any lighting in the winter at all and dedicated the extension wires for the water heaters for their multiple waterers.

 

[GC-Raptor]

So I would have to use two bulbs, one in the coop and another in the run.

I actually have 3 LED bulbs outside the coop. 2 above the windows.

. And 1 below the nest boxes.

. Inside I have a nightlight and a bulb.

. So there are no dark areas. All bulbs are LED and use a total of 28 watts.
I turn on all lights at 5 am. I turn off the outside lights at 9 am, year round.
The light inside the coop stays on all day till 15 minutes after sunset. Currently 4:50. It changes weekly. At the beginning of summer sunset here is 8:30. GC

 

[Ridgerunner]

My coop is about 3.5' x 3.5'. Basically big enough for them to roost above the floor and also have 3 nest boxes on floor level. I keep the food and water outside in the run.

This doesn't make sense to me to light the coop up as the birds will just be sitting there looking at the wall. No room to play, just enough to move around and get outside basically. When they wake up they will be hungry, but the food and water will be outside in the dark.

Do I have to light up the run too or what do other people do with a small coop?

Why do you want to light up the coop and/or run? I did not see where you mentioned that. Chickens do a lot better if they have a period of darkness. Providing constant light can lead to egg-laying problems and is not good for behaviors either. Just like the wild birds they don't need to eat at night. In Knoxville your longest nights aren't all that long as far as chickens not eating or drinking.

If you are extending lights to try to get them to not molt and lay eggs the typical thing is to provide some extra light but also provide a period of darkness. Some people turn the lights on in the morning and let them go to bed as the sun sets, some let them wake up with the sun and turn the lights off at a certain time, and some provide some light in the morning and some at night but give them several hours of darkness.

With the pop door always open your space available is the entire coop plus run. Your coop would be pretty small for that number of chickens if you kept them locked in there for extended portions of time but you don't keep them locked in.

You said the food and water is at the foot of the ramp and would be lit up with a coop light. While they don't need food and water when it is dark outside they will eat and drink if it is available. From what I envision I don't see any need at all for you to light up our run further.

 

[pibb]

Cool setup.

Well I was wanting lights for egg laying, didn't think about molting. I was going to use the timer to provide darkness. The more I think about it, I think I will just leave it be.