Using a Light to keep production up? Pros/Cons

[aart]

I think how the light is applied makes a difference in how detrimental it can be.
If the birds get to molt(and 'rest') then they'll be fine...
...if they just keep laying and laying then yes it can degrade their overall health.
Leaving it on all year can facilitate both the natural decreases/increases as well as provide more light overall for hormone production.
That's about what I do now, and I do bump it up around mid December after most have molted.

 

[Acre4Me]

Just because something is less detrimental than something else doesn’t make it harmless. I don’t quite understand that logic.

Simply because I don't choose to live in fear of all the "OMG"s out there. Did you know that you can die from drinking too much water?? OMG!!!! but, I'll still drink water - it is essential, I'll just drink what I need and not too much! Did you know that cancer is bad? Of course! But, sometimes it is not operated on! OMG!! Why? bc the surgery is worse and the cancer less worse in certain situations, so the person lives their life until they die of some other illness or malady!

And so on and so forth.

There are many things that can be found out, but not all are worthy of our concern and fear. In fact, I can go out today and breathe in some horrible germ (fact!) but, I'll still go out and breathe in and out bc the risk and concern are low.

No need for a dissertation on lighting either!

 

[Tesumph]

Simply because I don't choose to live in fear of all the "OMG"s out there. Did you know that you can die from drinking too much water?? OMG!!!! but, I'll still drink water - it is essential, I'll just drink what I need and not too much! Did you know that cancer is bad? Of course! But, sometimes it is not operated on! OMG!! Why? bc the surgery is worse and the cancer less worse in certain situations, so the person lives their life until they die of some other illness or malady!

And so on and so forth.

There are many things that can be found out, but not all are worthy of our concern and fear. In fact, I can go out today and breathe in some horrible germ (fact!) but, I'll still go out and breathe in and out bc the risk and concern are low.

No need for a dissertation on lighting either!

There’s no fear here. The OP asked if supplemental lighting can be harmful. The answer is yes.

 

[Acre4Me]

There’s no fear here. The OP asked if supplemental lighting can be harmful. The answer is yes.

And yes, water is harmful too!

backyard chicken keepers are not going to be applying light to the extent of a commercial operation. You should be willing to acknowledge that the “harm” you perceive is low. The “harm” is less than most things backyard keepers have to be concerned about. The benefit of getting some eggs from the chickens one is keeping and feeding outweighs (in my POV) the perceived “harm”. So far, you are set on putting the very low risk that lights might cause a chicken on par with much more real dangers and risks. I see a gradation of risk/benefit when considering chicken keeping.

 

[Tesumph]

And yes, water is harmful too!

backyard chicken keepers are not going to be applying light to the extent of a commercial operation. You should be willing to acknowledge that the “harm” you perceive is low. The “harm” is less than most things backyard keepers have to be concerned about. The benefit of getting some eggs from the chickens one is keeping and feeding outweighs (in my POV) the perceived “harm”. So far, you are set on putting the very low risk that lights might cause a chicken on par with much more real dangers and risks. I see a gradation of risk/benefit when considering chicken keeping.

We’re not talking about water. We’re talking about lighting.

I agree that the effects of artificial lighting in a backyard flock will be less than in a commercially raised caged hen. I disagree that the benefit of eggs outweighs the potential for health issues.
Like I said earlier, that comes from my own personal goals of what I want out of my chickens. I’m not interested in taking risks to maximize production. If you are, or you don’t see a risk to begin with, that’s fine and within your right. I already said I found no personal issue with other people using supplemental light.
What’s more important to me is that people have all of the facts and knowledge needed to make their own decisions for their own birds.

 

[Folly's place]

I'm with @Acre4Me on this one, and haven't seen studies that are actually pertinent to the birds and conditions most of us deal with. Mixed flock of heritage birds who have 'outside time', whether free ranging or not, and eating diverse diets, don't resemble the conditions those caged hybrid layers experience.
As was mentioned, hens don't 'run out of' yolks in their lifetime, they experience difficulties of one sort or another which cause illness or at least slow egg production.
Nearly nobody selects breeding stock for longevity, and this includes most private breeders too. Hens generally produce for one or maybe two years, and then are eliminated from the breeding pens. Not everywhere, but pretty close.
I use a dim light 4am to8am over winter, so there are more eggs than otherwise. Birds still molt, go broody, or whatever, regardless, and that's fine. they did the same without lighting here, just produced fewer eggs.
Talking to poultry experts, many hens are sick or dying by age three, a sad state of affairs, IMO. My oldest hens have reached age ten, and a number have been four to six when becoming ill.
Some breeds tend to live longer, perhaps including game bred birds, who also lay many fewer eggs (closer to wild type) and are a lot 'feistier' with each other.
Mary

 

[Tesumph]

I'm with @Acre4Me on this one, and haven't seen studies that are actually pertinent to the birds and conditions most of us deal with. Mixed flock of heritage birds who have 'outside time', whether free ranging or not, and eating diverse diets, don't resemble the conditions those caged hybrid layers experience.
As was mentioned, hens don't 'run out of' yolks in their lifetime, they experience difficulties of one sort or another which cause illness or at least slow egg production.
Nearly nobody selects breeding stock for longevity, and this includes most private breeders too. Hens generally produce for one or maybe two years, and then are eliminated from the breeding pens. Not everywhere, but pretty close.
I use a dim light 4am to8am over winter, so there are more eggs than otherwise. Birds still molt, go broody, or whatever, regardless, and that's fine. they did the same without lighting here, just produced fewer eggs.
Talking to poultry experts, many hens are sick or dying by age three, a sad state of affairs, IMO. My oldest hens have reached age ten, and a number have been four to six when becoming ill.
Some breeds tend to live longer, perhaps including game bred birds, who also lay many fewer eggs (closer to wild type) and are a lot 'feistier' with each other.
Mary

It is unfortunate that there aren’t more studies done on small scale poultry keeping. Hopefully that will change with the rising popularity of keeping backyard chickens.

 

[Folly's place]

Studies cost $$$, and funding is pretty much non-existent in the small flock sector. If we all want studies done, form groups, join breed clubs, and SPEND!
Mary

 

[WGHowell]

Using lights (red heat lamps) seems to work good for me . I keep them far enough away that it don't harm them ,but gives them a little warmth on some of the colder nights. My chickens lay better during the winter than the summer because of the extreme heat we have during the summer. It's been a month and a half since we have had any rain to speak of so for me having the heat lamps on during the winter works. I have 20 hens and at this time I'm only getting 1 or 2 a day. In the south the heat is an egg killer for sure. Hopefully the cool down want be to far away and they will start laying again.

 

[aart]

Using lights (red heat lamps) seems to work good for me .

Red heat lights won't help extend laying,
it takes white light to stimulate hormone release.