Wrath's Marans

[Tstraub]

How is it possible to not get notifications to your own thread?..that's a first.

Sunrise is at 8:03 tomorrow, I normally don't come out til 830-9, they have heated waterers, feed and windows in all coops.
First time doing this, what time should I turn lights on. I read gradually sooooooo....730 to start? Or earlier.

I've read enough to know not to keep lights on in the pm.

@Tstraub how do you start out?

I have been having issues getting notifications as well.

I’m using a timer like this one

I started it to turn on 1/2 hour before sunrise and stay on until 4:30 in the afternoon. I don’t think there is any benefit to going all the way to the afternoon but my in coop WiFi cameras benefit from the extra light and I’ve been watching them fairly regularly to try to catch new layers. I bumped the in time forward by 1/2 hour every 4-5 days whenever I remembered to do it. It’s currently set to come on about 3 am and I don’t plan to go any further forward because the days are about to get longer anyway. For the light I use a heat lamp fixture but not a heat bulb. The bulb is a warm white LED 40 watt equivalent.

 

[Tstraub]

Here is an article that explains things better than I can
https://the-chicken-chick.com/supplemental-light-in-coop-why-how/

 

[wrathsfarm]

I have been having issues getting notifications as well.

I’m using a timer like this one View attachment 4009834

I started it to turn on 1/2 hour before sunrise and stay on until 4:30 in the afternoon. I don’t think there is any benefit to going all the way to the afternoon but my in coop WiFi cameras benefit from the extra light and I’ve been watching them fairly regularly to try to catch new layers. I bumped the in time forward by 1/2 hour every 4-5 days whenever I remembered to do it. It’s currently set to come on about 3 am and I don’t plan to go any further forward because the days are about to get longer anyway. For the light I use a heat lamp fixture but not a heat bulb. The bulb is a warm white LED 40 watt equivalent.

Great info...thanks

The barn is lit up plus there's additional lights in all the coops. So I can separate if need be to just have coop lights or just the barn lights on if I want to.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Here is an article that explains things better than I can
https://the-chicken-chick.com/supplemental-light-in-coop-why-how/

Thanks for this, I'll give it a read.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

How is it possible to not get notifications to your own thread?..that's a first.

Sunrise is at 8:03 tomorrow, I normally don't come out til 830-9, they have heated waterers, feed and windows in all coops.
First time doing this, what time should I turn lights on. I read gradually sooooooo....730 to start? Or earlier.

I've read enough to know not to keep lights on in the pm.

@Tstraub how do you start out?

I use lights on a timer in the winter (2 yrs now), my timer is in 30 minute intervals, I start with 30, then a week and a half later another 30 and so on. Right now, my lights come on 2hrs before sunrise which gives them about 12 1/2 hrs of light a day. The first year I did this it took about 2 months before the laying commenced. I also have lights in my run that are solar powered (they charge during the day and come on when it's dark) so I can set their auto door to open early and they can go outside and not be cooped up. For whatever reason it won't let me post the links, rope lights are in the coop, the others in the run

 

[wrathsfarm]

I use lights on a timer in the winter (2 yrs now), my timer is in 30 minute intervals, I start with 30, then a week and a half later another 30 and so on. Right now, my lights come on 2hrs before sunrise which gives them about 12 1/2 hrs of light a day. The first year I did this it took about 2 months before the laying commenced. I also have lights in my run that are solar powered (they charge during the day and come on when it's dark) so I can set their auto door to open early and they can go outside and not be cooped up. For whatever reason it won't let me post the links, rope lights are in the coop, the others in the run

Great info thank you for sharing.

I'll have to think about lighting up the runs a bit more. I don't have a problem with power and have the lights it's just the neighbor I worry about.
9 boys at the moment crowing outside at 4am? You get the jist...
May have to delay the run lights on a separate timer or.....

I've offered her eggs but she says she only buys store bought. Home grown make her sick....her words. The other neighbor on her other side sells eggs also (no roo) so it's possible she might get eggs from them and is just being nice declining my offer and she hasn't realized Marans eggs taste soooo much better yet.

 

[2ndTink]

Great info thank you for sharing.

I'll have to think about lighting up the runs a bit more. I don't have a problem with power and have the lights it's just the neighbor I worry about.
9 boys at the moment crowing outside at 4am? You get the jist...
May have to delay the run lights on a separate timer or.....

I've offered her eggs but she says she only buys store bought. Home grown make her sick....her words. The other neighbor on her other side sells eggs also (no roo) so it's possible she might get eggs from them and is just being nice declining my offer and she hasn't realized Marans eggs taste soooo much better yet.

If Marans eggs taste soooo much better, I need to experience this too

I have somewhere around 16 boys and they crow even with the lights off starting about 3:30 or 4 am

 

[Auntiejessi3]

I'll have to think about lighting up the runs a bit more. I don't have a problem with power and have the lights it's just the neighbor I worry about.
9 boys at the moment crowing outside at 4am? You get the jist...
May have to delay the run lights on a separate timer or.....

I haven't done the run lights this year yet, I was just paranoid about the littles being out there But there have been no problems in the coop, so it'll stay like it is for now. You are such a courteous neighbor! She can keep her dirty, old, store-bought eggs, more power to ya lady

 

[Auntiejessi3]

If Marans eggs taste soooo much better, I need to experience this too

I have somewhere around 16 boys and they crow even with the lights off starting about 3:30 or 4 am

My neighbor has a ton of roos too right now and hers do the same. I don't care, doesn't bother me.

 

[2ndTink]

My neighbor has a ton of roos too right now and hers do the same. I don't care, doesn't bother me.

We've been working on keeping out roo numbers down. We had significantly more over the summer