Who will be using lights this winter?

Just like the heading says, who will be using extra light in their coops this winter?
I did last winter cause I wanted eggs from the ladies that were not old enough to start laying before the shortened days. It worked great and I got eggs all winter, very steadily.
What I didn't like was in the spring they all went broody or into a light molt and I didn't have a good egg supply when I wanted to do some hatching. Is this what happens when there is light supplement in the coops through the summer? Last year was the first time I had done it.
I am thinking of just starting with the lights slowly after the shortest day and then bring them into spring a bit early, but not work them hard all winter.
I would love to hear others thoughts and feedback about this. I am still getting the whole 'winter thing with chickens' down. We were -5C this morning, that is why it is on my mind now.

I'm not this year because I have a young flock of Miller Brown Leghorns (Isabrowns?) rather are laying enough eggs at present. The year old Wyandottes are changing clothes and have given up the egg laying task for now.

Last year was the first year I used lighting in the coop. I didn't start until January, but what I did, was keep the light on for 2 hours after sunset. I used a sensor, so it would come on at dark, then it has a built in timer, to adjust for length of time you want it on.
My problem was this;
My coop has an 8X32 enclosed run attached to it. The coop itself is elevated, 4 feet up, to maximize sheltered ground beneath it in the wet and cold weather. Outside the coop, is another 8X8 covered area with perches about 5 feet up.
With the light coming on at dusk, almost all my birds took up roosting outside on the perches, instead of in the coop.
I don't blame them either, could you sleep with the lights on?
Anyway, last winter was fine, I let them sleep outside, but this winter is supposed to be one of the third coldest in the past 20 years, so I don't think I want to make any chickensicles.
If it's as cold as they speculate, I won't use a light this year, if not, then I'll turn it on in December perhaps.

Interesting to hear what others have done. I have one pullet that has started to lay and a couple I think may be, but are hiding them. (note to self, get the roof done!)
Hillbilly, I put the light on in the mornings last winter, got everyone out of bed early and made them earn their feed! I was having the same trouble with them not wanting to be inside as long with he lights on.

I hope you cooked them breakfast, getting them up early like that!

I thought about the morning light instead, but the timer I had, was not designed that way.
Then, procrastination got the better of me...

I keep the red Heat lamp on 24 hours a day in winter,I wonder if the red light bothers them at night. Maybe I should build a box around it so they get the heat but not the light??? What do the rest of you do with regard to heat lamps?

I also use a red heat lamp. I place it in between two waterers to keep the water from freezing. I don't think the red light bothers them at night.

I think maybe after the winter solstice I will set my mechanical timer to turn the light in the henhouse on at about 5:00 AM and then to shut off at around 7:00 pm.
Last year I started it in October but this year I think I will wait to boost them as the pullets are all laying at the moment and I don't have many older girls like we did last year.
The rooster house of course will get no such rude awakening...

mirycreek wrote:I think maybe after the winter solstice I will set my mechanical timer to turn the light in the henhouse on at about 5:00 AM and then to shut off at around 7:00 pm.
Last year I started it in October but this year I think I will wait to boost them as the pullets are all laying at the moment and I don't have many older girls like we did last year.
The rooster house of course will get no such rude awakening...

The boys will be sleeping in while the girls get to work, sounds so typical.......

In my experience, I HAVE To use a light if I want any amount of eggs during the winter. The first 2 winters all I had was the red light, and no windows in the coop. The chickens had no idea what time of day it was. Poor things.

Last year I had a light on a timer, pretty much year round exept right in high summer. Its on for 15 hours a day. Comes on at about 6, goes off at 9. That made a HUGE difference. I got nearly an egg a day from everyone eveen though many of my birds were in their 2nd, some even in their 3rd laying cycle. I went from about 4 eggs a day from 30 birds, to almost 2 dozen (there was about 5 roosters in there). BIG difference. And since I didnt stop the light until the days were loong enough on their own, I never encountered any sort of molt in the spring.

Good question! I was just wondering about how to approach this for the winter too. Interested to read all your answers. We have a dry cold winter with days of -40 C but then days of plus 5 C with gale force winds.

Last year I had guinea fowl and silkies and I find they need the heat boost of a red light, but this year I just have a few older bantams and then lots of white chantecler, buckeyes and a few buff orpingtons (assuming they aren't all sold soon) and they are winter hardy (apart from the buff orpington rooster combs). I'd rather have more eggs in spring summer so I think I'll start with no heat/no light and then if I find it is getting too cold or no eggs at all I'll put a red light on a timer and add a few hours to the day. I have a lot of birds this year and keep the water outside to keep humidity down and keep the water cleaner (it means refilling often but many of my birds seem to prefer snow anyway) so the insulated coop can get reasonably warm just from the number of birds.

Anyway, I'd rather start accustoming them to the cold at the start and just add heat if necessary, rather than starting with heat. I think they do get used to quite a bit of cold if you start that way. Gets them used to coming inside at dusk too!

chickens can not see red light, so red light wont help at all. we will be using lights. on at 7 off at 7, we have 15 hours now but cutting back

cornel, that is only 12 hours. Have you found that will keep them laying or is it more a convenience for you?

just convenience for me. i dont really want eggs, as i dont want to start hatching until january

Once it's cold, I run a RED heat lamp 24/7. I hang it about 3 feet off the floor, below roost height, this reduces the glare. My aim is not to provide light, but to keep the eggs from freezing. THe walls and ceiling are insulated with 6" fiberglass, but the floor isn't and this was one of the dumbest things we ever did. That hen house gets COLD!

I figure the girls produce well all summer, they are entitled to a rest in the winter. And I have never had them completely stop laying anyway. Maybe a slow down, but not a stoppage. I would be more concerned if I depended on egg sales for an income. Now I just depend on them to keep the neighbours happy.

We use lights in the winter, we only have one window in our main coop and it faces north so not a lot of light get's in there, and when it ices over even less gets in so we use the lights. We tend to do 12 hours over winter as well, whatever eggs we get we get. I increase to 15/16 hours when I want them to increase laying usually in February.

Just curious what bulb wattage people are using? I know they dont need much but how much is enough?


Its funny becuase I have been telling my husband for several weeks now we need to get a light in the hen house and this thred finally got me into home depot today to pick up supplies! That and the fact that out of 40ish hens I got 9 eggs today Half which are pullet eggs and they are not making the customers very happy!

Anne

We have 13-14 hrs of light on in our coop 365 days a year. Because of the flying predators here, and the lay-out of our land, our coop is in a hillside & treed area, under a huuuuuuuuuuge spruce type tree, so it gets very little natural light. There is a big window in one end, and the door to enter the coop is a glass pane type door, but still, not enough natural light. I'm not sure what wattage of bulbs, I think between 70-100? We had an electrician come and set up the coop with the timer, and it's own breaker box (LOL!) as well as had plumbing done (no toilet) so it's pretty well set up. If only we could trade the giant tarp in for a REAL roof... maybe Santa will come through this year.......

^ Sounds nice Briarwood. I dream of having both power/running water in my future barn coops.

I’m already using a compact fluorescent (60 watt but seems alot brighter) in the mini-barn because the buildings' small windows don’t provide enough light. I wouldn’t want to live in the dark and don’t think the chickens do either. The light is all manual though, and dependant upon when I get my hiney out there to turn it on.

As for heat, I don’t usually use it, preferring my birds to become naturally accustomed to the cold. I will break out the red heat light if we're having a particularly bad cold spell. And I admit to being a little worried about my BR cockerels freezing their lovely combs this year. The roo coop where they'll be living is well insulated and ventilated, so hopefully that will be enough to prevent any frostbite.

Anyone have success with using Vaseline as a preventive barrier?

I haven't been using any extra light and I have found that laying was still pretty good. Last year was miserable cold but I was still able to add extra egg customers in February. I think there are so many variables you can't say to do or don't do is right or wrong, depends what you want or need. For me, I want my white chanteclers to thrive and produce to their intended purpose and reason for the creation of the breed. It is one of my selection criteria for breeding so no extra heat or light for them. My heritage RIR, I expect to be winter hardy and reasonable producers in the winter. They have done well, and have laid well even on the darkest coldest days. Not exactly planned (but due to lack of space in the barn) I kept my extra RIR cockerals in my arcs last winter. They all did really well, except for a couple did get frost bite, a couple no frost bite at all and the rest just a tinge on the very tips. I had wondered if this variability in susceptibility to frostbite was related to how good their general circulation was. I suspected this theory even more when my biggest Rooster who suffered the worst frost bite (he was10.5 lbs at one year), suddenly keeled over one morning this summer from a heart attack just after I fed him. This year (in much more planned fashion), I'm keeping my white Chantie cockerals in the arcs, I don't think we can get a much colder winter than we did last year and I won't have to worry about frost bite with them. I'm confident that they will do just fine.

I have red heat lamps for heat in spots.

I also run florescent lights on a morning timer to round out the light to 14-16 hours daily.

Why just a morning timer? I like the light to slowly fade in the evening so that the birds have time to find their evening perches.

Right now all the birds are young or moulting and I have none laying. Once the barn is prepared and all are wormed and innoculated I will put them in their pens and begin light therapy.

I hope they start laying soon. Doug just bought fake carton eggs, Lord help us!

Sue

I have a heat mat I'm using for my Peafowl with a heated water dish. Im using a reptile heat lamp for my cotunix quail (Setting them in the garage).

We don't need them for heat here, but we hang a trouble light plugged into a timer just to keep the eggs going. It's been off lately as our extension cord stopped working. Since then from 7 hens I get 2 eggs at the most, sometimes one and sometimes none, so the light must have been working.

schipper: your birds will get used to the lights going off at a certain time each day and will be sitting on perches about 20 min before they go off. my experience anyways.

I finally have my lights up and going. Hopefully egg production will ramp up shortly! I just sent 14 sex linked hens to my father as I wanted to down size those guys. Most were molting but it turns out still laying. Production has taken a dive and its mostly pullet eggs! Customers are not happy with the wee eggs!

Oh well thats the egg business

Anne