Lighting's Significance
For the purpose of laying eggs, layers need 14 hours of light each day. This happens each spring as the days become longer and the hen's reproductive system adjusts to the more light.
Egg production is also impacted by the early autumn decline in daylight hours. In this way, during the most trying period of the year, nature keeps babies from hatching and dying.
This pause also gives the chickens a chance to replenish their protein and calcium stores after months of almost continuous egg production. Artificial light must be added to change the normal manufacturing cycle of a layer.
The importance of timing
Lighting the coop is the quickest way to increase the production season of a flock of laying chickens. Even while it may appear simple, there are a lot of aspects to take into account. The most important of them is that any extra lighting needs to be timed so as not to disrupt your chickens' normal roosting routine.
This can be accomplished by lighting their coop in the morning rather than at night. As the day draws to a close, extend the duration of your coop lights until 14 hours of both artificial and natural light are present.
It is not a good idea to increase artificial illumination at night. They can't sleep when their circadian rhythm requires it. Because of the light, they are also more likely to stay out of their coops after dark, leaving them vulnerable to predators.
Incandescent versus fluorescent
If you want eggs from your chickens in winter, lighting time is crucial, but so is the kind of illumination.
It's not necessary to light up your chicken coop like your chickens were having a party. In order to have just enough light to read by, more lighting needs to be dimmed. For this reason, fluorescent lighting is often too intense for use in coops.
Furthermore, the dust that is always present in a coop is drawn to the long fluorescent lamps. As a result, it is necessary to regularly clean the fixture and the bulbs. Additionally, fluorescent lights behave oddly in colder climates, which makes them far less effective in an environment where eggs are produced.
Because incandescent lights come in a range of wattages and warmth levels, they are a better option.
Choose a warm, orange wavelength if you can. When compared to a cool, blue environment, this will support your hens' reproductive cycle. Compared to fluorescent lighting, incandescent lighting may be more expensive. However, the benefit of this trade-off is the way it affects your layers.
LED illumination
Light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs provide an additional option for coop illumination. Compared to incandescent and fluorescent lights, LED bulbs usually last longer and use less energy. They are the safest option to use inside a dirty coop because they produce a lot less heat than incandescent bulbs and are more dependable in colder areas than fluorescent lamps.
Warm-wavelength LED bulbs are very sought-after and occasionally hard to locate, and LED fixtures and bulbs are substantially more expensive than both incandescent and fluorescent lighting.
Battery-operated LED light fixtures could appear to be the answer for egg producers with unwired coops. Regretfully, flock keepers would need to turn on these touch-activated lights by going outside to their coops at roughly three in the morning.
Furthermore, there is no assurance that an inquisitive hen won't try to turn off the light with a peck.
Configuring
Make sure the lighting system is secured firmly, regardless of the model you choose. Because it could fall into the mattress underneath and ignite from the heat of the lightbulb, a loose fixture poses a fire threat.
Lights should be level with your feeder and waterer and positioned overhead, ideally on the ceiling. Make sure there are no exposed bulbs. It is advisable to have cages or panels protecting the bulbs in your light fixtures to avoid dust gathering and contact with debris in the event that the fixture falls.
Make sure there are no possible places for birds to perch on your fixture, the electrical cord, or the timer. In order to replace the light bulbs before they burn out and physically leave your layers in the dark, lastly, remember when you put the lights.
It was only natural for the young homesteader to be unhappy. Her partner and she had planned to grow hens without the need of electricity, as naturally as possible. She is merely altering her expectations for eggs from their birds from this winter to late spring, staying faithful to her initial plan for the time being.
If the tension becomes uncomfortable, she will have a thought-provoking conversation with her spouse.
