Pros and Cons of Lighting Your Chicken Coop
Why You Should Light Your Chicken Coop
1. Due to reduced daylight hours and the fact that hens often molt in the late fall, egg production drastically decreases over the winter. In order to make up for the shortage of sunshine, additional light will stimulate the hen's pituitary gland, which instructs her ovaries to produce an egg. In many parts of the nation, the sun only shines for around eight hours each day throughout the winter, but hens require about 14 hours of light per day to produce eggs. Since the majority of hens come from tropical locations, their bodies are just not designed to produce eggs in the dim winter light. Early in the morning and late at night, a lamp set on a timer can assist keep your ladies in the routine and keep your egg basket full.
2. You can occasionally use a coop light to keep your hens a little bit warmer throughout the winter, especially in harsh locations. Heat lamps may be used to keep chickens warm in the winter as well as to keep young chicks warm when they first leave the hatchery. The temperatures would have to be really low for chickens to need so additional heat because they are incredibly tough and have fluffy feathers. A temperature of about 40 degrees has been suggested by several poultry experts as best for chickens.
3. Red lights are the most effective type of lighting for a chicken coop, according to several poultry specialists. The goal is to keep your girls tranquil by using a red bulb's soft glow. Remember that adding a red light bulb to your hen house won't enhance egg production since hens don't see red light as daylight. Red light does not affect hens negatively since they do not see it as daylight. There are several theories that claim red illumination makes it difficult for hens to distinguish between combs and wattles, which deters hen-pecking and cannibalism. Despite the lack of evidence, there may be advantages over disadvantages, especially as red lights won't have the same harmful impact on chickens as white lights do.
4. You can see your duties while you're taking care of the hens, which is another good reason to keep your coop illuminated on a timer or with an accessible switch. You'll need some extra light to make sure you've located all the eggs, supplied enough feed and water, and seen for an exact head count if you have a day job or just need to get the morning chicken chores done. Because you just need to wear it when you're conducting your daily activities, the impacts on the chickens are minor.
Why You Shouldn't Light Your Coop
1. According to many chicken keepers, supplementary lighting, which forces your chickens to continue laying eggs, is extremely harmful to their internal systems and can lead to serious health issues. Despite the fact that these hypotheses are untested, the possible consequences have the power to deter many farmers from using supplementary illumination. Ovarian cancer, egg binding, and vent prolapse are a few of the potential adverse effects. All of these ailments have catastrophic outcomes if untreated.
2. The risk of a fire is the most evident adverse impact of a coop light, especially if you use a heat lamp. It can be quite unsafe to have a heat source next to dry sawdust and hay, probable sparking, and unsecured wiring. Any lighting system should be installed with every safety measure possible to prevent fire since coop fires can have catastrophic consequences.
3. Light bulbs can break, and even if they don't cause a coop fire, there might still be further repercussions. A single drop of water may cause a hot light bulb to break, and coop lights are frequently subjected to the flapping wings and curious pecks of chickens. If you elect to light your coop, it is crucial to locate the lighting mechanism high on the ceiling and out of your hens' reach. You may also want to think about covering the fixture with chicken wire to keep it safe. In a coop floor's shavings, a shattered bulb will leave hundreds of tiny, razor-sharp fragments that are difficult to locate. "Shatterproof" bulbs are not a choice since they discharge poisons that are lethal to hens, and these shards will sever your hen's feet.
4. Any alteration to a chicken's normal cycles may worry your chickens. Prior to any negative effects on your health, stress will have an impact on how your hen behaves. Stressed hens are more likely to engage in cannibalism and hen-pecking. To build up your hen's tolerance while lighting your coop, start out slowly and use only a 25 or 40-watt lamp. White lights shouldn't be left on continuously since hens will mistake them for sunlight and won't sleep at night. Use a light solely to provide them with 14 to 16 hours of "sun" each day, and if you're using a timer, make sure it turns on and off at the proper intervals.
If you plan to sell your eggs professionally, lighting your coop may be vital to make sure that your chickens are laying, and red lights have been proved to improve chicken health in general. But use additional caution around any exposed electrical wiring or lighting in your coop, and avoid overstressing your hens if you do not stand to gain from it.
