Chook Me!

Will i put a light in the chicken coop for the hens?

my hens arnt laying because the arnt getting enough day light in winter could i put a light in the chicken coop to give them more light and they might lay and what type of light would i put in and a avreage price thanks adam from tippeary ireland please help me?

Public Comments

1. they arent sitting on them because it is too cold. Light has nothing to do with it trust me... if they did sit on the eggs they would probably get sick and stop sitting on the eggs. Just collect the eggs so that they'll lay more
2. dont put a light in there, leave them be, naturallly they should follow seasonal changes anyway, you should actually leave eggs in there (or keep fake eggs in there) to encourage them to lay, taking them away wont make them lay more. besides, they could be going through molt so they wouldnt be laying during this period anyway. b4 assuming it is because of light, make sure they are very clean, have no parasites (including worms which most chicken owners forget about! gape worm especially can be deadly if left untreated.) have plenty of nesting material, are being fed enough top quality corn and layers pellets and enough grit (the best quality layers have grit already supplied so you may not even have to provide extra grits.) make sure their run area isnt bogged down to much (if ur living in the UK, you'll know what the weather's been like lately!) you can put wood chip down which is not treated, safe and friendly, it should soak up water and stop your hens from GETTING gape worm, they come up from the ground in very wet conditions. good luck with your hens, im sure this is just a temporary thing... hope i helped =] JC
3. A cheap, dual florescent light fixture will work fine. That will increase your egg production.
4. If you do put a light in please do not leave it on at night. I know a man that did that and his chickens didn't get any sleep, and I guess they ate all night. They grew so large their legs couldn't support their bodies,and they died.I've never had any chickens but this man told me what he had done and I thought "how stupid" of him.I'm sure you know this, but thought I would mention it.
5. I have birds and I let this all go natural and the birds do great so you have less eggs the birds need a long rest just like we do when we work every day for months with no real rest. The age, light, nutrition's, and weather all play a factor in the egg laying process.Hens do take a day or so and stop laying for a rest.You can place a red bulb for heat and very little light but the birds can rest with this a reg they wont be able to will believe its day all the time unless you unplug or place on a timer. Automatic chicken light Timer Come on @ 5 am and off @6pm activated by the sunlight Use a 40 watt bulb with a reflector 4 every 2oo sq ft of coop/pen/house no reflector use a 60 watt have to have where the birds wont get hurt or knock it around. If have a smaller coop/pen/house use a smaller buld such as a 25 watt for 100 sq feet. Try and let the birds do what comes natural its not right to have the birds lay ALL THE TIME..............
6. Winter is a chicken's "resting time" when they slow down egg production naturally, and you can make them lay more with a light. A chicken only will lay a certain number of eggs in her life, though. Putting a light in their coop will make them lay more eggs in the winter, but they will stop laying altogether earlier than if you go without a light.
7. check out this guy's website
8. I keep a 60 watt compact fluorescent bulb in my coop to extend the hours of the day. Birds need 15 hours of day light to keep laying, so I keep my light on a timer. It does not harm them. My birds have been laying for years, without any bad effects. They are healthy and happy. Think about chickens who live closer to the equator: they have naturally longer days and are not sick because of it, nor do they have shorter lives because of the light. If you have your chickens for eggs, then put up the light and get healthy, home-raised eggs this winter. Take care of your birds, and they will take care of you. I do not notice an increase in my electric bill when I use the CFL bulb, but if you use a heat lamp or an incandescent bulb, you will probably notice an increase in your bill.
9. Chickens and all birds are genetically programmed to lay eggs in the spring and summer so the chicks will grow large enough to survive on their own before winter. They get their cues to lay from the amount of light in a day. Peak production needs at least 14 hours of light a day. Extending daylight with a lamp will stimulate laying. Chickens do best when the light is at the end of the day. They seem to like the gradual light that comes with sunrise. A sudden change from light to dark doesn't seem to bother them. I use a light on a timer that comes on before sunset and shuts off 15 hours after sunrise. I get fresh eggs all winter. The challenge is getting them out of the coop before they freeze.