Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: MontyTom on October 27, 2007, 22:02
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just another thing I think about when mulling over why all my hens have gone on laying strike, all 18 of them!
Does anyone here use artificial lighting to encourage their birds to lay through the winter months? I have considered rigging up a light on a timer to get a few eggs per week?
thoughts gratefully received
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When we just had the 75 ex batts Tom, we didn't bother with artificial lighting, as they've had that all their lives. and now we have 12 POL's they live life as nature intended too. When you think of the cost of lighting their houses, just for a few eggs, its not worth it IMHO.
The chicks still have a bit of heat/light at night, but I'm cutting them down gradually, as they are 7 weeks old now
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not thinking of extending day to battery (24hr) standard (!!) just a few extra hours per day - perhaps whilst I'm there too, so this gives furter reason to my cause.
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im personally happy to also let nature be.
im very anti battery eggs and to me giving them fake light is like forcing them to lay like battery hens.
just my opinion
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you see, you are both taking this as an exteme - this is not what i'm thinking of. what i want to know is does anyone here use artifiial lighting for whatever purpose?
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Yes Monty I have.
Elec is so negligible if you use energy saver bulb 11 watts gives about 60w of light, and scientifically they don't need bright light. There loads of talk about wavelength of light etc but for backyard it's a load of bo.....ks. ( just my opinion :lol: )
Easy to do with a simple timer comes on in the early hours of the morning and let the sun going down in the evening then you don't need to worry about dimmers etc. they need approx 14 hrs of light in total to get the max out of them without going into the realms of battery hens, or increasing the number of hours of light they are getting.eg 15 extra mins for 4 days 30 for the next 4, then 45 etc till you reach about 12 hours. I wouldn't suddenly give them 12/14 hrs it will IMHO send their body clocks way out.
I'm not bothering this time round, as both times I seemed to end up with hens that take ages to moult, but this could be the breed etc not very scientific but trying it out.
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Another idea Monty - if the house is quite dark, arrange a light to come on at dawn (about half to one hour before 'sunrise'). This way you are still giving the chickens 'natural' day length, and it may be enough.
My chickens (mixed pure and hybrid breeds) are still laying happily, but their house design means they are openly facing dawn, and can enjoy moonlit/starry nights!
Sunrise times are available on the bbc website under the '5 day weather forecast'.
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I havent used artificial lighting and my 4 chickens are still laying an egg each every single day so far touch wood, I wonder if it is just lighting levels or if some other knowledgeable person could advise on here?
I have amberlinks and bovan goldlines btw
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I think chickychick that lighting levels play the greatest part in it but if your hens are young and have only just started laying sept - oct this year , then the effect is somewhat lessened.
Again could be the breed some are better than others at winter laying.
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That's right Richy, they often lay through their first winter :D
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I wasn't taking anything as an extreme Tom, I was just answering your question from my point of view.
I didn't think you wanted lights on 24/7, but as mine wasn't the answer you wanted, I'll keep out of this conversation.
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you see, you are both taking this as an exteme - this is not what i'm thinking of. what i want to know is does anyone here use artifiial lighting for whatever purpose?
Nope - live as naturally as possible is what I'm trying to do. (Except for pesticides, fertilisers and herbicide) :roll:
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You want Faverolles Monty! Lovely birds that will lay throughout winter - not a vast quantity though but definately enough for your egg sarnies :lol: :lol: I will have some hatching eggs next year if you're tempted.....
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ok, today have rigged up 11W energy saver on 12V battery (solar panel to recharge), with a timer extending day by one hour at each end. will see how it goes.
I am running a good mixture of breeds; dorkings, warrens, leghorns, light sussex, cream lebars, plus other crosses. last year most birds laid through winter in a much smaller coop (before some were stolen). now they have a whole allotment and an 8 x 4 shed. many have gone through molt but not an egg for ages?
foxy; will take you up on that offer next year, thanks.
thanks for replies. and don't worry, not going to shove them in cages just yet! :wink:
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You're set up sounds good, sorry for your stolen birds. A lot of mine are moulting I think it takes a lot of energy to grow feathers back.
You are more than welcome to some eggs next year - not sure how to encourage romance amongst chickens though (see sticky have pics on not so loving couple :wink: )
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could exhchange you some dorking, cream legbar, welsummer, RIR or light sussex? pm me when time comes.
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I would be interested to know if you get any more eggs from adding the little bit of extra light, so please keep us informed, I cant think it will hurt just adding an hour a day to the light levels?? quite clever adding a solar panel etc however I hope the cost of the set up will result in some eggs your obviously really missing the eggs :D
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as you know i had 180 + and i wouldnt ever consider getting in extra lighting for the birds even tho i did try it and dump it soon after . they need a good rest time in winter thats why it works that way using lighting no matte how you do it is not cost effective for such small numbers ,.and also bear in mind the mass battery hen system doesnt pay the same price for electricity as you do in any way .it sosts about £2000 a year to heat and light a 10.000 hen house , the heating side is taken over only when the temp falls through bad outside weather .the birds provide a massive amount of heat themselves
. grannie is absolutly right in her post in pointing out that for small flocks it is unecaasary and no matter which way you look at it ,your messing with the birds natural rythm :wink:
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all the stuff i have already, but the bits I had to pay for equate to about £45. all up and running ok tonight.
karl, how many eggs did you get per day on average over winter with 180+ birds? bet it was more than my zero from 20+.
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Is this their first of second winter Monty, did you say if they have been moulting, Is their natural light conditions good, do they spend all daylight hour outdoors, not in the shade.
Sorry if these questions have been answered already :oops:
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mixture of birds - some first year, some second. not a lot of shade with leaves off trees now, unless they go into shed, but that too has a lot of light. most have gone through a moult it seems (apart from this years' stock).
will let you know if light improves anything.
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i had eggs of course but that was the way of things and honestly it was not any great shakes i had less than 40 most days ,the birds that layed were not the birds that should have ,it was my dam buffs and they neeed 3 egs to make a grade 1 chuck egg :wink: