If you raise your poulet for eggs and depend on their production , seeing a drastic decrease in your ballock is upsetting . Andone of the easiest and most in effect ways to advance egg production during the fall and winter months is to add supplemental lighting to your chicken cage . But this has it ’s pros and cons . So study more below !
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Should You Have a Light in Your Chicken Coop?
I typically have anywhere from 20 - 40 hens on my farm , and they are the heart of my little homestead . Not only do I delight having them around , but I also depend on their testis for both my family and friends .
There have been year where I ’ll go from get around 30 bollock a day to about 5 and it ’s always a daze !
But the decrease in egg production is largely due to little days during fall and winter . Hens need at least 14 hours of light each Clarence Day to observe stiff ball product .
As the day turn shorter , the natural brightness decreases , leading hens to bring on fewer eggs — or none at all .
So , should you have a light source in your chicken coop ? The answer is yes if you need to maintain reproducible egg production throughout the shorter days of drop and wintertime .
Or you’re able to give them a break from laying during the darker months ( which is utterly fine ) and in many cases the best choice for the health of your hen .
Another thing to take banknote of is that almost all young pullet will lay through their first winter without any decrease in egg production . Which is why I attempt to add new chickens to my flock every 2 years so that I always have younglaying hens .
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Can Too Much Light Be Bad for Chickens?
While light is of import for egg production , too much of it can be nerve-racking for chickens . Overexposing hens to artificial twinkle for extended periods can cause stress , which may lead to health issues or even a decline in egg product over time .
volaille , like most beast , have rude rhythms that align with dayspring and sundown . If their environment does n’t allow for a right night ’s rest , it can cut off their sleep cycles and overall well - being .
So if you choose to impart supplemental ignition to your coop I advocate hold the light turn on early in the morning rather than extending it into the eventide . Turning on lights before morning allows your crybaby to part their day earlier while still get them by nature thread down as the Sunday set .
If the light is left on too lately into the evening , it can bedevil the chicken , leading to roosting number or queasiness .
Chickens call for darkness to sleep right , so giving them a suspension from artificial inflammation after dark is crucial for their health .
What Does Light Do to Chickens?
brightness plays a key role in stimulate egg yield in chickens . Hens need about 14 to 16 hour of daylight to consistently lay eggs .
When the days get shorter in fall and wintertime , their dead body receive the signaling to reduce or quit put down eggs altogether . This is a raw survival mechanism that maintain their Department of Energy for the colder months ahead .
By adding supplementary light in the coop , you could play a trick on their bodies into thinking the day are still prospicient enough to extend producing eggs .
The light stimulate their pituitary gland , which in turn triggers the procreative organisation to keep producing eggs . In essence , visible radiation ensures that your hen remain in “ laying mode , ” even during the darker months of the class .
The Impact of Molting on Egg Production
Light is n’t the only factor that affects egg production . Molting is another natural outgrowth that can temporarily stanch egg - laying . exuviate ordinarily occurs in volaille after they reach about 18 month of years , and it often originate in the fall when the years are fetch shorter .
During a molt , crybaby lose their onetime feathers and produce in new ones , which necessitate a lot of energy and nutrients . As a result , hen stop laying eggs to focalize on feather regrowth .
For more data on shed chickens check outyour guide to molt crybaby .
How I Add Supplemental Lighting to My Chicken Coop
In most years I do not add supplementary lighting . However there have been years that we ’ve had such a drastic decrease in egg product that I will tot supplemental ignition for a couple of calendar month during the winter .
All I utilize is anLED shop light , which I hang from the ceiling of the hencoop .
This light is connected to amechanical timerthat turn the light on at 2 a.m. and off around 6:00 am , just as the sunlight is rise . This setup ensures that my hen get the 14 - 16 hour of light they want to keep laying eggs , even during the short days of winter .
It ’s of import to note that hens do n’t need warmth lamp — just a even light bulb will do . I prefer to turn the light on early in the break of day to jump the solar day sooner , rather than stretch forth light source after dark .
Chickens naturally begin to rest as the sun sets , and stir up this bit can confuse them . When the Christ Within shuts off on the spur of the moment in the evening , it does n’t give them time to settle in , which can induce them to pretermit the roosts and cut off their innate cycle .
Results of Adding Supplemental Light to My Coop
Like I mentioned earlier , in most years I favor to give my hen a rift and do not typically add light during the shorter solar day . However , when I have added supplemental lighting , I run across an immediate improvement in egg output .
Within just a couple of 24-hour interval , my hens went from laying only a handful of eggs to over a dozen per 24-hour interval !
As the hen incur the right amount of igniter , their testis yield stay on to increase , and I was back to collecting plenty of eggs to deal with kinsfolk and friends .
While providing supplemental lighting is a personal choice , it ’s a great option if you need eggs during the fall and winter months .
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