# Adding light to the coop. gradually?



## Jenn454SS (May 31, 2013)

We are more about egg production and then chicken soup than chickens as pets. I've read about the arguments for and against lighting the coop for a few hours in the evening. I think we will try lighting it. I don't have a light yet. Will it be too much if we add a light and suddenly the "daylight" hours are longer for them. Should it be gradual? I have five hens. Two hens are 2 years old and laying. Three are 1 year old, new to me, and not laying yet.


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## nj2wv (Aug 27, 2013)

I get nervous about a fire so I don't have any heat or light. Pullets will lay through their first winter. On my hens second winter I keep the hens who lay through the winter and the ones who don't lay I use for soup. I heard just using Christmas lights are good. I never tried it though. Sounds safer anyway.


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## Jenn454SS (May 31, 2013)

I am looking at a LED solar "shed light". Fire safe and we don't have to run a super long extension cord. I have heard the pullets will just lay anyway. But I had to convince my husband to get chickens and right now we are only getting 0-2 eggs a day. If it goes to 0 all winter I'm not sure if we'll get to keep them


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## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

Add it gradually. So maybe an hour earlier in the morning for a few days, then an hour earlier for a few days, then an hour earlier, etc. you want them to have 12-14 hours a day of light. Just make sure the light goes off before dusk so the birds can go to sleep with the natural wane of the sun. 
Having a timer makes your life easier if you dislike getting up at the crack of sparrow fart to turn on the lamp for your birds.


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## Jenn454SS (May 31, 2013)

Ouch that will be early! Lol. I was hoping it could be at night. I'll let you know how it goes


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## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

Yup, timers are amazing things!

The waning of light tells the birds that they need to fill their crops and go to roost. As such, if the lights suddenly turn off, it leaves the birds confused and blind. 
Having said that though, most times they will go in and roost when it gets dark outside anyways and the light on in the coop just disrupts their sleeping patterns, which can potentially stress them out, and stressed birds don't lay well. My main coop is attached to my barn, and if I'm doing barn chores in winter I have the lights on, which of course makes it light in the coop. The birds are still up on their roosts by 4pm, but instead of sleeping they are grunting and groaning at me. 

The premise of adding light is that you want the birds to be tricked into thinking the days are longer, and put energy into the production of eggs. To do this, you wake them up earlier, get them moving in the coop, and then when it gets bright out they will go outside. Think of it like yourself, if someone turns your bedroom light on in the morning it wakes you up and it's hard to get back to sleep, but if you leave the bedroom light on at night - while it is difficult to go to sleep your body is still saying "it's time for bed". The only time keeping a light on in the night to increase production works without issue is if the birds are kept under artificial light all the time. As therefore you dictate what is day and what is night and you don't have the sun to work against you.


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## Jenn454SS (May 31, 2013)

Very informative and helpful. Thank you very much. Talking husband into the light now. Lol


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## OldBrickHouseFarm (Sep 30, 2014)

Agree with fiere's advice. It's best to gradually increase day length but not absolutely necessary. It's also best to make the lights come on in the morning than later at night, though I've done it both ways.

The light needs to be bright enough that one could read a newspaper at roost height to properly stimulate the pineal gland.


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