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Barnyard Buddies:  chicken light, warmth, brightness questions  |
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CascadeFootHillsFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
133 Posts
Stephanie
Granite Falls
Wa.
USA
133 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 30 2010 : 10:27:22 AM
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We put a light in the coop 3 nights ago. The first night we did it in the dark, they were already in the box and they stayed in.
The second night I beat them to it and put the light on and they came up and ate and roosted, the next day we got 4 eggs, our max.
Last night I put the light on before dusk, they were out like normal. We had turned them so they faced the house and we saw them going in and out of the box, down on the ground like it was the middle of the day, eating & drinking and back and forth.
We tried turning out our yard light that is a dusk till dawn light just in case that was causing confusion too...but they've always had that in the area of their tractor.
They were still very active at 10 pm last night, up and down the ramp, up and down off the roost.
They didn't sleep much, I checked them at 3 am and they were still not all up and sleeping.
Now we only know they were doing this b/c of the light and the turn towards our house. Maybe they do it every night ~ or maybe the light in their box is throwing them off. They must be tired after all that.
There house is 3 ft wide by 3.5 feet long. The lightbulb is a regular 25 watt.
What about the colored bulbs? I think a heat lamp would be too hot for the small area but it sure would be more subtle.
Please clue me in.
Thank you very much.
Stephanie
"A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle." Irish Quote |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Oct 30 2010 : 10:38:51 AM
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hi stephanie, what a beautiful chicken tractor. i have my light on a timer. they go in at dark. the light comes on at the correct time around 2. it depends on length of day. it does need adjusting through the winter. the goal is 16 to 18 hours of light. i use a regular bulb like you.they do need the light to lay. most average 2 eggs every 3 days when laying well. some lay more some less. hope this helps happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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CascadeFootHillsFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
133 Posts
Stephanie
Granite Falls
Wa.
USA
133 Posts |
Posted - Oct 30 2010 : 10:56:34 AM
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Thanks for the "beautiful chicken tractor comment" Sherry! I appreciate it. We tried for a color of fall maple leaves but it didn't quite turn out! It's way to pinky for me, but it does stand out and is quite cheery. It's safe, dry and a tank for the girls and Robin. More like a chicken Hummer than a tractor!
Ok, this is what I read your note to say. The chickens go in at dark, then your light comes on at 2 am to give them the right number of hours of daylight. So we shouldn't have it on at night/dusk but have it come on sometime in the early morning.
I am up at 3 am every night. I could go out and turn it on then. I don't know about a timer, the coop is moved daily and we have a long cord going to our shop. Please advise me on the timer. Where would it be located?
Thanks,
Stephanie
"A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle." Irish Quote |
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farmmilkmama
True Blue Farmgirl
2027 Posts
Amy
Central MN
USA
2027 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2010 : 06:01:47 AM
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That is a great chicken Hummer!!!
Our light (regular bulb) is on a timer and comes on in our coop at 6 pm and goes off at 10 pm. As the days get shorter, the light will be adjusted to be on longer. I also know people who turn it on early am and have it go off when the sun comes up.
We do have a second lamp in our coop with a heat lamp in it, but we haven't turned it on yet. There is "discussion" within the house about how cold is too cold. But our coop is quite a bit larger than yours so that makes a difference too. Then again, we also have more birds so body heat makes a difference too!
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2010 : 07:46:59 AM
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hi there, i have been so busy. sorry i never got back here. i put the timer in the wall socket plug in.then plug the extension cord into the timer socket, then cord goes to coop. then you plug a 40 or 60 watt bulb in light socket. i set mine to come on early in am. when i had the light on at dusk when it went off they were outside in the dark. so now they go to bed at natural time and wake up early. my rooster crows at 3 anyway. hope this helps happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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CascadeFootHillsFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
133 Posts
Stephanie
Granite Falls
Wa.
USA
133 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2010 : 09:09:25 AM
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Hi Amy and Sherry,
For Amy, do your chickens stay out till the light goes off at 10 pm? Ours are still out and about at 11 ish when I look for the last time.
Sherry,
There must be outdoor timers or at least ones made for the 3 prong extension cords. I will check into that. I have a little one for something like a lamp.
Our rooster is getting a bit aggressive with our son, he seems fine with our daughter. He'll not last at this rate.
My mom is coming out today and I know she'll comment on it for sure. I do worry about eyes too, I just don't say it as much as she will!
He's a big bird, are they still called Easter Eggers when they are boys?
There really is no point in keeping him since the girls are in the tractor and never alone if they are out. If they were out and about I'd like to keep him just to protect the hens. But he seems to be trying to protect the hens from us.
Back to the light, if he is gone it won't matter if they are out or in with all this light confusion! It'll be the charming cluck cluck.
He crows about 15 times every hour or so.
We are in the county but someone built a huge neighborhood behind a green belt behind us, they are huge fancy homes each on a horse acre. No livestock tho. When we built the barn through the winter we'd have fancy cars and trucks driving back here just to see what all the noise was about. I bet the roo really irks them! That and Bella is a real talker too.
Thank you all for your help. I love them and I have enjoyed learning all this from you.
Stephanie
"A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle." Irish Quote |
Edited by - CascadeFootHillsFarmgirl on Nov 02 2010 09:10:26 AM |
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Barnyard Buddies: chicken light, warmth, brightness questions |
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chicken light, warmth, brightness questions
