Bulb Type: Incandescent, fluorescent, and LED are your three main lighting options. Once daylight hours reach 14 hours per day, chickens begin to make more hormones that stimulate egg production. Increasing the daylight hours simply activates the endocrine system to secrete more of the appropriate hormone for egg production, which results in more eggs! 19 cents/kwh) the cost of running a 450 lumen bulb for 8hrs a day (average over the year) in your chicken coop will cost you $2. The extra light should simulate the maximum daylight hours during a set summer day where they will naturally be most productive: see more on this below. What's the Best Chicken Coop Light. It should also be kept far away from any water because a single drop can cause a hot bulb to shatter, endangering your chickens. The absolute best time to set up your lights is right after the longest day of the year (if you have less than 16hrs of daylight). Before you supplement light for your chickens, research when your area receives 16 hours of sunlight per day, and when that begins to decline. Both fluorescent and LED also don't produce the heat that traditional incandescent bulbs do. Hens under blue light produced progressively rounder eggs.
Does supplemental light shorten your chicken's life? Some of the products linked in this article are affiliate. One study found that hens under LED lights were a little more prone to feather pecking, while another found that chickens were calmer under LED lights. Fortunately, with the luxuries of electricity, we can provide artificial light to stimulate the chickens and keep them producing well even through the winter. If your area is already experiencing less than 16 hours of sunlight, introduce the supplemented light gradually. Light Bulbs: When deciding on your light you will need to consider the type of bulb, bulb color, light intensity, heat produced, and energy usage. What tools do I need to set up a light on a timer? 3 pronged ports (with a ground wire port). You can purchase bulbs in almost any spectrum but to simplify it most bulbs are labelled as either "warm" or "cool/daylight" Avoid the "warm" and go for the daylight bulbs(4500k-5000k). Either way, whether or not to supplement light is your choice. Comparative Evaluation of Light-emitting Diode(LED) vs. Solar chicken coop light with time zone. Fluorescent (FL) Lighting in Commercial Aviary Hen Houses.
Let us know below: what are your experiences with supplemental coop lighting for your chickens or ducks? If you have chickens or ducks for eggs you are going to want to do your best to maximize their egg production. However, I would not recommend using such a strong light without a shade to stop your chooks from staring straight at it. There is no need to add more light fixtures to add more light if you can simply change out the bulb for higher lumens. Chicken coop light with timer. A Reason Not to Supplement. When is the Best Time of Year to Set Up an Automatic Timer?
I would recommend setting up an identical, semi-permanent cord/light set up and buy a bulb that is designed for producing heat. What to Know About Automatic Coop Lighting. They are generally built to be more robust. You will get more of their eggs sooner. What type of light is best for supplementation? Heat Production: Depending on where you are and how well insulated your coop is you might be looking for a bulb that produces more heat and you may be considering an incandescent bulb. Those chicks can then grow throughout the summer and be strong before winter. This will change throughout the autumn, winter, and into next spring. Depending on your coop set up you will need a few things to get going. The Journal of Applied Poultry Research, 605–612. A plugin with multiple plug options such as an outdoor power bar.
Unless you are nostalgic for the incandescent or have a bunch in storage there is no reason not to go with LED. They don't compare incandescent because the large operations rarely use that form of light. This should be given in the morning to avoid confusion and panic when the light suddenly turns off at night. If you need to run heat for longer in the night/day you should get a ceramic bulb that produces heat and no light and put in on a separate timer. Long, H., Yang, Z., Wang, T., Xin, H., & Ning, Z. You can find all three of these types that fit into E26 sockets, which is why I recommend just a single light fixture/socket. Because you will hopefully be using a LED bulb the electricity used is so minimal ($2-4/year). Light is what signals a chicken to lay eggs. Chickens are very sensitive to light. Does More Coop Lighting Lead to More eggs? Chickens don't see well in the dark, and if the light suddenly turns off plunging them into complete darkness, they will be unable to find their roost and may panic. It was found that the hens under only green light produced more sturdy eggshells. You can get LED lights in every light spectrum and intensity conceivable.
Second, invest in a timer to be sure that the light is consistent each day. You can use a timer to simplify this process. There were no significant differences in nutritional aspects of the eggs (Chen, Er, Wang, & Cao, 2007). The "white" light that we perceive from the sun and attempt to mimic in our light bulbs is actually all the colors together.
This peaks when there are 16 hours of daylight each day as this is usually the ideal time to lay eggs for hatching chicks. With LED lights set to green, red, blue, or white in different hen houses, the scientists took careful measurements of egg size, shape, aspects of nutritional value, and output. If you would like to be extra conservatives you can set it to turn off during most of the midday hrs. Or you can buy each piece separately to keep costs down and for more options.
You may find it useful if you choose to add lighting, an automatic door, an electric fence, or to provide extra heating. E26 fixtures can support bulbs above 5000 Lumens. This will give you a good idea of the ideal times to have your lights running. Most studies that have been done recently compare LED to fluorescent lighting. You can run the heat light off of the same timer as the light to help prevent any light emitted from the heat bulb keeping the birds up.