Sponsored Post Let There Be Light: Ensuring Egg Laying During the Darkest Days of Winter.

[CovertChickOps]

Again, research does not support your argument - please read the attached link. Most of us with backyard chickens do not have roosters anyway, and are not breeding show birds or any birds for that matter.

 

[jandlpoultry]

Not to pick a fight, but most of the statements of the previous two posts are not backed up by any research conducted by the top agricultural universities in the U.S. or Canada. That research says artificial lighting does the hens no harm, provided they get proper nutrition and are allowed to molt every 12-18 months. If you want to get specific about what is and is not natural, then you should let your hen lay a clutch of eggs and then allow her to hatch them instead of tricking her into laying more eggs by taking them for yourself. By the way, most chicken breeds originated from junglefowl on the Indian subcontinent, so it can be argued that humans have bred (tricked) them to sustain cold, dark winters in Canada in the first place, so who's interferring now? Chickens stop laying in winter because in the natural world, there is less food available for survival - not an issue for our chickens.

Bottom line: chicken keeping and breeding is human interference. The arguement should be what is responsible and irresponsible interference - for me, I rely on actual scientific research to determine that. That being said, every individual has the responsibility to do what they feel is best for their chickens. I agree that up in Canada, allowing the hens to take a break due to severe cold may be the way to go. Here where I am, we have yet to get below freezing, and my hens are happy, healthy, and laying.

For those who would like futher education on small flock health care, I found this link to a manual produced by the Canadian government:

http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/ahc/poultry/small_flock_manual.pdf

The comments I have made in this thread come from years of keeping and observing birds. New comers need to realize what winter eggs produced by artificial lighting will cost their hens. But it's your flock, and your choice, to light or not. My goal is to have hens that are productive egg layers for years.I want birds that are in top form, over the winter, and who have plenty of stored energy for laying and sitting in the spring. I get plenty of eggs from breeds that were selected for winter laying, without adding artificial light.

I also let my hens brood their own eggs, and raise chicks.I encourage it, and let them sit as many of their own eggs as possible.I hope they pass the trait back to their chicks. Human interference has bred broodiness out of chickens in favor of egg production.

 

[aoxa]

Again, research does not support your argument - please read the attached link. Most of us with backyard chickens do not have roosters anyway, and are not breeding show birds or any birds for that matter.

Research VS experience.. Experience is that lighting is not worth the toll it takes on them.

Also, you are using commercial research to back yourself up. Most people on this forum are either breeders or people who have chickens and love them as pets. Both of these type of chicken owners would agree they don't want to spend their hens before their time.

Not lighting in winter will extend their lives. Lessen their chances at reproductive issues as well.

 

[aoxa]

Here is some actual research.



Quote: Reference: http://digital.library.okstate.edu/oas/oas_pdf/v22/p41_44.pdf

 

[aoxa]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1789497/pdf/canvetj00316-0022.pdf
Here's another


Studies on Effect of Lighting on "Sudden Death Syndrome" in BroilerChickens

 

[clfromok]

I have an old camper for our coop. I put in insulation and since Oklahoma got a pretty good snow. I put in a infrared heat lamp. Its not enough to make it hot just gets warm enough to keep water from freezing. (The girls are very happy!) Will the red light do the same as a regular white bulb or flourescent? My generation x are just beginning to lay so I don't know if it is affecting production or not.
Also I heard that it will increase production but shorten overall length off laying years. Wears out their lady-laying parts quicker

 

[aoxa]

I have an old camper for our coop. I put in insulation and since Oklahoma got a pretty good snow. I put in a infrared heat lamp. Its not enough to make it hot just gets warm enough to keep water from freezing. (The girls are very happy!) Will the red light do the same as a regular white bulb or flourescent? My generation x are just beginning to lay so I don't know if it is affecting production or not.
Also I heard that it will increase production but shorten overall length off laying years. Wears out their lady-laying parts quicker

I don't believe the red light will affect laying.. Don't quote me on that though.

You are right about the last part. It's very true. You don't need to light in the first year, they should lay without added light.

 

[clfromok]

Thanks so much. Its great to have other experienced chicken people to ask.
I had to chuckle at the "not to pick a fight" conversation.
No one is right or wrong. I love my girls & spoil them like pets but the way I was raised by generations of farm folks was that your animals were for food or work. I can't tell you how many times I was told not to name or get attached to a critter because they were given to us by God to serve us
Dogs were to protect, heard or hunt. Horse to plow rope or ride. Pigs & fowl for nutrition. Our "human" lives depended on them. In turn we treat them as well as possible. Now people can afford to make these wonderful animals pets. We can spoil them. But lets not forget where we came from or judge others if they look at their animals as the gifts from the Lord that they are- to feed us, to provide materials & strength to ease our labor. A hundred years ago there would've been no arguement. You raised animals to provide for families. Lets remember its not our place to judge right or wrong. It is our privledge to choose for ourselves.

 

[bruceha2000]

Not to stir the pot and I have great respect for you Justine so please know this is not personal

Most of the experimenters with artificial lights for laying chicken hens agree that winter egg production is increased, but production declines in the spring below that of unlighted hens so that the total production for the year is about the same. Apparently after a time the anterior lobe of the pituitary becomes refractory to light and no longer produces an increased quantity of hormone.

Actually, that would be fine with me The idea is to get eggs from the very happy chickens at home rather than the the grocery store egg factory birds. Thus, a serious drop off to near zero in the winter is not desirable.

Also noted this in the link (for clfromok):
"They reported that white and red lights were effective, but that blue light (shorter waves lengths) did not produce any effect on the hens".

I saw nothing that referenced how many years chickens laid with and without supplemental light.

I would love, LOVE to see a proper study showing how many years chickens lay and how the production curves change with age for no supplemental light, and in increments of 1 hour of morning light to a total of 14 hours per day. And then add in the latitude because no supplemental light in Key West is a WHOLE lot different than no supplemental light in Fairbanks.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1789497/pdf/canvetj00316-0022.pdf
Here's another


Studies on Effect of Lighting on "Sudden Death Syndrome" in Broiler Chickens

Broilers, not layers and not related to the discussion of supplemental light on laying hens:

"The results suggest that: continuous lighting produces more sudden death syndrome deaths than intermittent lighting; that the incidence of sudden death syndrome is higher in cockerels than pullets; that the highest death rate occurred during the third and fourth weeks of life, and that sudden death syndrome birds on the average were heavier than the flock average."

This is talking about birds that are fed to the hilt and processed at 5 to 7 weeks of age, and can barely support their own weight at 6 weeks, not "backyard" laying hens that are expected to live several if not many years of natural life.

Bruce

 

[aoxa]

Not to stir the pot and I have great respect for you Justine so please know this is not personal

Actually, that would be fine with me The idea is to get eggs from the very happy chickens at home rather than the the grocery store egg factory birds. Thus, a serious drop off to near zero in the winter is not desirable.

Also noted this in the link (for clfromok):
"They reported that white and red lights were effective, but that blue light (shorter waves lengths) did not produce any effect on the hens".

I saw nothing that referenced how many years chickens laid with and without supplemental light.

I would love, LOVE to see a proper study showing how many years chickens lay and how the production curves change with age for no supplemental light, and in increments of 1 hour of morning light to a total of 14 hours per day. And then add in the latitude because no supplemental light in Key West is a WHOLE lot different than no supplemental light in Fairbanks.


Broilers, not layers and not related to the discussion of supplemental light on laying hens:

"The results suggest that: continuous lighting produces more sudden death syndrome deaths than intermittent lighting; that the incidence of sudden death syndrome is higher in cockerels than pullets; that the highest death rate occurred during the third and fourth weeks of life, and that sudden death syndrome birds on the average were heavier than the flock average."

This is talking about birds that are fed to the hilt and processed at 5 to 7 weeks of age, and can barely support their own weight at 6 weeks, not "backyard" laying hens that are expected to live several if not many years of natural life.

Bruce

I would also like to see this study. I am going by my experience with it last winter. I had internal laying issues, and hens acting cold, whereas this winter nothing. Last winter was mild in comparison to this one so far.
I do add 1 extra hour of light at night, as I get home in the dark, and it's time for a feeding. Other than that, nothing.

Last winter I lit the coop at 14 hours.

I do think infared is different than red bulbs. Chicks are calm with red and sleep when rest of lights in the room are out. Not so with white.