Coop light timers - What do you have?

[Yonaton]

Coop light timers - What do you have?

Got these for free a loooong time ago. So far haven't let me down and still don't cost me anything.

My light timer​

 

[2theranch]

where did you find the timer with the bulb, we have looked everywhere for something like this. thanks

 

[sgtjmc33]

Harbor Freight has a pretty inexpensive timer. Does all that has been required. Around $5-$6.00.00 bucks, been using one for several months now. No issues...

 

[JonathanJ]

Since the chickens naturally want to go to sleep at dusk, I didn't want to have the light come on in the evening. And since dusk comes at a different time every day (as early as 4 pm in the winter or late as 9 pm in the summer), I didn't want to have to keep adjusting the timer.

I got hold of a delay timer. It's usually sold as an industrial control. The way it works is that you set a delay time, and when power is applied to the timer, the switch will activate the specified amount of time after power is applied.

So what I did, was I installed a photocell (outside the coop) that applies power to the timer at dusk, set the delay to 10 hours, and hooked the light up to the timer. Now, 10 hours after dark, the light turns on. That ensures the chickens get 14 hours of daylight per day, they can go to bed when the sun tells them to (less stress on them that way), and I don't have to keep adjusting the timer as the seasons change.

The particular timer I got has a "double-throw" switch, so I also wired in a red night light. When the photocell kicks on at dusk, the red light comes on and the timer starts counting up. When it reaches 10 hours, the red light turns off and the white light turns on. In the morning when it gets light enough outside, the photocell kicks off and the white light turns off and the cycle starts all over again. I also have a regular light switch that will turn the white light on manually.

As you can see in the photo below, I used conduit and weathertight fittings, boxes, and fixtures in my coop so I can go in and wash it down.

P.S. -- There's a bewildering array of timers out there, from $15 to $100, rated for various voltages (both for the switch and the control circuit). Many of them also require a special wiring socket to plug the timer into. The timer I got has a 120V circuit and the switch is rated for 120V 5A -- and cost about $20 on Amazon.

 

[JonathanJ]

where did you find the timer with the bulb, we have looked everywhere for something like this. thanks

Looks to me like it's just a plug-in socket, plugged in to the outlet on the timer. Should be able to get one of those sockets at any hardware store.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

We decided to keep it simple and cheap. The light on the timer works independent of the other light that is on a light switch.

Off topic but does your uninsulated metal roof sweat?

Thanks

 

[2theranch]

could not find anything, since we might be moving decided not to pursue it. we are early risers so just give the hens an hour or so extra light in am, never at night!

 

[Hokum Coco]

I'm looking to update the timer on the light in the chicken coop.
I would think your best option is to lengthen the day in the morning and have it shut off at sunrise. Then let the gradual falling of dusk and dark occur.

When it comes to lighting if you find you are short on eggs it does apparently help. I personally do not bother in my operation eggs are sold only to neighbours when they are available (if the sign is out I have eggs). In my coop there is a tendency to have eggs crack and freeze during the winter months (we do not discard them and are fine but use them in house not for sale) the more eggs I help produce during these months the more eggs will fall into this category.

I have roughly 24 Golden Comet hens the longest I ever been out of eggs can be measured in hours >12<24. You will find that the egg supply in any hen is a finite resource the quicker you milk the eggs out of a hen the faster it will be spent and end up in your stew pot.

On average one hen produces somewhere between 600 to 700 eggs in its life time. Lighting only effect the speed of delivery of the eggs which at the end of the day would amount to less than a year in the hens life is my guess.



First and foremost


Hardly a year goes by without a coop fire.

One coop fire is too much in my opinion.

If lighting with an incandescent bulb or heat lamp provide a "SAFETY CHAIN" in addition to the hanging bracket.

Another safe guard would be to have people use "GROUND FAULT" outlets (code in both bathrooms and outside outlets) when running extension cords to their coop or out buildings. The inconvenience of loosing power to your out building is far better than what can happen. Chickens do attract rodents which can initiate fires through extension cords.




Chicken owners can ill afford "NOT" employing both of these safe guards when running electricity to a coop especially when using extension cords. Many times either of these two devices would have went along way in preventing most coop fires.