Solar LED lamp to encourage egg laying over the winter

[JayJo]

Solar lighting has come up a few times but most of the threads I've found were a couple years old and solar LED lights have changed a lot since then so I'm going to try again.

I've been looking for a way to keep our hens laying in the winter. We got started late and have new chicks now, and they should start laying just about the time it gets cold. Which means that we won't see eggs until next spring if we don't add supplementary lighting. I've looked into the pros and cons of using supplementary lighting and I at least want to try it.

I'd rather not have extension cords running across my yard so I'm looking into solar options. But I haven't found any solar lights that have timers. I just bought some solar spotlights for my front yard that work great and stay on all night, but I'd rather not have the coop lit up all night long. Just a few hours would be great.

I came across this Solar Shed Light in my searching. I like that it only stays on 2-4 hours. One person mentioned in his reviews that he uses it in his coop but there's not much more information than that.

For all of you experienced people, what do you think? Would this work? What else should I be looking at or asking?

http://www.amazon.com/Gama-Sonic-Light-Fixture-GS-16LD/dp/B008R6NHEA/ref=sr_1_3

 

[JayJo]

This one looks promising too. It stays on for longer, which isn't great, but it comes on automatically at dusk. Plus it's cheaper.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WCL1H7K

 

[TalkALittle]

The problem with them coming on at dusk is that when they eventually shut off your coop will be abruptly plunged into darkness. I think it's better to add the light in the morning and still allow the birds to settle in for the night at dusk.

 

[Folly's place]

I do have electricity in my coop, and wouldn't want to be without it. I use a small bulb, 60 watt, in the main part of the coop, timed to come on at 4am and off at 8am, so they get 12 to 14 hours of light in winter. I do want eggs during the winter, and this works fine here. Also have heaters for the waterers rather than two or three trips out there with warm water daily. Mary

 

[Cindy in PA]

There is no problem using solar LEDS, as they gradually dim & don't just suddenly go off. I used solar spotlights in a bantam coop for a few years. They had a remote solar panel & only stayed on 2-4 hours in the winter because of less sun. During the summer they were dusk to dawn, but I just disconnected them. They worked pretty well.

 

[ConPollos]

Okay, never fear, I found a portable battery pack with a timer that powers a string of warm white LED lights to hang above the roost. You can set it to turn on at 3 or 4 AM, and it will automatically shut off six hours later. The company sells a lot of them to chicken people.

I'll try to find my thread about that and copy the URL to the company website here.

They're cheap, like $25.00, and the battery will last about 2 months.

 

[ConPollos]

Here's a copy and paste of my comment on the other lighting thread, including two links:


Problem solved! Lights.com sells a string of 100 warm white LED lights with a timered battery pack to chicken farmers. The sales rep I spoke to emailed me the links. He said he's knowledgeable about the chicken winter lighting issue. http://www.lights.com/d-battery-box-with-timer-p-34410.html

http://www.lights.com/warm-white-100-led-strand-for-connectable-string-light-systems-p-16823.html

 

[yellowchicks]

We have a solar yard light inside the coop to give some interior light for the chickens to get into the coop to settle down. It worked well since they were little chicks needing some beacon light, thus the light stays there permanently.

In the winter, the solar light goes on from about 4 PM to 7 PM. In the summer, I taped up the solar panel so it shuts off sooner. We don't need use it for increasing egg productions. The Leghorns lay through the winter months pretty consistently.

If your coop has a window with good sun exposure, a solar yard light might work.

 

[ConPollos]

Oh, wow! Look what My Pet Chicken sells! It's a solar light with a timer: http://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog...ies/Solar-Coop-Light-Digital-Timer-p1424.aspx

 

[JayJo]

Oh, wow! Look what My Pet Chicken sells! It's a solar light with a timer: http://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog...ies/Solar-Coop-Light-Digital-Timer-p1424.aspx

Wow that is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks! A little pricey though... I'll look at it again once we're done spending money on building the coop.