When to add light for egg laying

[KikiDeAnime]

4 of our 6 layers have stopped molting so my parents will be buying a light to add into our new coop as soon as we finish working on it. It's going to be larger than any of our other coops that we've owned. We're using our old swing set frame(A-Frame type) for it.
The hardware cloth will be bought more towards the end of building the coop so that if we need to redo anything, it won't be in the way.
It should be done by mid-January.
And in case you were wondering, we do have 4 pullets who should start laying later in spring unless the light starts them early but I'm not counting on that.
The light will be on a timer so we got that covered.

When should we add the light?
What type of light is best to use?

 

[DobieLover]

4 of our 6 layers have stopped molting so my parents will be buying a light to add into our new coop as soon as we finish working on it. It's going to be larger than any of our other coops that we've owned. We're using our old swing set frame(A-Frame type) for it.
The hardware cloth will be bought more towards the end of building the coop so that if we need to redo anything, it won't be in the way.
It should be done by mid-January.
And in case you were wondering, we do have 4 pullets who should start laying later in spring unless the light starts them early but I'm not counting on that.
The light will be on a timer so we got that covered.

When should we add the light?
What type of light is best to use?

Why not just let them rest until they're ready to start laying again?

 

[Cindy in PA]

You can add it now, but do so in small increments 15-30 minutes every week or so. It might not make much difference, as light is already increasing & my hens always start laying more as soon as the winter solstice has come & gone.

 

[David61]

From what i'm reading on here lighting is not the slow down issue as much as the molt. I'm new to chickens. One of my 23 week olds is laying. I'll get my seventh egg today. Light didn't slow her down. But the molt and female hormones from a full years growth cycle hasn't happened ether so... I'm not going to look at lighting until i read some more. If lighting was such a big issue i'm sure it would have been added to coop construction like other needs like hardware cloth, roosts, poop boards....

 

[DobieLover]

From what i'm reading on here lighting is not the slow down issue as much as the molt. I'm new to chickens. One of my 23 week olds is laying. I'll get my seventh egg today. Light didn't slow her down. But the molt and female hormones from a full years growth cycle hasn't happened ether so... I'm not going to look at lighting until i read some more. If lighting was such a big issue i'm sure it would have been added to coop construction like other needs like hardware cloth, roosts, poop boards....

No, it wouldn't. Lighting is not a requirement for chicken health and safety. Quite the contrary, most consider it as leaning toward commercial chicken farming to use artificial light to extend the laying season. Most of us who have gotten into raising chickens did it to give the chickens a much better, more natural life. Not make them into egg laying machines for our own personal gain.

 

[Fairview01]

Usually around Thanksgiving i will turn the lights on. Have them on timer and they go from natural day length to 14 hours in a day.

Adding light creates an artificial environment. There is no need to duplicate the natural environment.

 

[GC-Raptor]

When should we add the light?
What type of light is best to use?

I add light in the morning at 5 am year round inside and outside. I open the pop door so they have access to the pen. I fill outside waterer. They have feed and water on a heated base during cold weather in the coop. If you add lights on a timer, make sure they have access to feed and water. They are hungry and thirsty when they wake up. Mine go from roosts to feeder and waterer as soon as I turn on the lights.
I use LED bulbs inside and outside.

I use a 250 lumens bulb in inside. A 450 lumens under the raised coops and two 800 lumens outside. (Circled in red). If your coop is a 100 square feet or bigger, a 450 lumens or two 250 lumens spaced apart if your coop is rectangular. Also place lights where they won't shine into nests. . I placed light above nests so it doesn't shine inside.
Light appearance, I use warm (2700k) bulb inside and outside, and a cool (5000k) under the coops. (Circled in purple)
I've read that the (warm) bulbs reduce pecking and the (cool) bulbs have a calming effect.
I don't add lights after sunset except a nightlight so they can see to hop up to roosts. I turn off the nightlight when I lockup the coops 15/30 minutes after sunset. I witnessed bullying on roosts with my first Flock when I left nightlight on all night.
If you are adding lights to increase egg production during the short days of Autumn/Winter. 15 hours of light is recommended.
My egg production slows when sunset in Autumn hits 5:30, 12.5 hours of light. (Remember I only add light at 5 am.)
So from that, 13/14 hours of light may be enough to keep them in lay.
Whenever you add lights, like Cindy in PA said increase slowly over time.
In my experience up to an hour a week, 10 minutes a day is Ok. GC

 

[KikiDeAnime]

I add light in the morning at 5 am year round inside and outside.View attachment 1988582 I open the pop door so they have access to the pen. I fill outside waterer. They have feed and water on a heated base during cold weather in the coop. If you add lights on a timer, make sure they have access to feed and water. They are hungry and thirsty when they wake up. Mine go from roosts to feeder and waterer as soon as I turn on the lights.
I use LED bulbs inside and outside.View attachment 1988585 I use a 250 lumens bulb in inside. A 450 lumens under the raised coops and two 800 lumens outside. (Circled in red). If your coop is a 100 square feet or bigger, a 450 lumens or two 250 lumens spaced apart if your coop is rectangular. Also place lights where they won't shine into nests.View attachment 1988587. I placed light above nests so it doesn't shine inside.
Light appearance, I use warm (2700k) bulb inside and outside, and a cool (5000k) under the coops. (Circled in purple)
I've read that the (warm) bulbs reduce pecking and the (cool) bulbs have a calming effect.
I don't add lights after sunset except a nightlight so they can see to hop up to roosts. I turn off the nightlight when I lockup the coops 15/30 minutes after sunset. I witnessed bullying on roosts with my first Flock when I left nightlight on all night.
If you are adding lights to increase egg production during the short days of Autumn/Winter. 15 hours of light is recommended.
My egg production slows when sunset in Autumn hits 5:30, 12.5 hours of light. (Remember I only add light at 5 am.)
So from that, 13/14 hours of light may be enough to keep them in lay.
Whenever you add lights, like Cindy in PA said increase slowly over time.
In my experience up to an hour a week, 10 minutes a day is Ok. GC

Thank you

 

[GC-Raptor]

Thank you

Welcome. GC