What kind of light can you leave on for the hens to stimulate production in winter? We have a red heat lamp in the coop for the girls, as our coop isn't insulated. Last year they seemed to lay well with this type of light, but should we also be leaving a white light on a timer? When is best to have the extra light, morning or evening?
Thanks!
Barb

Hi Barb, from what I understand a 25 watt bulb is all that's necessary for extra light. With your red light, the extra heat from a 25 watt bulb should be fine.

Because you don't want your birds to be off the roost when the light suddenly goes out, set your timer to come on in the morning. That way everyone will be settled and on their roost when the light suddenly comes on.

Last winter my pullets laid all winter with no extra light. This year they are finishing up their first moult, so my egg production has gone down dramatically. However, I know that the birds need this break to "recharge their batteries", so I'm not stressing them by adding more light.

Imagine ovulating and having a "baby" every day like they do! They need the break so I'm giving them all they can eat and drink and just letting nature take it's course. Yesterday I got 3 eggs from 6 birds coming out of moult, so I'm happy. Good luck!

Light affects not only the production of hens but also the sexual maturity of the pullets- the age at which they begin laying, the number of eggs laid, and the size of their eggs.

Pullets should be kept either on a constant 8-10 hour dar or in decreasing light. Pullets hatched in April, May or June supposedly need no artificial lighting.

Interesting! Our pullets were hatched this spring, and our production is steadily increasing thanks to the advice to change the feed. Lst year they were also spring babies, so maybe that is why they needed no extra light. Thank you to all who provided input on the light source.
We will experiment!
Barb