Got A Light?

There was a neat little blurb in our monthly Fertrell newsletter that talked about lighting for the hen house. This is something that my wife and I have given passing thought to, but never really put a lot of effort into.

At one time, last year, we tried to put battery powered Christmas lights in the coop in an effort to get the hens to lay more. It didn't work too well. The Christmas lights didn't give enough light, I don't think. But this article from Fertrell had some good advice that we may consider seriously.

As August is upon us, the importance of light in the hen house becomes more apparent. With the increasing cost of feed and production, our margins decrease, so we need to think of ways to maximize production without increasing costs even further.

Hens need around fifteen hours of light per day to produce and stay stimulated. You can add light with electricity and a timer and the light can be added morning and evening. Another way is to use a gas lantern. Have the lantern lit as you go out to the hen house in the morning to imitate the sun. In the evening you will need to put 1oz. of fuel in for every hour that the lantern needs to burn. As the fuel runs out and the light gradually fades, it will look as if the sun is going down, very natural looking. You can also use an LED light with a solar collector and a battery to store the power.

Good advice, I think I will look into it.