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amount of light for Free Range fowl?


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Our hens free range and curently have 12 hours full light. I am tired of feeding them through the winter with few eggs coming of it, so am trying to find out what will work with my little flock. I raised the heat lamps up in their shed where they all roost for the night up higher and replaced the heat bulbs with regular light bulbs to provide the extra couple hours of light as it has been lovely and warm and only down to 50 at night. But some days we leave early or come home late, does it matter if their light is turned on 5am one day, go to bed with natural light, and then natural light the next day with a couple hours of artificial at night until 8 or 9 pm?? Does it matter if the artificial is left on 6 hours? And if I come home and it is already dark or just going dark, can I turn on the artificial or does that mess them up? And I am using those spiral compact flourescent bulbs ... does it matter which bulbs I use?

Edited by His Wife
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  • 2 weeks later...

WELL WIFEY,

 

 

ROUGHLY 15 HOURS OF LIGHT TO GET EGGS THOUGH IF YOU ARE MESSING THE BIRDS AROUND YOU WILL THROW THEM INTO A SOFT MOULT ........... TRY TO BUY THE CHEAP LITTLE PLUG IN DIGITAL SOCKETS WHICH TAKE A BATTERY TO TURN ON YER LIGHTS ON A MORNING , THEY ARE DIGITAL AND SET VERY EASY .... THEY ARE USED BY HOMEOWNERS AS AN ANTI BURGULARY DEVICE

 

 

ALL THE BEST

 

 

 

DUCKWING

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so I need to keep their schedule as regular as possible then? I did go and get a timer the other day but have't plugged it in yet, I will do it tonight. Is it better that it come on for the 3 extra hours in the morning or in the evening?

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WIFEY ,

 

WITH ONE OF THESE TYPE OF DEVICES ITS BEST TO SET FOR MORNING ....... AS BANG ITS ON .......... BRIGHT LIGHTS

 

OTHER WAY ROUND AND ITS BANG ... BLACK DARK ....... WITH BIRDS NOT ON ROOSTS ETC

 

THE MORE EXPENSIVE DIMMER TIMER SWITCHES DONT HAVE THAT PROBLEM ...............

 

START OFF AT 15 HOURS THEN UP IT TO 17 HOURS GRADUALLY TAKING INTO ACCOUNT OF DAYLIGHT

 

 

ALL THE BEST

 

DUCKWING

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okay with the way our light is right now, I'm having to set the timer to come on at 2am, it's dark at 5pm, and that is giving them 15 hours light. But now the rooster is crowing at 2am ... I think I'll go see how much those electronic dimmers are!

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