[Steph Hen]

Last year my home grown POL's came into lay November and went right through the winter. We were inundated, and id not expected them to lay till spring!
Not wanting to rely on luck again, I've been wondering about solar lights. I did a search and found a discussion on here in 2011, so wanted to see what people's experiences have been..? Lights with timers seem expensive.

The easiest thing would be to set some garden lights in the shed and hope they catch enough rays to light the hutch for a few extra hours in the evening... Anyone tried this? (Guessing they wouldn't do much in dull days) . Or cut a hole in the roof/side and seal them so the pannel is outside and light shines in, again, hoping it extends day only in evening for a while.

Next, I guess is timers, anyone got timed solar lights that didn't cost a fortune? Anyone modified one they've bought?

How many hours do your hens need to lay through and do they have to be lit at both ends, or in the morning rather than evening?

[Clansman]

16 hours light will be plenty, 14 is reckoned to be minimum.

Coincidentally (or maybe not) we're sitting at around 14.5 hours daylight right now and dropping around 4 mins per day so i've been using artificial light in mine for the last month or so.

I take it you are too far from a mains supply or just specifically looking for a solar powered option?

It doesn't need to be high intensity, I can't remember the actual lux figure (and it might not help you much anyway) but the old method I was taught was that if its bright enough to read a newspaper its bright enough to make the hens lay

I have a 12v system in my laying shed (its 8' x 6' not a huge farm)

I have a small 12v solar panel on the roof which trickle charges an old (but good) 12v car battery.

Off this I run a 12v timer and two 3w 12v bulbs (in parallel in case one blows) and this gives more than enough light in an 8 x 6 shed.

My 16 hour day length runs from 5am to 9pm so I currently have my lights on from 5am till 7 am and 7pm till 9 pm.

As the natural day length shortens i'll alter the times to cover it, although it will always start at 5am and finish at 9pm.

I have mains power to the shed via an extension from the house which I can also use for lighting/charging if needs be but I try not to (i'm tight)

Cost wise it was roughly :

Solar panel £20

Timer £8 (eBay)

bulbs free (pinched them out an old car)

Battery (as above)

I have been thinking of "updating" my system to LED's to reduce the power consumption but its not really needed.

[Steph Hen]

Thanks for the reply Clansman, food for thought. It's not miles away from the house, it's more the thought of convincing my husband it's a good idea to drill holes in the wall! To be honest, I liked the idea of a stand alone, little solar light I could just pop in myself. Your system sounds manageable, and not too deer. Thanks.

[ScribbleUk]

I put two solar light systems into our original coop and run.  One as a PIR security light to provide light while we're gathering eggs in the dark, and a second system that has two LED lamps (1 for run and 1 for coop) that are activated by the ambient light level.

I found neither to be truly satisfactory.  The PIR security light generally discharged dueto being triggered by moving branches so was usually flat or so dim to be useless when we needed it.

The internal lights worked well to extend the day into the evening but I didn't feel the LED worked as well as a regular bulb to extend the laying season.  In the end, I ran some SWA cable to the hen coop.  This was expensive but the best decision as it allows me to install proper lighting on  timers, and I have also been able to extend the electrical run to new coops I built this year. 

If you do the electrics right it provides other options, like being able to use power tools near the coops (pressure washers, etc.) for routine maintenance.

[chrismahon]

Hi Steph Hen. We tried coop lighting one Winter. Set a light on a timer to come on at 4.00am until dawn, so that they could perch as normal in the evening. Found we used a lot of bedding with the extra coop activity but we did get eggs. A breeder told us not to run the lights over Christmas and New Year as it is important to give hens a two week break from laying. So we did switch them off. We haven't bothered again as the hens are getting old and lay when they feel able.

[Steph Hen]

Thanks for the replies. Not thought about extra bedding requirements, and I do like the idea of being able to just use power tools right at the hutch. Then I could also use lights and heat lamps in one of the smaller hutches for chicks?.. Very usual! I'll be sure to use regular bulbs rather than led. Thanks again.

[Clansman]

Chris makes a good point about a break in laying, however this will depend on your flock.

Are they year old, pullets or a mix of ages breeds etc?

I would certainly do this but I'd do it in the autumn for outside birds as it will most likely induce a moult and your baldy chickens may not thank you when they're running about outside celebrating New Year.