[doganjo]

So do you know where I can get a solar light for inside the shed with a panel I can hang in full daylight?  My chickens put themselves to bed around 6 these days and that'll get earlier.

[little blue]

We bought a very expensive one, (might have been argos?) a year ago, but now its rubbish!
We have replaced the garden solar post lights (reluctantly in my case!) with electric ones, for more security and more 'coverage'.  So the top bit of the solar thingy is just put in the chook house each evening, and the batteries give out after a few hours, and get recharged the following day.

Any cheap garden light will do for this.
At the risk of sounding like a moaning minnie... i've never yet found a decent solar light that last much more than a year.  But would really like one!

[doganjo]

I bought a solar fountain for my duck pond at my last house - it lasted 2 hours.  It was painted green round the solar panel and the ducks must have thought it was grass.  their pecking at it broke the glass on the panel!

[harry]

why dont you run a lead to the shed and use a low energy bulb 10watts that will run for 100 hours for one unit of electric (pennies) and timer if you use it in the evening you will need a dimer  timer , easier for it to come on a 4am then no dimer req,.......... no it doesnt shorten their live it shortens the best produtive life ie some will lay 300 eggs per year, so they may chuck out 900 eggs in 3 years... then lay less... if you add light they would lay 900 eggs in less than 3 years then lay less sooner..... ie they only have a certain number of eggs in them

[harry]

i wouldnt have thought that a light inside the shed would be any good if it a place to roost and lay.... lights inside shed are for deep litter sheds where the birds live all the time, if the have a little light in thier roosting shed, they will think hello its morning again lets get up, they stick their heads outside and its still dark?? confusing for the birds i would think......... or they go to bed a dusk and get inside and its daylight again.... if they have a shed and a run i light up the run with an outdoor light , then when the outside light comes on they think hello suns up lets get out........ what you also must not do is have a very bright light as while its on they think its daylight, when it goes off the think its duller so its evening 10- 20 watts should do it, thats my reasoning anyway, works for me.

[little blue]

The dim light is ideally just to extend the number of hours of light they get, to keep their body clocks in productive laying mode.
A hen needs total darkness to sleep - in fact they supposedly go into a trance like state, which is why they are easy prey for foxes etc at night, cos they can't respond to danger if its dark.
So a timer is essential, or a light that fades out like ours.

[harry]

i did mention you need a timer, thats obvious, how else would you get the light on and off the same time every day?.... apparently poultry have a light sensor in the top of their heads, nothing to do with eyes apparently.

[Roxy]

I cannot put proper lights in my hen sheds because we have no electric to the fields.  And anyway, it goes against all I believe in ....my animals and hens live a very natural lifestyle.  The hens have stopped laying because their bodies tell them so, and they need a rest.  OK, I have to feed them while they are going through this, and getting no eggs back.  But I feel they deserve to rest a little from laying, and allowing them to do this, will mean they will come back into lay with plenty of eggs for us to sell again.  I would not be happy to put lights in to make them lay better

[doganjo]

I think I feel the same way as Roxy

[harry]

I dont know for certain but i would guess hens etc in this country lead a far from very natural natural lifestyle, they were jungle creatures that probably laid a few eggs then hatched them, why would a jungle bird lay 200 + eggs and leave them all over the jungle floor. We try to do our best for them but to say our hens lead a VERY NATURAL LIFESTYLE is rubbish, some keepers keep them in a small muddy run all  the time NATURAL, I dont think so, we pick and choose our believes to suit ourselves but they are often against whats natural, not cruel but not natural....... Did you know that the animal protection league have on their adgender to eventually ban all domestic pets, cats, dogs, budgies horses, everything, because it NOT NATURAL. I dont support them in this but at least they are consistent.

[shetlandpaul]

a bit off topic there harry. but unless they need to lay at peak production then let the normal cycle of less eggs over winter accure. again have a look at defras booklet theres mention of light there. but unless you thinking of replacing your chucks every 18 months then let them chill out.

harry as we have had hens for over two thousand years in this country your looking at about a thousand generations if they have not adapted to our weather now they deserve to become extinct.

[harry]

MY point was, to say adding light is unatural which it is, i would also say that a hen that layes 2-300 eggs p.a. is also unatural, and those that keep hens in unatural conditions cannot cast the first stone...... i wonder what hens do in the meditorainium, (i think thats how you spell it). Of course hens need a rest light added or not cause we all want them to chuck out 200+eggs. Speaking for myself i would be pleased if someone could lighten up my winters a bit whats so great about the dark, i like the cold season but not the dark eves at 4pm.

[shetlandpaul]

you mean it stays light to 4pm. thats lucky its pitch black by then up here. yes of course the modern egg layer and meat birds are not natural but would we want one that lays a dozen a year. the debate is should we be forcing them to lay beyond what nature says they should. i don't but other do were not in a postion to judge what others do.

[doganjo]

meditorainium

Mediterranean

For once I have found Wikipedia interesting - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken

[harry]

You are correct if we are not perfect we should not judge........ that was the piont i was getting at, we may not like it but our hens are egg machines, pampered machines but still machines, if they didnt lay they would go in most cases, although i still have an old bird must be 6 old years now, a black rock i leave her to get on with it she goes where she likes as shes the oldest bird in my flock, still lays a good number, she will have to die of old age...... funny thing is for 5 years she went into the shed at night, last year all my ixworths and l/sussexs which are all first year birds all roost in the trees and laurel bushes 12foot tall and shes joined them, its great to see about 30 white hens all roosting in the laurels with no problems with mites rats or foxes.