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How to: Artificial Light to Make Chickens Lay More Eggs

Like most domesticated livestock, chickens have been selectively bred for centuries to emphasize desirable characteristics such as breast size and prolific egg-laying. However, chickens lay eggs to meet their biological need to make new chickens and as autumn approaches, the shortening days tell them they've run out of time to raise chicks before winter. This causes their egg production to diminish and eventually stop. Commercial egg producers and homesteaders counter this by providing artificial light to keep egg production high right up until the hens moult, 50 to 60 weeks after they've begun laying.

Things You'll Need

Incandescent, fluorescent or halogen light fixtures
Natural-light bulbs for fluorescent or halogen fixtures
Timer with battery backup

Instructions

- 1
  Choose between incandescent, fluorescent and halogen lights. If you opt for fluorescent or halogen, you'll need to choose bulbs that generate a natural full-spectrum light.
- 2
  Install a suitable number of fixtures, depending on the size of your chicken coop or henhouse. The level of light is adequate if can see how full the feeders are while standing over them.
- 3
  Wire the light fixtures to a timer, to minimize power consumption. Consistency is important, so choose a model that contains a backup battery to maintain the settings in case of a temporary power outage.
- 4
  Set your timer to come on at the same time every morning, and turn off when daylight is well established. Sixteen hours of total artificial light and daylight is generally recommended, so set your start time for sixteen hours prior to the time darkness arrives in late November.
- 5
  Begin providing additional light shortly after the summer solstice, whenever your average daily sunlight drops below sixteen hours.
- 6
  Check your lights regularly, and immediately replace any that burn out. Even one day of reduced light can cause your chickens' egg production to drop drastically, and trigger their off-season moult.

Animals & Science