Pros and Cons of Lighting Your Chicken Coop

Consider this topic of hot debate among hen keepers: Should you consider adding artificial lighting to your chicken coop?

Reader Contribution by Kirsten Lie-Nielsen
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by AdobeStock/SUWIWAT

Whether or not to light your coop is a topic of hot debate among chicken keepers every winter season. Adding a chicken coop light will help your egg production, but there are negative repercussions to artificial lighting. Here are some of the pros and cons of lights in the coop.

Reasons to Light Your Chicken Coop

1. Egg production slows way down during the winter because of the decreased daylight and the fact that chickens tend to go through their annual molt in the late fall. Supplemental light will counteract the lack of daylight, stimulating the hen’s pituitary gland which is what signals her ovaries to release her egg. Hens need about 14 hours of light a day to produce eggs, and in many areas of the country, the sun is only giving about eight hours of light in these winter months. Since most chickens trace their heritage back to equatorial regions, their systems just aren’t adapted to continuing egg production in the winter light. A lamp on the timer in the early mornings and evenings will help to keep your ladies in the regular flow of things and keep your basket full of eggs.

2. Sometimes, especially in extreme climates, a coop light can be used to help keep your chickens stay a little bit warmer during the winter months. Heat lamps are used to keep baby chicks warm when they first arrive from a hatchery, and they can be used to keep hens warm in winter as well. Chickens are very hardy, and covered in fluffy feathers, so the temperatures have to be very low to require such supplemental heat. Some chicken experts recommend a temperature around 40 degrees as ideal for hens.

3. Many chicken experts have found that red lights are the best way to light a chicken coop. The idea is that the subtle light of a red bulb helps to keep your girls calm. Keep in mind that hens do not perceive red light as daylight, so adding such a bulb to your hen house will not work for increased egg production. Because it’s not perceived as daylight, chickens can be exposed to red light 24/7 with no ill effects. Theories abound that red lighting prevents chickens from being able to differentiate combs and wattles, which helps to prevent hen-pecking and cannibalism. While these are unproven, the potential benefits may outweigh the possible negative effects, especially since red will not have the other effects on chickens that white lights have.

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