Whether to turn off the lights in the chicken coop or not. Infrared heater for chicken coop

Welcome to the site website. Today the article belongs to the section “Aspects of Poultry Raising”, namely, we will try a little to analyze the issue of lighting the chicken coop.

These bulbs can be used in a chicken coop

The effectiveness of using lighting in a chicken coop has been proven for a long time. In summer, the chicken coop can be lit through windows, but in winter, additional lighting must be used to provide the chickens with comfortable living conditions. A proper lighting system ensures normal bird development, improves egg size and weight, and shell strength.

Daylight hours for laying hens should last at least 14 hours. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the lights are turned on and off every time same time. The main and control lamps must be installed in the chicken coop. Place the lamps so that chicken waterers and feeders are well lit, but make sure that the birds do not come into contact with the lamps or wiring. The number of lamps is calculated so that for each square meter accounted for 5 watts.

How to organize the lighting mode in a backpack

When dusk comes, chickens see almost nothing. Therefore, you need to pay attention to the organization of lighting in the poultry house: at the end of the day, first turn off the main lighting, but leave one or two control lamps, depending on the size of the coop, on so that the birds can roost for the night. After five to ten minutes, turn off the control lighting.

Also plays an important role lighting intensity. If you are raising chickens, use light in the first days 30-40 OK. This will encourage the chicks to drink water. Gradually reduce the light to 5-7 OK. This light should remain from three weeks of age until the end of growth. Lighting will be optimal for keeping adult chickens 10 OK. And if you are raising a parent family, you will need lighting 15 lk, because Below this level, the sexual activity of roosters decreases.

Reduced lighting brightness can reduce aggression and feather plucking among birds. However, many foreign companies use lighting 20-25 lk, because they believe that in low light chicken eggs become more polluted.

The lighting system for your coop should be planned generously. Please note that over time the lamps will become dusty and their brightness will decrease.

Lamps for chicken coops also differ in color. Scientists have found that blue light calms birds, blue-green promotes good growth of chickens, and red-orange improves reproductive functions. Red light is also used to reduce feather plucking, but this light reduces the duration of egg laying. Therefore, red lamps are not used for young animals.

Chicken appeared in the household more than 7 thousand years ago. Experienced poultry keepers believe that this is the most unpretentious bird. At the same time, they note that some rules in keeping birds must be followed. These include the organization of artificial light in the chicken coop.

Lighting in a chicken coop is not a whim of the breeder, but an additional opportunity to improve the standard of living of the flock. In the dark, the chicken practically cannot see, so when dusk falls, it immediately falls asleep.

The presence of light in the chicken coop helps the birds stay active longer, which means they grow faster and.

Lighting has a beneficial effect on the entire poultry farming process:

eggs become larger and stronger;
the risk of injury to adults and chickens is reduced (in the dark, birds can trample each other);
chickens are good, puberty occurs faster;
Calcium metabolism is normalized and the immune system is strengthened.

All of these indicators suggest that multiple lights in a coop will provide the best performance. In addition, it is beneficial from an economic point of view. It is easier to provide electricity to one flock of chickens than to start a second one.

Owners should take into account that the light should not be on constantly. Chickens need rest and sleep.

Which lamps to choose?

To make it more comfortable for the birds and easier for the owners, the lamp in the chicken coop should not consume a lot of energy and require increased maintenance. It is desirable that the light can be adjusted, and that the lamps themselves are resistant to moisture and dust.

In general, when running electricity into a chicken coop, you need to take into account that the chicken house has high humidity. Therefore, it is recommended to conduct the wiring outside the perimeter of the chicken coop, and install shades on the lamps themselves.

Let's take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of lamps that are installed in the poultry house.

Incandescent lamps

Just 20 years ago, incandescent lamps were installed everywhere. Nowadays, these are too “gluttonous” illuminators for large farms. Energy costs are not compensated even by the low cost of the “Ilyich light bulb.” However, for small coops it is still a good lighting alternative.

The advantages of incandescent lamps include:

low price on the lamp;
environmental friendliness;
ease of operation;
the ability to regulate the degree of heat (this will require thyristor units);
good lighting.

In addition, the “Ilyich bulb” tolerates cold temperatures well, and can itself be used for turning. The chicken coop usually uses 40-60 W lamps.

LED

An LED lamp can last more than 50 thousand hours. Currently, manufacturers have begun to produce lamps specifically for poultry farms.

The benefits include:

warm white glow;
ease of operation;
possibility of working with different temperatures(from -20 to +50 degrees Celsius);
economical energy consumption;
resistance to moisture and dust;
regulation of lamp intensity.

The disadvantages usually include the high price of the lamp. On average led lamp costs from 100 rubles. At the same time, LED lights pay for themselves quite quickly.

Luminescent

Good poultry house lights will be fluorescent lamps. The power needed is small, 40-50 W is suitable.

The advantages of experienced poultry farmers include:

good uniform white light;
durability;
ease of operation;
low price for lamps;
energy savings.

A chicken's eyes work on a different principle. Cheap lamp gives chickens bad spectral range, that is, it seems to the bird that the light is blinking.
For lighting intensity, you need to buy light bulbs with dimmers. However, in poultry houses, dimmers often fail.
Such a lamp cannot simply be thrown away; recycling is necessary.

However, if you take into account and minimize the disadvantages, such a lamp will be a good helper on the farm and in the home.

Energy saving

Energy-saving illuminators have also shown their advantages in the poultry market. The advantages include:

energy savings;
the ability to customize the desired spectrum, that is, warm white lighting.

It’s worth thinking about the disadvantages in advance:

high price;
Difficulty adjusting brightness;
the presence of dangerous mercury in the bulb (like fluorescent lamps, such lamps must be disposed of).

In addition, according to reviews from farmers, energy-saving lamps in a chicken coop last much less than the designated period.

Lamp color

Today, manufacturers offer to install lamps in the chicken coop different colors. Motivating this is that they have a beneficial effect on the productivity of birds. For example:

blue calms;
red prevents;
green has a beneficial effect on growth;
orange promotes reproduction.

Scientists have not yet given an exact answer whether this is so, but, according to reviews from experienced farmers, color can really have a positive effect on the standard of living of the herd.

Dwarf Cochins will decorate any yard. Read about the conditions for keeping these birds and the peculiarities of rearing.

Chicken coop lighting system

Proper regulation of the lighting system helps influence the rate of weight gain of the bird, its behavior, and even the process. First of all, you need to take into account that artificial light in the chicken coop should not be uniform. The most illumination should be - up to 50-70 Lux. Twilight is required, which means the indicator cannot exceed 5 Lux.

Chickens need increased lighting - up to 40 Lux. Adult chickens feel comfortable with less intense light - 10 Lux. If you live in a chicken coop, there should be a little more light (up to 15 lux).

In addition, you need to look at the behavior of the birds in the flock, their aggressiveness and activity. It is important to ensure the safety of the herd; in case of frequent fights, it is recommended to reduce the brightness of the light.

Rules for turning on and off the lights in the poultry house:

The lamps should be turned on 1-2 hours before the start daylight hours.
If possible, equip the system with a timer that regulates the light intensity.
Manually turn on the light gradually. First, the lamps that are further from the nests, after a few minutes the general light.
In the evening, turn it off in reverse order.
All lamps should be turned off when the chickens settle in.
The length of daylight hours for birds can be 10-14 hours. In addition, it is important to accustom chickens to the dark. Otherwise, if there is a sudden power outage, they may trample each other.

Regardless of the type of lamps chosen, professionals advise when planning a chicken coop lighting project to leave a margin of brightness. Over time, lighting fixtures become covered with a layer of dust, which means they produce dimmer light.

Features of lighting for broilers and egg breeds

The length of daylight hours for laying hens and broilers should be different. Therefore, different light programs are organized for birds. Day-old chicks of both species need long daylight hours and bright light. For the first week for broilers and up to two weeks for eggs, it is enough to give only an hour of darkness. The brightness of the light can vary from 40 to 50 Lux.

Manufacturers different breeds broilers are recommended by their poultry management programs. In general, they are designed to help the chicken gain weight faster, and also to help it develop and strengthen its backbone. Dark blocks are introduced when the chick reaches a weight of 100-150 grams. Usually in 7 days. After the first "twilight", the birds' appetite decreases. It returns to normal within 2-3 days.

Experienced poultry keepers recommend using no more than one block of darkness. During the growing period of the chicken, you should not change the number of hours of artificial twilight. After the 21st day, the daylight hours become longer. Before slaughter it is 23 hours a day. A couple of days before catching the bird, the brightness of the lighting should be increased to 10-20 Lux.

IN summer heat For broilers, the number of hours of daylight can be reduced so that the chicken can eat cool at night. In winter, on the contrary, it is better to turn on the lights at night so that during cold times she is active and eats well.

For egg breeds, the optimal daylight hours are 13-14 hours. The brightness of the lighting can vary from 10 to 20 Lux. This is approximately equal to 6 W per 1 square meter.

At the same time, during puberty, laying hens are not recommended to increase daylight hours. This can have a detrimental effect on the hens' puberty.

Broiler Lighting System

In broilers, the lighting system relies solely on the weight of the bird. It looks something like this:

The weight of an adult chicken is less than 800 grams

The weight of an adult chicken is 800-850 grams

The weight of an adult chicken exceeds 850 grams

Darkness is needed to reduce the rate at which the bird gains weight on its weak frame.

Lighting program for laying hens

A poultry house lighting program for egg breeds might look like this:

Bird age (in weeks)	How many hours should it be dark?	Length of daylight hours
1-2	0-1	23-24 hours
3	8	From 9 am to 1 am
4	10	From 9 am to 11 pm
5	12	From 9am to 9pm
6	14	From 9am to 7pm
7-18	15	From 9 am to 6 pm
19	14	From 8 am to 6 pm
20	13	From 8 am to 7 pm
21	11	From 6 am to 7 pm
22	9	From 4 a.m. to 7 p.m.
After 25 weeks	8	From 3 a.m. to 7 p.m.

This system is designed to prepare chickens for laying eggs.

In general, chicken coop lighting plays one of the most important roles in the life of a bird. It helps the chicken flock grow and develop faster. This means it saves breeders time and effort. The main thing is to choose wisely suitable program, and then adjust it a little according to the situation.

Light in the chicken coop - important factor growth of healthy hens and roosters. It has a positive effect on future offspring. The lighting in the chicken coop should be comprehensive; it consists of lanterns of a certain power and color.

Lighting type

When creating conditions for birds, it is important to choose the right light.

Lamps and lanterns can be bought at any hardware store or made yourself. To prevent artificial light from harming laying hens, you should first read the instructions, which tell you what types of lighting exist and where they are used.

A lantern is an excellent device for lighting a chicken coop.

Choosing a decent option nowadays is not at all difficult if you take into account several requirements:

lanterns and lamps are selected taking into account the area;
LED lamps are good;
fluorescent lamps are not inferior to LED lamps;
There are special indoor lamps for the dark corners of the chicken coop.

The color of the lamps is also an important factor.

This is especially true for domestic chicken coops:

blue color is calming;
green color affects the physiology of chickens;
the red color may affect the egg production of birds, so it is better to avoid it;
orange is the opposite of red and increases the number of eggs.

The chicken coop should always be filled moist air. It is better to take everything related to electrics outside.

When it's time to install the lamps, take into account the time of year and the biological rhythms of the laying hens.

The brightness of the lighting plays a big role. Chicks that have just emerged need the brightest light, and for broilers that are already twenty-one days old, the amount of light is reduced by three times. If there are roosters in the building, then average values are established.

You should turn off the lights at night, after the animals have sat down in their places. Otherwise, the chickens will be looking for roost until dawn.

It is better to use lamps that have a smooth attenuation, so the lighting for broilers is similar to natural lighting. This trick reduces the number of outbursts of aggression and panic on the part of individuals. Shutting down abruptly only makes the situation worse.

Effect of light on chickens

Chickens cannot live without light. Correctly selected lighting will not only improve the productive system, but also reduce the number of injured individuals and correct their clock rhythms.

Lighting in a chicken coop involves division into 2 components: the intensity of the light supply and the duration of its emission.

Benefits of light:

small chickens will find food more easily;
aggression will decrease;
control over the growing process of chickens.

The first method is to change the mode twice a day so that the illusion of dawn and sunset appears in the room. With the second method, it is possible to carry out light changes throughout the day with several repetitions. If we take into account the opinion of experts about which mode is more productive, then farmers are inclined to the third option - continuous.

For small chickens, laying hens and broilers, the light mode is selected individually. Depending on the age of the birds, the lighting time in the room should also be adjusted. Activation internal processes birds falls at night. It is then that the shell is enriched with minerals, the body is saturated with microelements, which has a positive effect on general condition immune system of laying hens. It is very important to support optimal mode lighting so that the level of minerals in the body normalizes. In poor lighting conditions for the chicken coop, the exchange process and growth stop.

Changes in indicators in winter

IN winter time domestic chickens should receive enough light, despite the decrease in daylight hours. To prevent laying hens from laying eggs less, you need to stock up additional equipment to artificially illuminate the chicken coop. Such additional mode will increase the number of eggs during wintering birds. To make the consecration process convenient for both chickens and owners, poultry farmers install special devices - relays. On days when it is not possible to leave the house at night, such a relay with a timer will be a solution to lighting problems. A timer is an inexpensive mechanism with several modes.

It’s easy to make a relay to light a chicken coop yourself at home.

Here are the stages of the assembly process:

first you should assemble the lamp, OSB is suitable for this;
then the electrical wiring should be installed;
the lamp is assembled and mounted on the wall;
the timer is connected to the lamp;
It is important to program a timer so that the coop lights turn on at dawn and turn off after sunset.

The duration of lighting in winter should be determined taking into account average statistical data.

Installation of heating light

In winter, the poultry house must remain warm. To prevent birds from freezing and contracting the virus, it is important to keep chickens warm during cold weather. If it is not possible to leave the babies with the laying hen, then it is better to make a brooder for them. This is a special box that is used for chicks immediately after birth. It has the correct light and heating installed.

the floor must be dry;
the surface on the floor should not slip;
The humidity in the room must be controlled;
a vessel for bowel movements should be placed under the bottom;
the brooder should not allow drafts to pass through;
there must be control over the heating system.

The construction of such heating will help the chicks not to freeze in winter.

Proper lighting in a home chicken coop is the key to good bird development and increased egg production. Chicken owners sooner or later become puzzled by the need to make artificial lighting for the winter. Installation with my own hands significantly reduces the cost of work and increases the profitability of poultry keeping. Experts offer options for arranging a chicken coop, as well as photo and video tips on how to properly distribute your energy and make the lighting effective and safe for the birds.

Why is there a light in the chicken coop?

A natural feature of chickens is terrible vision in the dark. Due to the shortening daylight hours in winter, people have come up with the idea of artificially lighting chicken coops. This allows the livestock to not lose productivity in cold weather. This includes the number of eggs laid, reproduction, and development of the young. In agricultural technology for raising chickens, two aspects of illumination are important.

Intensity or brightness. Calculated using a lux meter or approximately, based on indirect evidence. By adjusting this value, you can:

reduce the risk of birds pecking;
manage pullet development;
call seasonal shedding and reduce its terms;
help find water and food for day-old chicks;
manipulate livestock without introducing stress to facilitate procedures for wing trimming, vaccination, catching, etc.

Light intensity affects the life of the bird

Length of daylight. Turning the light on and off can be adjusted:

broiler development;
shedding;
maturation and beginning of oviposition;
heat generated by chickens (in summer).

Selection of lamp intensity and color

A sufficiently lit chicken coop has a positive effect on the quality of life of the bird and, as a result, on the efficiency of its rearing. It is also convenient for maintenance. However, 24-hour lighting is detrimental to chickens. During the conditional “night” the bird’s bones and immunity are strengthened.

Another important factor when installing lighting is the birds’ perception of the light spectrum:

Chickens don't see purple at all.
Blue is perceived as the dark time of day. It has a calming effect on them.
Red reduces the number of feathers plucked, having a positive effect on the livestock. However, the number of eggs laid is also reduced.
Green activates the development of young animals.
Orange has a positive effect on reproduction.

Orange color has a positive effect on bird reproduction

When installing lighting equipment yourself, experts advise taking into account that in different parts chicken coop needs different brightness:

at the location of the feeder and drinking bowl - intense light of about 69 Lux (lux);
on the roost and oviposition sites - 0.5-1 Lux, which corresponds to twilight;
to illuminate newborn chicks you need about 30 lux, for older chicks - 5 lux.

Attention! If there are only chickens in the room, 5-10 Lx is enough in the central part of the chicken coop. If there is a rooster, increase the brightness to 15 Lux.

Selecting lamps for illumination

The correct lighting fixtures for a chicken coop should be:

resistant to dust and moisture;
economical;
do not require frequent maintenance;
safe;
with brightness adjustment function.

The store will offer you several lighting options to choose from:

incandescent lamps;
luminescent;
energy saving;
LED;
fluorescent.

The tested incandescent lamps are not economical. In large farms they were replaced long ago, but in a small chicken coop such a lamp will still serve. They are simple, environmentally friendly, have a wide spectral range, produce little heat and allow you to adjust the brightness (with additional equipment).

Fluorescent lights are popular among chicken coop owners. They are also cheap, energy efficient and easy to maintain. The disadvantages are the light spectrum that is inconvenient for birds, a slight flicker that irritates the eyesight of chickens, and not environmentally friendly. You need to adjust the brightness of a fluorescent lamp using a dimmer. In the aggressive environment of the chicken coop, it quickly fails.

For home use you will need a few lamps

In private households, energy-saving light sources are also used. Their advantages are obvious. The disadvantages include high cost and reduced service life in a chicken coop. It is impossible to regulate the intensity of such a lamp, and it cannot be thrown into a landfill after it fails.

LED lamps are the most progressive way to illuminate a chicken coop. They are also not cheap, but they pay off better than energy-saving ones due to a longer service life, resistance to dirt and mechanical damage. Otherwise, the diode lamp is ideal for a poultry house.

Fluorescent lamps can also be used for the chicken coop, but only with a frequency of at least 26 kHz. Moreover, such lamps must be placed on equal distance from each other. Otherwise, flickering will have an extremely negative impact on the hens.

How to calculate lighting in a chicken coop

The number of lamps is determined by their power. The standard ratio for a chicken coop is 1 W/sq. m. The load should be distributed taking into account resting and feeding areas. Several lighting lines are installed in a large room.

Advice. When keeping chickens in cages, the wires are mounted above the batteries. If the feeders are inside the cage, add extra light inside each one.

The lamps are positioned so that a person does not touch them with his head, but at the same time can easily reach them with his hand for replacement or repair. Typically the ceiling height is 1.8-2 m.

It is useful to install shades on lamps that will protect them from dust and moisture. The protection must be strong enough to prevent a bird from accidentally breaking the lamp.

Lighting in the feeder area should be brighter

When calculating the location of the wiring, keep in mind that there is high humidity in the middle of the chicken coop. Try to move the bulk of the switching outside the premises. Install the shield there. Only lamps, switches, lighting control systems and the wiring leading to them should remain inside the chicken coop.

Assembling the chicken coop lighting system

To automate the switching on/off of lights in the chicken coop, devices based on relays with a timer are installed. Serious devices with the “dawn-sunset” option make it possible to finely adjust the level of lighting at every moment of the day, smoothly transition from dark to brightly lit.

Owners of a small room do not have to spend money on this equipment, but simply unscrew the lamps or change them to less bright ones. However, a Chinese electronic timer with several modes will not cost much, but will significantly expand your capabilities.

Advice. The easiest way to solve problems with winter lighting in a small chicken coop is a window with natural light and 2-3 lamps around the perimeter. If there are young animals in the chicken coop, the window should be closed with curtains on too bright a day.

Wiring and installation of lamps are done according to the usual scheme. Select wiring based on the declared power of the lamps. Secure the lamps using metal corners. The line can be routed to a panel or to an outlet. The timer in the circuit is installed directly in front of the lamp.