Should you use lighting in your chicken coop? Is it worth it to YOU?

My previous video covered the practicalities of How To use artificial lighting in your chicken coop, to encourage your hens to lay in the winter.
   • How to use Lighting in your chicken c...  
But I didn't answer the question Should You?
Like many questions about chickens, the answer is It Depends.
You should make your own decision about what's best for you and your chickens based on:
- Where you live and how long are your winters
- Whether your chickens are confined inside for long periods, either because of the weather or perhaps because of the danger of bird flu.
- Whether you have or can easily get electricity to your chicken coop, and can achieve the precise control of timing that is necessary, without fail. (See my previous video for the details.)
- Which breeds of chicken you keep – some breeds have better reputations than others for being able to keep laying when the days are shorter.
- How important is it to you to get eggs from your chickens all year round, or can you consider eggs as a seasonal food item, or learn to store eggs to eat when your hens are off the lay – See my video about storing eggs in the fridge.
   • How long can you store eggs in the fr...  

It doesn’t really have to be an all-or-nothing decision. You can use extra lighting for a few weeks in early Spring to create those longer days earlier in the year, then allow your chickens to finish the year naturally. That way you would have a few weeks without eggs but not four or five months of the year, and your chickens would be healthy and productive.

And if like me you don’t have electrical light in your chicken coop, then at least make the most of the natural daylight that there is, by having big windows in your coop to let in the early morning light,
and paint the inside of your coop a pale colour. I painted mine White!
   • No red mites! Lots of eggs! Paint ins...  


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