Winter is getting here fast and we need to come up with a plan to add artificial lighting to the coop to ensure the girls produce consistantly over the winter. We have an extension cord run out to the coop and used it early in the season with the red heat light when the chicks first moved outside. They won't need additional heat these days since they are fully feathered and hopefully they will transition well to the cooler temps. We have already closed up their 'windows' to prevent drafts as they sit on the roost bars. We have a hole in the top of the coop for ventillation and their door is open to the coop, so I figure that should be adequate. Experiment #1. (maybe we won't need a #2, but we shall see!) We found a cheap rope light that is solar. We use solar lights when we camp, so we know you can't expect them to stay lit all night and they aren't super bright. But it will add some light for afew hours after dark which is really all we need. So is it going to be bright enough? Not sure. Supposedly, they don't need bright and a 40 watt bulb will suffice. I hung the rope through a loop in their feed dish that hangs from the ceiling and put it out the door with the solar charger on the roof. Will check it tomorrow to see if it's getting sun to charge. There is a soft glow coming out of the door which I can see in my bedroom. Now if I sneak out to check on them and they are passing around jello shots, I would not be suprised! ;) My kids were singing "WHO LET THE CHICKENS OUT...WHO WHO WHO WHO" as I 'installed' the lights!
We did not get a 2nd egg today. :( I'm sure it will continue to be inconsistant as the girls get used to their schedules.
Doing the Funky Chicken
Malissa
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