Party in the coop

The 125 watt infrared heat lamp bulb I've had in the girls roost box since October burned out on Monday night. I definitely didn't get the 4,000 hours promised by it's packaging, but that's neither here nor there. Since the light not only keeps the girls warm (and yes, I do know that they don't really need it here in Seattle except when it's really cold) but is also the reason we're consistently getting eggs this time of year, there was a sense of urgency to replacing it. I had an extra 250 watt bulg, but that seemed like it might be too warm in their little space.

So, Mike went to Lowe's on Tuesday afternoon - we were out of all other kinds of light bulbs too. He came home and said that he couldn't get a red one, they only had clear. So, Wednesday after work I went to the co-op to get another red one (where I'd gotten the original) and they were our of them as well. So I bought a clear one - after all, it shouldn't really matter, the red ones just remind of my girlhood as that's what my grandpa always used in the barn.

Since then it's been party time in the coop! The clear bulb gives off enough light that the girls can stay out in the run until all hours. The first night they were out and active until 8pm or so, Thursday night until 10pm and last night until 11:30pm - and then up way before dawn. So today I put in the 250 watt red bulb so that they would get some sleep at night. Plus, I just find it disturbing on some level that their biological clocks were knocked so off balance by all the light. Tonight they went to bed as usual about 45 minutes after dusk.