HOW TO OPERATE LIGHTS 



553 



an Electric Farm Lighting Unit, was .044 cent per bird. One egg 

 increase paid the fuel costs. 



How to Operate Lights. — It is of the greatest importance that 

 all birds under lights should be graded and flocked according to 

 age, condition, and lajdng qualities. Pullets of different ages and 

 pullets and hens should always be kept in different flocks. For the 

 best results, each group must be handled in a different way, which 

 is impossible when they run together. When lights are operated 

 on pullets, they should be started November 1st and run until 

 April 1st or later. Starting lights earlier than November 1st 

 results in an exceedingly heavy production in the early fall, making 

 it almost impossible to hold a b 



the birds in high producing 

 condition during the follow- 

 ing severe \^dnter months. 

 The few eggs gained by start- 

 ing the lights earlier than 

 November 1st will be more 

 than lost in the resulting 

 winter slimips which are al- 

 most sure to follow. When 

 lights are run on hens, they 

 should not be started until 

 January 1st and should be 

 run until April 1st or later. 

 The idea in running lights on 

 hens is to allow them to go 

 through the molt normally, 

 get back their body weight and to come into normal producing 

 condition, which generally takes place about the first of the 

 year. On or after this time lights may be used on yearlings or 

 two-year-old hens which are mated and used for breeding pur- 

 poses. It is generally very undesirable to stop artificial lights until 

 the hours of normal daylight have more nearly caught up with, the 

 artificial day. This means that it is unwise and unsafe to stop the 

 lights until April 1st or later. When lights are finally turned off 

 in the spring, it must be done very gradually; about ten minutes 

 change in a single day is all that it is safe to make. The sudden 

 stopping of lights at too early a period has been one of the com- 

 monest causes of putting birds out of condition and throwing whole 

 flocks into an unnatural spring molt. Morning lights are superior 



Fig. 234. — Types of lanterns u.scd where elec- 

 tricity is not. available. A, Gasoline lantern. 

 B, Kerosene lantern with reflector. 



