The Coop That Became Quiet

The first thing that worried Miriam Wanjiku was not the number of eggs in the trays. It was the silence.  Every morning before sunrise, her laying hens in Githunguri, Kiambu County, usually filled the poultry house with energetic clucking. Feeders rattled as birds competed for mash. Water nipples clicked constantly. Workers collected trays of brown eggs before breakfast.

Then, over several weeks, the atmosphere changed.

The birds still looked healthy. Their feathers remained smooth. Feed consumption had only reduced slightly. There were no obvious disease signs, and mortality remained low.

Yet the egg trays returned to the store half-empty.

Miriam assumed feed quality had declined. She changed suppliers.

Production barely improved.

She suspected Newcastle disease despite seeing no respiratory signs. A veterinary officer examined the flock and found no significant health challenge.

She increased vitamin supplements.

Still, egg numbers refused to rise.

One evening, while reviewing daily records, she noticed something unusual.

The farm had recently begun switching off the poultry house lights much earlier than before. Electricity bills had increased during previous months, prompting the caretaker to reduce lighting hours without informing anyone.

No one imagined such a small adjustment could influence thousands of hens.

The following week, a poultry extension officer visited the farm.

Instead of immediately inspecting the birds, he stood quietly inside the poultry house before sunrise.

He looked at the windows.

He checked where bulbs had burned out.

He measured how much light reached the feeders.

Then he smiled gently.

“The birds are eating less because they have fewer hours to see their feed,” he explained.

Miriam frowned.

“But daylight is still there.”

“It is,” the officer replied, “but laying hens measure time differently from people. Their reproductive system depends heavily on consistent light.”

The advice sounded surprisingly simple.

Replace the faulty bulbs.

Provide a consistent lighting schedule.

Avoid sudden changes.

Ensure uniform brightness throughout the house.

Maintain the recommended lighting duration for laying birds.

The changes cost far less than purchasing new feed or expensive supplements.

Within two weeks, feed intake increased.

Three weeks later, egg numbers began climbing steadily.

After six weeks, production nearly matched the previous peak.

Nothing magical had happened.

The birds had simply regained a reliable daily rhythm.

Miriam later admitted that she had spent thousands of shillings searching for complicated solutions while overlooking one of the cheapest management practices on the farm.

She started recording lighting hours alongside feed intake, egg production, mortality, water consumption and temperatures.

Today, every worker on her farm understands one lesson:

Good lighting is not about helping farmers see the birds.

It is about helping the birds perform at their biological best.

How Lighting Influences Egg Laying Performance

Many poultry farmers focus on feed quality, disease prevention and vaccination schedules while paying little attention to lighting management. Yet light is one of the strongest environmental signals controlling egg production in laying hens.

Proper lighting helps birds maintain steady feed intake, supports reproductive hormone production and encourages consistent laying throughout the production cycle.

Poor lighting, on the other hand, can reduce egg numbers even when nutrition and health management are excellent.

Understanding how light works can significantly improve farm profitability.

Why Light Matters to Laying Hens

Unlike humans, chickens respond to changes in day length through specialized light-sensitive receptors connected to their reproductive system.

When hens receive enough light for the correct number of hours each day, their brains stimulate hormone production that supports egg formation.

If lighting becomes inconsistent, several problems may develop:

  • Reduced egg production
  • Delayed laying
  • Smaller eggs
  • Reduced feed intake
  • Increased stress
  • Irregular laying patterns

Consistency matters more than occasional bright lighting.

Natural Daylight Is Not Always Enough

Many Kenyan poultry houses rely entirely on sunlight.

This may work reasonably well in open systems during some seasons, but daylight hours naturally change throughout the year.

Cloudy weather also reduces light intensity.

Farmers who depend solely on natural light often notice fluctuations in production without realizing lighting is partly responsible.

Supplementary lighting helps maintain stable production.

The Ideal Lighting Duration

Commercial laying hens generally perform best when they receive approximately 14–16 hours of light daily.

This total includes both natural daylight and artificial lighting.

The objective is consistency.

For example:

  • Sunrise to sunset provides about 12 hours.
  • Farmers may add 2–4 hours using electric lighting.
  • The schedule should remain similar every day.

Sudden increases or reductions confuse birds and interrupt their laying cycle.

Light Intensity Also Matters

Lighting duration alone is not enough.

The brightness inside the poultry house should allow birds to comfortably find feed and water.

Dim lighting may cause:

  • Poor feed consumption
  • Reduced movement
  • Lower egg production

Extremely bright lighting may encourage:

  • Feather pecking
  • Aggression
  • Stress
  • Cannibalism

Balanced lighting creates calm, active birds.

Why Feed Intake Depends on Lighting

A laying hen requires nutrients almost every day to produce an egg.

If lighting hours are too short:

  • Birds spend fewer hours eating.
  • Daily nutrient intake declines.
  • Egg formation slows.
  • Egg size may reduce.

Many farmers mistakenly blame feed quality when the real issue is insufficient time for birds to consume enough feed.

Consistency Is More Important Than Brightness

One common mistake is frequently changing lighting schedules.

Examples include:

  • Switching lights off early to save electricity
  • Forgetting to switch lights on
  • Power outages without backup plans
  • Different workers using different schedules

Birds thrive on routine.

Even small, repeated disruptions can reduce production.

Using automatic timers can improve consistency where possible.

Choosing the Right Bulbs

Modern LED bulbs have become popular because they:

  • Consume less electricity
  • Last longer
  • Produce uniform lighting
  • Generate less heat

Regardless of bulb type, ensure:

  • Even distribution throughout the house
  • No dark corners
  • Clean bulb covers
  • Prompt replacement of faulty bulbs

Dirty bulbs can reduce brightness significantly.

Lighting During the Rearing Stage

Young pullets require careful lighting management before they begin laying.

Poor lighting during the growing period may delay sexual maturity or affect later production.

Farmers should avoid making random lighting adjustments while raising replacement birds.

A structured lighting programme prepares the birds for productive laying.

Avoid Sudden Changes

Imagine waking up every day at a different time.

Some mornings sunrise comes at 4 a.m.

Other days it arrives at 8 a.m.

Your body would struggle to establish a routine.

Hens experience similar confusion when lighting changes unexpectedly.

Whenever adjustments are necessary, make them gradually rather than overnight.

Power Reliability Matters

Electricity interruptions remain a challenge in some rural areas.

Where practical, farmers can consider:

  • Solar-powered lighting systems
  • Rechargeable backup lights
  • Battery-supported LED installations
  • Reliable generators for large commercial farms

Even simple backup systems can help maintain consistent lighting during outages.

House Design Influences Lighting

Well-designed poultry houses maximize available daylight while preventing excessive heat.

Consider:

  • Proper window placement
  • Clean transparent roofing sections where appropriate
  • Reflective interior surfaces
  • Adequate ventilation
  • Uniform light distribution

Poor building design often creates bright areas and dark corners, causing uneven bird activity.

Observe Bird Behaviour

The birds themselves provide valuable information.

Signs of good lighting include:

  • Birds spread evenly throughout the house.
  • Regular feeding.
  • Calm movement.
  • Consistent egg collection.

Warning signs include:

  • Birds crowding around brighter areas.
  • Uneven feeding.
  • Nervous behaviour.
  • Reduced activity.
  • Falling egg numbers.

Daily observation remains one of the most effective management tools.

Record Everything

Successful poultry farmers rely on records instead of guesswork.

Track:

  • Daily egg production
  • Lighting hours
  • Feed intake
  • Water consumption
  • Mortality
  • Electricity interruptions
  • Bulb replacements

When production changes, these records help identify possible causes before losses become severe.

Balancing Electricity Costs and Profits

Some farmers reduce lighting to lower electricity bills.

Unfortunately, reduced egg production often costs much more than the savings on power.

For example:

Saving a few hundred shillings each month on electricity can result in hundreds fewer eggs over the same period.

Before cutting lighting hours, compare:

  • Electricity cost
  • Egg sales lost
  • Feed efficiency
  • Overall profit

In many cases, maintaining proper lighting delivers a much better return on investment.

Common Lighting Mistakes

Many poultry farms unknowingly reduce production through avoidable errors.

These include:

  • Burnt-out bulbs left unreplaced
  • Inconsistent switching times
  • Uneven lighting
  • Very dim houses
  • Extremely bright houses
  • Frequent lighting schedule changes
  • Ignoring seasonal daylight changes
  • Failing to monitor lighting duration

Correcting these mistakes requires more attention than money.

The Bottom Line

Lighting is not simply a convenience for people working inside a poultry house. It is a management tool that directly influences how laying hens eat, grow, and produce eggs. When lighting is consistent, properly timed and evenly distributed, birds maintain stable biological rhythms that support efficient egg production.

For Kenyan smallholder farmers, improving lighting does not always require expensive technology. Replacing faulty bulbs, maintaining a regular schedule, keeping fixtures clean and planning for power interruptions can significantly improve flock performance. Combined with quality feed, clean water, strong biosecurity and good record keeping, proper lighting helps transform every hen into a more reliable producer.

On a profitable poultry farm, every management decision should encourage birds to perform at their best. Among those decisions, lighting remains one of the simplest, most affordable and most overlooked investments capable of delivering stronger egg production and a better return on every shilling invested.