Winter HQ

Offspring #2 and I moved the chickens to the winter headquarters.  They are close to the house, out of the wind, and easy for me to access without having to shovel very much snow.  Now I have a decision to make.  Should I, as in previous years, keep the coop warm and lit with an incandescent light and reflector shade?  This will keep them warm and keep them laying eggs all winter.  Or should I not use the light?  With five chicks they are bound to stay warm in there with just their body heat and the break from laying eggs all winter will extend their life spans. The light doesn't use much electricity so that is not really a factor.  I think the chickens will eat an equal amount of food whether they lay eggs or not.  So far in all my years as a chicken farmer, I've used a light in the winter.  I get a warm comfortable feeling in the long, dark winter when I drive up in my car and see a light shining out of the chicken coop. Now that I think about it, another advantage to using a light in the winter is that I can see to check the health and welfare of my chickens every day.  Using a light will bring me eggs all year.  I guess I don't have to decide right now. I put the light in there and made sure it works.  I can choose to plug it in tomorrow, next week, next month, really anytime I want.