Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[Arielle]

Quote: That would be very interesting-- CFL's , flourescent lights right? don't do well in the cold temps apparently. I have never tested this, though maybe I should. When you have time after you get settled at school.

 

[Pozees]

Love your thinking Rick-- My kids are young and I can still influence them, I have been trying to help them be thinkers. Look it up on google then apply what you know to that information-- is it a good source of information? Is the information correct as you far as you know? I think the next generation does have have the capacity to understand the meaning and how to use the information when adults help them with that process. Have you heard of Destination Imagination? SInce my son and I did this, I continue to ask open questions, soliciting several possible solutions, then guide them thru selecting the best option. I also have to teach them to figure out the answer the teacher wants, which is not always the correct answer, to get high grades because only the kids with high grades get the scholarships to go to college. Kids need adults to help them learn thinking skills.

Indeed. Our job as parents.

My son is a Junior at the University of Denver (tons of scholarship money, I could never have afforded it) and recently returned from a semester in Italy. When I asked him whether he had a firmer idea of what he wanted to do to earn money after he finished school, his reply floored me: "I really think I want to be a farmer."

This boy could not WAIT to get out of the "sticks" and into a real city where he could do things, interact with people, etc. - and now he can't wait to come home for a weekend, help with the physical labor that accompanies land and vegetable gardening and planting trees and keeping chickens - he nearly teared up spotting (one of my many pairs of) gardening gloves in the car when I drove him to the airport to leave for Italy the last week in August last year. Gives me hope that whatever I am able to begin in chickens may be carried on. At least appreciated. The future is not lost, it is only as hard to find as it ever was.

 

[Pozees]

That would be very interesting-- CFL's , flourescent lights right? don't do well in the cold temps apparently. I have never tested this, though maybe I should. When you have time after you get settled at school.

We have CFLs in our outdoor fixtures and they do fine, aside from needing some warmup time. Installed them 5 years ago, DH complained they took too long to brighten, but they're still there.

 

[mschlumb]

That would be very interesting-- CFL's , flourescent lights right? don't do well in the cold temps apparently. I have never tested this, though maybe I should.  When you have time after you get settled at school. 

Yes, compact fluorescents I believe. There is data on there from research done on broilers about different lighting options. Really good stuff because all of the actual data and numbers are there.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
I use CFLs all over the place here, indoors and out. They do take a few minutes to come to full brightness when it's cold but I figure that's fine for the 'critters' anyway. Horses don't get the blinkies when I turn the lights on in the morning.

 

[gjensen]

I do not think most of us have to be picky about types of light. My pens are relatively open, and recieve sunshine during the day. I see lights as a supplement, not the main ration.

The LEDs last, and use less energy. I am a commercial builder, and more and more of the electrical engineers are going to them. They are good lights. Amazing, the quality and amount of light from such a small bulb.

If my birds were 100% housed indoors, I think I would prefer full spectrum lighting. Otherwise, I think the added cost is not necessary. Nothing beats sunshine, so I will go with the original.

 

[bnjrob]

If my birds were 100% housed indoors, I think I would prefer full spectrum lighting.

Now that is an interesting thought. I insist on daylight bulbs in our house. The yellowish cast of soft white bulbs bothers me.

Makes me wonder if animals, including chickens, would do better with daylight bulbs if they had lighting in their coop.

 

[gjensen]

Now that is an interesting thought. I insist on daylight bulbs in our house. The yellowish cast of soft white bulbs bothers me.

Makes me wonder if animals, including chickens, would do better with daylight bulbs if they had lighting in their coop.

Most diurnal animals benefit from full spectrum lighting to varying degrees. You know the term winter doldrums. Quantity and quality of light affects us to. I have never given types of lights with poultry much thought, because mine get sunshine.

 

[ashandvine]

Up here in the frigid north light is definitely in short supply and if you are cooping your birds on the really bad days, which can be for lengths of time, then sunshine is in short supply as well. I leave the light on in there but maybe changing the bulb will get egg production up, temps up and me in there more often to sunbathe with the chickens.

Arielle, share the lecture when you are done?

 

[3riverschick]

“Form follows function-that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union” –Frank Lloyd Wright​

Now, for chicken architecture, is the SOP the codification of function as displayed in form or is it just a preference of how certain chickens should look? Raising Buckeyes in Ohio has taught me that the form of the bird is suited to winter weather. Since the cold settled in, they spend far more time out in the snow than the other birds, Hamburgs included. I can see how they were breed to form in order to fulfill function. But what of the other breeds? Is this true of them as well?

And are judges still judging for form that supports function? Walt? Bob?

rick
======================
Hi Rick,
For Sussex, the SOP is "the codification of function as displayed in form". I don't know about other breeds.
Karen
( Just my opinion, in addition to a place to show off breeding stock, a poultry show is also beauty show.
So I think at least some of the time judging is not done as form follows function. I think it should be in a
perfect world, but not in ours.)