100 Broilers and Fermented Feed Project

[ChickenCanoe]

...

? for chicken canoe-- how do you know if the electrician is a "good" one?

Excellent question. Someone with a license is usually the way to go. The code test is pretty tough most places. Depending on where you live, word of mouth. Angie's List may be a good place to start. In more populated areas, union electricians are usually pretty good. If using a union electrician, the hall would know if the electrician has experience with the type of work you need. A lot of people can call themselves something but a union electrician has had approximately 4 years of school and OJT before they get the title Journeyman. That still doesn't mean a whole lot. Skilled trades are funny animals. Electricity is a huge field and there isn't anyone that can know it all. Sometimes plumbers can make good pipefitters and vice versa. A welder can be a blacksmith but usually not. Some millwrights are good at vibration analysis but others only know how to align machinery. Carpentry breaks down into rough, finish and cabinetry. Painters and glaziers are just that. (no offense) The sheet metal trade takes years to become a true technician AND artist.
In electricity there's basically power generation, power distribution, residential, commercial and industrial among others. Then there's high voltage (usually >1000VAC), low voltage (50-1000V) and extra low voltage, which includes signal voltage. Most people that know one don't know the others. Some may only be licensed to do fire protection or closed circuit TV.

ETA
This is all just my opinion.

 

[kuntrygirl]

 
When my wife and I first moved into our house I noticed that the fuses for the circuit to the dryer didn't look right and replaced them.  I refused to leave the dryer on when we weren't home or if we were going to bed for that very reason.  The first week after we replace the main panel with breakers instead of fuses I slept very well.

We are the same way. Dryer cannot be on unless we are in the house.

I'm the same way with the dryer.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Bet you do!!

Quote: OH this is truely helpful!!

I remember starting out in chickens a few years ago--- I'm lightyears ahead now. Still climbing the mountain, but I can ID a decently bred bird now and pretty much know the breed, too. Other than asking for a license, one electrician is just like another to me.

You mentioned a number of interesting types of jobs-- something I need a better understanding of as my boys are getting to the age where they/we need to decide if they should go to the local tech school instead of HS. Not like it used to be-- most of the kids graduate and then go on to college.( 50% are A students in the 8th grade) And with the economy-- those that don't go onto college need to apprentise and those jobs are hard to find despite the headstart at a 4 year high school. So thank you for the clarification of all those postions.

BIL is an electrical engineer-- ONLY does security installations for US military bases.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: I'm the same way with the dryer.

Smart!

 

[aoxa]

Excellent question. Someone with a license is usually the way to go. The code test is pretty tough most places. Depending on where you live, word of mouth. Angie's List may be a good place to start. In more populated areas, union electricians are usually pretty good. If using a union electrician, the hall would know if the electrician has experience with the type of work you need. A lot of people can call themselves something but a union electrician has had approximately 4 years of school and OJT before they get the title Journeyman. That still doesn't mean a whole lot. Skilled trades are funny animals. Electricity is a huge field and there isn't anyone that can know it all. Sometimes plumbers can make good pipefitters and vice versa. A welder can be a blacksmith but usually not. Some millwrights are good at vibration analysis but others only know how to align machinery. Carpentry breaks down into rough, finish and cabinetry. Painters and glaziers are just that. (no offense) The sheet metal trade takes years to become a true technician AND artist.
In electricity there's basically power generation, power distribution, residential, commercial and industrial among others. Then there's high voltage (usually >1000VAC), low voltage (50-1000V) and extra low voltage, which includes signal voltage. Most people that know one don't know the others. Some may only be licensed to do fire protection or closed circuit TV.

ETA
This is all just my opinion.

Would you know it that we do the books of every type of contractor imaginable it seems, but not any electricians. We used to have one, but he was shady.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I've known shady ones and excellent ones. One of the shady ones was very good but he worked where I did and also moonlighted. All the residential work he did moonlighting, mysteriously had industrial components. I wonder where he got those.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Bet you do!!

OH this is truely helpful!!

I remember starting out in chickens a few years ago--- I'm lightyears ahead now. Still climbing the mountain, but I can ID a decently bred bird now and pretty much know the breed, too. Other than asking for a license, one electrician is just like another to me.

You mentioned a number of interesting types of jobs-- something I need a better understanding of as my boys are getting to the age where they/we need to decide if they should go to the local tech school instead of HS. Not like it used to be-- most of the kids graduate and then go on to college.( 50% are A students in the 8th grade) And with the economy-- those that don't go onto college need to apprentise and those jobs are hard to find despite the headstart at a 4 year high school. So thank you for the clarification of all those postions.

BIL is an electrical engineer-- ONLY does security installations for US military bases.

Many of the trades are disappearing and the ones left are being consolidated. A long time ago, when I went through an electrical apprenticeship, all new trades persons had to also become welders because that is a trade they were phasing out. Now days most trades people being hired need to be multi-taskers. They want any maintenance person to also know HVAC. Just when technology is at a point that skills need to be more specialized, they want a one size fits all employee. Then, when the person they hire needs to know something, they farm the task out to a company that specializes in just that. When I started in the auto industry, there were over 15 apprentice-able trades within the company. When I left, there were less than 10 and most of those only existed till the people performing them retired. The only new people hired were electricians, pipefitters, toolmakers (machinists) and millwrights. There are some like GM and some of the Right to Work state foreign car companies that only have a single trade. GM actually started this practice 20 years ago. They called them WEMRS. Weld equipment, maintenance and repair. At Ford and Chrysler that work was done by 3 trades. Electricians, pipefitters and toolmakers.

There's been a war against unions for decades. Unions are responsible for collective bargaining. At least one TV station I know thinks CB is a bad thing. People that don't know history don't know that unions/collective bargaining are responsible for weekends, vacations, pensions, the 40 hour work week, overtime, sick days, child labor laws, minimum wage, company paid health care and even things like water fountains in the workplace.
Even my family members that were never union members know they make the money they do because unions have brought millions out of poverty through collective bargaining. Strong unions set a pay standard that nonunion employers follow. For example, a high school graduate whose workplace is not unionized but whose industry is 25% unionized is paid 5% more than similar workers in less unionized industries.
I've been a union member and in management. I know there are slackers and malingerers in unions and I know there are unions that give others a bad name. The same holds true for corporations. Needless to say, I'll always support unions because of what they've done for society at large.

ETA
Your city or county should have a list of all the licensed electricians in their jurisdiction since they administer the test.

 

[LindaB220]

KG-- yeah-- I was sweating the malfunctioning plucker for you-- 100 birds by hand? I think NOT !

Electrical-- I'm glad to know I am not the only one abit paranoid about fires. THe neighbors leaving the dryer running when they leave for work and it makes me feel ill with worry. I hang my clothes to dry thoug I would like to have the dryer working again. Hanging is a PITA. At laundromat-- I can dry 12 loads in 1 hour including drive time.

Heard from both my sources for meat chicks this year-- both are shipping soon. Buckeyes and Konza. Eager to compare to my cornish experience.

? for chicken canoe-- how do you know if the electrician is a "good" one?

What is a Konza? Also, look up Angies List.com Only other people can review companies. Actual customers. My daughter owns a dog grooming business and she gets a lot of business from people reviewing her. Amazing.

Edited to add info: Sorry I didn't read all the postings first. Angie's list is great. Many moons ago my ex was working as a office drone in accounting. My new BIL was an electrician. He got him into the electrical training course sponsored by the local IBEW union. Four year on the job training plus classes. Fifteen years later he owned his own large electrical contracting firm. Lots of hard work but very rewarding.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Konza-- this is a project meat breed developed by ChooksChick. Using the well bred dual purpose breeds to make a meat bird that is suitable for the cold, can forage,avoid preators, and grows fast for a dual purpose type. I just couldn't find a decent meatbird, and found the cornishx a bit limiting. ( THe cornish doesn't behave like a dual purpose bird IMO.) Basically a combo of 4-5 breeds and selected for meat and eggs.