Assessing the Effects of Climate Change on Egg Production by Backyard Chickens

[FishChicken]

Thanks, and yes to all those things. On a personal level, I went a simple as I thought I should go. I figure people are smarter than you may give them credit for, and besides if they really want to know about logistic regression, etc. I figure they could just ask me, or could google it and teach themselves. As awful as it may sound, Wikipedia is actually a pretty good source for statistical information.

Didn't intend to make any broad sweeping-nobel-prize-winning conclusions here, just want to share the results from my observational study.

Cheers,
FishChicken

 

[centrarchid]

Some parties could provide good insight into problem you are exploring although controlling for the effects of individual bird age would be really tough for most when individuals not usually tracked in mixed age flocks. Most flocks are mixed age and laying traps are not used by most backyard keepers.

I am trying to set up a high school to do what you are doing but see a major sample size limitation. The kids could keep track of the egg production as well as weather related data using a weather station although my thinking is conditions of the coop must also be considered.

 

[FishChicken]

Yes temperatures are problematic. and bird age is tricky. I used the weather data provided by the website "weather underground". So, even the temperatures I use are not those recorded at my coop, but are an average temperature at my town.

I know I get differences among breeds, I can keep track of green vs brown eggs, and so I know my south American Americaunas lay a bit different than my other birds.

What you're doing with the high school students is pretty cool. Thanks. If you want any data that I have please do ask.

 

[centrarchid]

Still trying to setup but kids will be rearing birds from hatch through point of lay and hopefully busting them up into smaller management units of six or so birds so various aspects of their keep can be tweeked and responses to those changes can be tracked for business models. l

 

[FishChicken]

Yes, but date lacks mechanistic meaning. In what sense is a date important to a chicken?

Cheers,
FishChicken