FINCHforum

As I was adjusting all the clocks in my house, including on the bird light timer I was wondering...

Do you adjust the clock on the timer on your lights for daylight savings time?
I know the sun comes up earlier, but adjusting the timer clock just means the lights comes on one hr earlier and goes off one hr earlier.

Or do you adjust the ON/OFF time to increase/decrease the lights-on time, kind of mimiking the increase in daylight during the summer.

I haven't changed my timers yet, need to get that done. Two of the timers are behind cages, though, so I have to lie on my stomach and reach up behind those cages--not as easy to do as I get older! I already have these lights on 14-15 hours a day, so I guess I will just set them so they come on around sunrise and then go off 15 hours later. I am not a fan of daylight savings time anyway--my horses don't know the time changed, so they think I showed up an hour early to feed! Then they were hanging out by the barn at 2 in the afternoon, way to early for dinner--I think they are confused.

I hear you Sally... I was down on my stomach reaching with my fingertips to barely touch the timers - just enough to switch the DST on! It's a stretch alright!

On some I have to manually crank the time around 1 hour ahead. So now when the lights go off it's still a little light outside and will get more so as the season progresses towards summer.

I finally decided to let them wake up an hour later and go to bed an hour later. Darn it if the timer isn't behind the aviary, and I just don't have the energy to go and get it.

Anyway, it gives me an extra hour to get them fed.

lovemyfinch wrote:I finally decided to let them wake up an hour later and go to bed an hour later. Darn it if the timer isn't behind the aviary, and I just don't have the energy to go and get it.

You've got young boys around Janine - send them in to adjust the timer.

L in Ontario wrote:

lovemyfinch wrote:I finally decided to let them wake up an hour later and go to bed an hour later. Darn it if the timer isn't behind the aviary, and I just don't have the energy to go and get it.

You've got young boys around Janine - send them in to adjust the timer.

Neither of them are up to the challenge. Took me 3 days to figure it out after the power failure last month. Doesn't matter, I am enjoying that extra java before feeding time at the zoo.

Do you mean changing the amount of light they are getting?
Or just changing the time the timers come on and go off?

Remember - birds do not follow "daylight savings"
They are on a certain rhythm and have probably become accustomed to when the lights should come on, and when they turn off (which explains why most of my birds are already roosting a good 30 minutes before lights out).

So even though it may make sense to change it to mimic your day, your birds will not be on the same schedule/frame of mind - so if you are going to change them, I would highly recommend doing it gradually.. like changing the times back 5-10 minutes a day until you have changed it an hour to where you want it.

But that's just my 2c :\

Thanks guys
I was thinking that it really did not make any sense to change the birds lighting schedule for DST.

The sun does come up earlier so it makes sense to advance the ON time earlier. Plus if I don't advance the light timer, rather than going ON at 7am DST, it would go ON at 8am DST, a bit late for me to start feeding them. I'm already waiting for the lights to turn on at 7 so I can start feeding them w/o scaring them.

I had to change the timers for mine because I like to give them breakfast after the lights come on and before I go to work. With the time change I would have to leave before the lights came on.

Ditto for me what Dianna said. My birds don't seem to mind the early (rude) bright lights - in fact they are flying around and singing within a minute after the lights come on (5:10am) and are looking for their fresh eggfood before I can get in to the birdroom at 5:15am.