# What is the light system?



## highflyeramatur (Dec 16, 2008)

Sorry to sound stupid but what is the light system? and what does it do? and how do i do it?


----------



## Matt D. (May 12, 2007)

The light system is using artificial lights to trick the birds bodies into thinking its time to molt. This gets the molt out of the way before the race season. There is also the darkening system that puts the molt on hold by doing the opposite of the lightening system. Its just a way to make sure your birds aren't molting in the middle of the race season. I don't do it so i can't tell you just how to do it. I know Renee does one of the two. She might be able to help you.


----------



## learning (May 19, 2006)

*Light System*

I kept my race team on lights through the winter and into May. I then shut the lights off and the birds got natural light. The shortening of their "day" makes them think it is fall and they started rapidly molting. By the time the races rolled around in August, my birds were completely through the molt. I didn't have to worry about which birds were on which flights for a given race. They all had their new feathers and looked like yearlings. I was very pleased with the outcome.

Hope this helps some,

Dan


----------



## Kal-El (Oct 10, 2008)

I'm thinking about using both the light and dark systems. Which one would be more advisable first?


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Kal-El said:


> I'm thinking about using both the light and dark systems. Which one would be more advisable first?


Can you use BOTH on the same birds??? I don't think so........either one or the other.........Dark system slows the molt..........Light system speeds it up.....so if you put them on the dark system first to slow it down, why would you then put them on the light system to speed it up again? That doesn't make sense to me. The other way around would be just as bad...
I could be wrong...........


----------



## Matt D. (May 12, 2007)

Renee, You read that wrong. He is thinking about using the light and dark system. What he is trying to say is the light OR dark system. He wanted to know which is best. Don't feel bad, He lives pretty close to Canada, must have influenced his English, eh?


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Matt D. said:


> Renee, You read that wrong. He is thinking about using the light and dark system. What he is trying to say is the light OR dark system. He wanted to know which is best. Don't feel bad, He lives pretty close to Canada, must have influenced his English, eh?


I don't THINK I read it wrong.......this is what he said and asked. 

*I'm thinking about using both the light and dark systems. Which one would be more advisable first? *

That sounds like he want to use BOTH and wants to know which he should do FIRST.........now maybe what he SAID and what he MEANT is two different things...........guess he'll let us know, huh?


----------



## Matt D. (May 12, 2007)

Well I hope what he said and what he meant are two different things. If You read the first sentence it reads like he is thinking of both. But the second sentence is different.... Maybe he wants to use one this year and one next year? I hope He doesn't actually want to use both, or he doesn't understand what they are.


----------



## Kal-El (Oct 10, 2008)

Matt D. said:


> Renee, You read that wrong. He is thinking about using the light and dark system. What he is trying to say is the light OR dark system. He wanted to know which is best. Don't feel bad, He lives pretty close to Canada, must have influenced his English, eh?


Hahaha...way to work in a Canada cheap shot! And just for verification, my English is fine. The last two years, I flew natural and to the perch for my young birds. I want to try something new. Therefore, I was reading about both systems and I've heard some people like to use both. Not in conjunction, but one after another. I heard Alex Bieche's systems is similiar to a system that incorporates both light and dark systems.


----------



## Matt D. (May 12, 2007)

Why would you want to slow down the molt and then kick start it back up? Just let their bodies go and You'll get the same result with less stress on your birds??


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

I've never heard of using both........new one on me........I did hear Alex speak once but that was about 4 years ago......he talked about the light system only.........I don't know........


----------



## learning (May 19, 2006)

Kal-El said:


> Hahaha...way to work in a Canada cheap shot! And just for verification, my English is fine. The last two years, I flew natural and to the perch for my young birds. I want to try something new. Therefore, I was reading about both systems and I've heard some people like to use both. Not in conjunction, but one after another. I heard Alex Bieche's systems is similiar to a system that incorporates both light and dark systems.


What I used last year was based very similarly to what Alex Bieche subscribes to. Perhaps the "darkening" part of what you mean is when you turn the lights off in the early summer and go to natural light. You are not darkenning the loft with anything. You are just going to a natural sunset and sunrise instead of the artificial environment you had before.

Hope that clears things up some.

Dan


----------



## first flight (Apr 15, 2008)

weird!
i'd never heard of the light system before!
thanks for informing me!


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

learning said:


> What I used last year was based very similarly to what Alex Bieche subscribes to. Perhaps the "darkening" part of what you mean is when you turn the lights off in the early summer and go to natural light. You are not darkenning the loft with anything. You are just going to a natural sunset and sunrise instead of the artificial environment you had before.
> 
> Hope that clears things up some.
> 
> Dan


I think you may be right Dan.........the darkening that he's speaking of is probably just turning off the lights. I didn't think about that.............


----------



## Kal-El (Oct 10, 2008)

learning said:


> What I used last year was based very similarly to what Alex Bieche subscribes to. Perhaps the "darkening" part of what you mean is when you turn the lights off in the early summer and go to natural light. You are not darkenning the loft with anything. You are just going to a natural sunset and sunrise instead of the artificial environment you had before.
> 
> Hope that clears things up some.
> 
> Dan


That makes sense. I think using both the light and dark systems would put a lot of stress on the birds' bodies. I think I will try the system you described. Thanks Dan.


----------

