Importance of Perch Number and Placement
As I sort my birds for breeding, not only did I find some cocks too fat but also others were too thin! In the picture, you notice that the thin cock has no fat layer, almost no apparent male vent development (although he does sing), and sharp bones protruding in the pelvic area. Looking just up from my thumb, you can see a pelvic bone sticking out! He also has a very sharp breast bone ridge. This means that if I do not get a little fat layer on him, he will have poor vent development and infertility will surely result.
To begin the weight gain program, I put the fat cock birds together in groups of three or four or larger flights with a dozen birds and separated out the thin cocks into small cages with just one other thin cock.
To further encourage weight gain in either cocks or hens, I decrease exercise by increasing the number of perches in the cage. My 30 inch long cages will have at least four perches at the same lower cage level placed about 6 inches apart. This encourages the birds to hop from one perch to the other without flying. I also place extra feed dishes at the perch level with the waters so that going to the floor is kept to a minimum.
Today, I made up a special additional fattening treat for the thin cocks. I mixed bee pollen, song food, and hemp seed. I get the bee pollen from Peggy's Pollen (call Diane 320 243-4330). My song food comes from Herman Bros (810 420-5055). I get hemp seed from www.Harrisonsbirdfoods.com. Sunflower chips or pieces would also be a good addition. I buy them in 50 lb sacks designed for wild birds and just happen to be out today. I will not feed this mixture to the hens because I do not want the extra protein of the oily seeds to encourage the hens to move forward quickly to laying infertile eggs.
E-mail from Tom recommends www.bulkfoods.com as a good but less expensive source for bee pollen!
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