Sunday, March 28, 2010

Questions and Tips for Big Bird!

Please post your tips and questions this week to this post!

Tips

Thursday

Beware of Sudden Light Changes on Setting Hens

Sudden lengthening of days for breeding hens can only be done before hens are setting. Once hens are setting, a sudden lengthening of days will result in the hens losing their incubation temperature and deserting their eggs. In that case artificial lighting can only change with natural day length. Decrease in day length will precipitate a molt.

Update to Current Nestling Food

Now that nearly all of my birds have been paired and the early ones are due to hatch, I have added cooked quinoa and cooked wheat with grated carrots to my nestling food. The rest of the recipe can be found on last Sunday March 21st blog Questions post.

Tuesday

Rise and Shine

When breeders report that chicks are not growing normally and subsequent high chick mortality, my first question is "What time do you put fresh nestling food out in the morning??" What a difference it makes when you rise and shine and put fresh nestling food out immediately when the lights come on first thing in the morning!!

Questions

Thursday

1.What do you think about feeding cooked quinoa to nestlings? The package says that this grain is a complete protein. Do you believe this to be true? What about feeding it during the moult to all birds? Do you know if quinoa reduces the body temperature of sitting hens the same way as egg food does?

2. I have a question about a condition I noticed on my Gloster this morning. I noticed a lump on his outer wing, and thought at first it might be dried feces. I tried to gently scrape it off with my finger, and it turned out to be some sort of growth. Any thoughts?

Wednesday

1. I have a problem this year, that has completely puzzled me. My hens are laying normally, but get egg-bound on the fourth egg!

Monday

1. Fergie said...

Due to abnormal flooding in New England, I am forced to move my bird room 1/2 mile. Hens are on nests with eggs and chicks. I would appreciate any ideas, comments or suggestions on how this could be best accomplished.

8 comments:

Fergie said...

Due to abnormal flooding in New England, I am forced to move my bird room 1/2 mile. Hens are on nests with eggs and chicks. I would appreciate any ideas, comments or suggestions on how this could be best accomplished.

Linda Hogan said...

I had to move my birds once when they were nesting.

Make sure that the total hours of day light are the same. You can not lengthen while they are sitting or they dessert the eggs. If you shorten, they will molt...

Also it made a lot of difference to my sitting hens if the cage was at the same height and facing the same direction..

I would move in the late afternoon so that chicks would have been fed.

Have Kaytee Exact handfeeding formula ready in case you have to hand feed.

Birds' First Aid said...

Hi

I have a problem this year, that has completely puzzled me. My hens are laying normally, but get egg-bound on the fourth egg!

What could be the cause of this?

The weather is a bit colder this year, but the temperature in the bird room is between 18C and 20 most of the time. They're not fat, and they get eggfood with BreedMax three times a week, Quikon V (vitamins in the water) five days and ACV two days.

Thanks in advance!

Linda Hogan said...

To stop egg binding,You need a liquid calcium and perhaps vitamin D3. I use a 23% solution of calcium gluconate which is made for cattle. I use 15 - 17 ml (1 tablespoon) per gallon of water. For the D3, I use a poultry vitamin with electrolytes. Both of these products are available at farm and ranch type stores.

gloster girl said...

What do you think about feeding cooked quinoa to nestlings? The package says that this grain is a complete protein. Do you believe this to be true? What about feeding it during the moult to all birds? Do you know if quinoa reduces the body temperture of sitting hens the same way as egg food does?

Linda Hogan said...

Quinoa is the most complete vegetable protein of any grain and a good addition to breeding and molting diet.

I add it to the nestling food and use nestling food on through the molt.

Tropics1000 said...

I have a question about a condition I noticed on my Gloster this morning. I noticed a lump on his outer wing, and thought at first it might be dried feces. I tried to gently scrape it off with my finger, and it turned out to be some sort of growth. Any thoughts?

Linda Hogan said...

The lump you discovered is likely a feather lump where the texture of the feather is so soft that in places it is unable to break threw the skin. I have some pictures and an article regarding feather lumps on Dec 29, 2009 on this blog.