Tips
These young Staffords quickly take to white bread or potato bread. It helps to tame them and also helps to fatten them to a normal weight.Update from Janie
I took your advice and made the Jeepers Peepers recipe and also had dishes of the Proteen 25, Harrison's mash in the cages for my 2 day absence. I had my niece come in once a day to give fresh water and fresh egg food. But the birds did great without me. There are 24 chicks with the youngest being 4 days old when I left. I didn't lose a single chick and in fact it seems that they grew faster with these dry additions in their cages. I like the convenience of only serving fresh egg food once a day...even though I work from home and can give egg food several times a day. I think I'll keep up this new routine.
Thanks again for excellent advice!
Janie
Montana
5 comments:
Linda, I have a hen problum that I have never had this
experience before; I have a hen that is a 2008 never been bred before
this is her 1st time with a male. The male is experienced. I mated
them on May 10th. She has made her nest and just sites in it since
completing it 13 days ago, with out laying an egg. She was mated May 10,2010 so she has been with her mate and nest for 20 days. She sits in it all
day and night as if she was sitting on eggs. My question is should I
just let her have her way and give her more time to see if she in fact
is going to lay or should I brake her up. Most of the time I can put a
pair together and with in a week to 10 days I have a nest made and the
hen will be laying her clutch. Somthing seem wrong this time?
Thanks for your help,
Bob
My Border breeding season has just about finished and I'm pleased both with how it has gone...and the fact that it is just about finished!!
However, I have had two hens this year that have become quite ill after laying their second round of eggs.
To provide some background, my Border chicks have over the past few seasons been taking longer and longer to wean, on average I would say 27/28 days, by which time "Mom" is usually laying her second round.
Y=The hens lay fine eggs with good shells, they have access to fine oystershell grit etc.
But despite this I've had two hens that have become really ill after laying there last egg, I've treated them with bioserine tablets, which contain tetracycline and in both cases they have recovered amazingly quickly and recommenced their incubation.
I note you comments about cocks and how often they can mate successfully ie pass sperm. While I am loathe to disagree with you Linda or tell Grandma how to "suck eggs" (well I know your a Grandma but don't know if you suck eggs) I think cocks can pass sperm at least three matings per day provided they are spaced well apart and that the birds receive adequate nutrition. After that they are "going through the motions"
I think cock Borders are at there best at two years old, after which the fertility can decrease.
I would agree that the Border cocks are best at two years old. As a general rule, they have much better vent development after their first year.
I think three could work in a day if he gets 24 hours off to rebuild sperm before the next series..
Glad it worked for you! Jeepers/Peepers recipe is on the May 16th post. Some of my cages feed more of it than egg food even though they have a choice.
Bob
A few hens give false signals and fail to lay as you described.
Likely they will not lay this season so I would throw her back in a flight and not waste time on her.
Ability to bred is genetic and the worse thing that can happen is to produce more difficult breeders just like her.
If you really want to stimulate her, increase her multiple amino acids. A vitamin made in Italy called Miracle greatly eliminates this problem. Unfortunately, ABBA quit caring it and I am still trying to get a source... In the meantime you could experiment by giving her Lewis Lab Brand Yeast flakes or buds from health food store and toasted wheat germ Kerchimeir Brand from grocer.
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