Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Update Moving Right Along Toward Breeding Season


Recently as posted, I introduced thin cock birds and all hens to white bread. (I will continue giving the white bread to fatten as needed every couple of days.) Continuing along with increasing wheat products,  this week, I have  made up some quinoa (2 cups washed and cooked on the stove with 4 cups water, turn off when the water no longer covers the top and let set to finish)  and  cous cous (2 cups with some olive oil and poppy seeds and covered with hot water either hot tap or boiling about 1/2 inch above the cous cous/poppyseed), cool these and add 1 cup processed broccoli and 2 cups Biodecken Novafood, 1 Tablespoon egg shell (shells collected air dry and microwaved 1 1/2 minutes and processed fine), and 1 Tablespoon AA Miracle Vitamin (amino acid enriched vitamin made in Italy purchased from ABBA Products).  I now feed this mix to all birds once or twice a week.

I am getting ready to introduce the cocks to wheat germ mixed 50/50 with Lewis Lab Brand Brewer's Yeast (health food store) a couple times a week starting by weekend. Hens will get this too but not till they are paired and I am ready to encourage them to lay (approximately 3 weeks from now). 

I have posted that I started the cocks on the ABBA fertility E once a week, starting them six weeks before anticipated breeding and hens start this week (cocks will be getting their 4th week dose). Also this week I have started the wheat germ oil fortified blend oil coated seeds for all birds till breeding season is over.

Continuing the Biodecken Novafood food plain available free choice till end of breeding season. (I think a number of hens will feed Novafood dry to chicks.) I also mix Novafood with the Higgins Proteen and broccoli as posted recently and as I am moving toward breeding season I now add can add AA Miracle 1 teaspoon to recipe posted. I like the birds to get something with Miracle in it twice a week whether twice in the quinoa, cous/cous mix or the Novafood/Proteen mix.

Continuing Calcium gluconate in the water every day till breeding season over. Twice weekly the Biodecken Multi-vitamin and Immune Support cocktail or Orlux Omi-vit.

Lights were advanced suddenly to 14 hours a few days ago with an additional 30 minutes dim light.

Every day now the level of sound is higher!! Girls abdomens are becoming bare and hot to touch.

Birds are advancing nicely.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Linda,
Do you give the calcium in the water every day till breeding season stops?
Than you,
André

Linda Hogan said...

Right now I am giving it every day except when I give the Biodecken multi-vitamin/immune support. I think it would be fine to add it to the same water but since the hens will absorb the most calcium when they are within ten days of laying, I can wait a bit. (I think my hens are 21 days out from this Saturday approximately.)

When they a couple weeks from layings, I will be sure they get the calcium gluconate every single day.