As I look around the bird room today, I noticed a young Border hen cage with three birds, where paper is being pulled through the wire bottom. They are not carrying paper yet but breeding thoughts are beginning to formulate! Seeing this what should I do?
The general target date for breeding in my aviary is Mid March, pairing around March 10 after I return from the Missouri Valley Basketball Tournament.
Giving them extras is stimulating and will likely bring hens in 3 to 6 weeks and I sure do not want that now. So what am I doing about this? Nothing!
I could lower the cage position so they get less light . But my oldest daughter, Sandy has been coming over each week day and if I end up setting them up sooner, she could handle it and perhaps she might catch the canary bug herself. She has had chickens for at least twenty years and over the years has occasionally hatched the chicken eggs and so she just maybe susceptible.
Should these hens continue to progress and get way ahead of the cocks, I could lose the first round with infertile eggs. So the hens are not getting anything extra,
What I am starting is giving the cocks some toasted wheat germ (for a light dose of vitamin E) mixed 50/50 with Lewis Lab Brand Brewer's Yeast for amino acids, and feeding no more than a teaspoon per bird about three times a week.
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| Handsome Dude spotted straight across from hens! |
5 comments:
Hello Linda,
From what I see in the pictures you are feeding bread and millet, which both are very rich in carbs. Don't you think this is psuhing your hens to laying?
The most stimulating to hens is a change in diet and when both carbs and proteins are readily available. They have been getting them since molting time and the reason they are still getting the bread is the temperature has been very cold in the bird room. Today it is predicted to hit a record high so no bread today but if it drops again where the bird room is below 60 F they need the carbs just to keep warm. This one cage is the only one pulling papers, perhaps it is the male across from them who jumps in the Border show cage and sings vigorously to them! The number one factor for bringing hens in is the Cock! Perhaps I better catch them and see if its real condition or pushing? Thanks so much for your e-mail!
Mother nature is playing with the birds! We hit record low temperatures and two days later we are setting record high temperatures! That Kansas weather. If it should rain and raise the humidity with these temperatures lots of hens will start thinking of breeding! so no bread or extra carbs for the birds sd zi also do not want fat cocks.
Linda, Do you still use liquid calcium for the hens, if so, when do you start and at what frequency?
I do still use the liquid calcium gluconate for the hens and plan to give the first dose this week. I am likely about 8 weeks out from breeding.
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