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Some Friendly Breeding Advice Wanted :)


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my hens come out to see me when i bring their fresh food so if i dont see them twice a day and as im in and out flight few times a day if i dont see them come out for a rest and breather i would look to see if shes okay other wise i dont disturb anymore i know my birds well though and their daily routine per pair so i can afford to not check daily i do however check on the day the eggs due after first eggs layed as the difference ;) of saving a egg bound hen and not saving one is only a matter of a few hours

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Thats a good routine to follow. I don't purposely disturb her, but like you if I don't see her for a while I'll lift the lid and check on her. I've found though that she is quite the protective hen, without being aggressive. She just looks at me and raises her head so she can look out of the box while I'm looking in. She's quite funny.

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Dont forget to always tap gently on the side of the nestbox before opening the lid so she knows you are about to check.

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Dont forget to always tap gently on the side of the nestbox before opening the lid so she knows you are about to check.

yes tapping nest lets hen know its you and she doesnt startle

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I'm a bit worried. Is it normal for the hen to be out of the nest quite frequently?

 

It seems every time I go down to the aviary she's not in there, and she'll hop in when i get closer. Is this normal?

 

Also, are the eggs due to hatch 18 days from being laid or from the time they show fertility?

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I'm a bit worried. Is it normal for the hen to be out of the nest quite frequently?

 

It seems every time I go down to the aviary she's not in there, and she'll hop in when i get closer. Is this normal?

 

Also, are the eggs due to hatch 18 days from being laid or from the time they show fertility?

 

 

Is it hot where you are? Sometimes in the heat they don't sit as much. When did you start noticing it?

 

The eggs hatch 18 days after incubating starts... but often the hen doesn't start sitting until a few eggs are laid. So it goes but when she properly starts.

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Okay so there was a bit of drama today.

 

Went out to the aviary to pull back the cloth separating the breeding cages from the aviary (to let in some sun). Came back at lunch time to find droplets of blood everywhere.

Bloo was bitten.

 

Not too serious I don't think, but I was wondering if I need to do anything to help him out. Maybe separate him? I caught him (eventually...i need to work on my net wielding skills) and checked it. Its only new as he got some blood on me. But its not bleeding profusely...more seeping. He's flying around fine and still perching on the foot.

 

So now, I think the breeding pair need to sacrifice their full sunlight for the safety of my other birds. The cover works much like a curtain, there is a dowelling across the front with shade cloth looped over it (so I can slide it open) and shade cloth around the side. Its much like a phone booth made out of shade cloth. Would it be okay just to leave the breeding pair behind it at all times? Will they get enough sun?

 

I know you guys warned me about this, and I did what i could to separate them. But I thought it would be safe to leave the space open during the day and close it at night. I learnt my lesson :/

 

On a lighter note, Doormat laid another egg today. WHAT? yea i know. Its a good 7 days apart from the last one. What's going on here? lol That brings the total to 5

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Can you explain better. Where was Bloo ?

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Well i did some investigation when i first saw the droplets. It seems they started on the nest box, and then he flew over to the perches. I thought about it, the nibble is on one of his back toes, so I think it was just him being in the wrong place at the wrong time...not him purposely bugging the breeders. So maybe i need to cover the nest boxes instead of the whole thing?

 

When i first saw the blood, I saw overcast hanging around the cages, so I assumed it was her. There was a red mark on her front toe...but it wasn't bleeding and it didn't look much like a cut. So i checked all the birds. Bloo was the last one I checked and he was sitting on the highest branch of the tree branch thats in the aviary.

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Why dont you take the breeding cages and put them somewhere else that isnt in the aviary ?

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I have no where else thats suitable....the wood its made out of is extremely absorbent when it comes to water, its not built for uncovered life.

 

I do have a project in mind, of building something the resembles a book shelf that i can put breeding cages into. One for quarantine and one for breeding. But i need money for that :/

 

 

 

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Oh well. We just do the best we can :)

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Yea :) I'll just have to keep a close eye on them. Hopefully they learnt their lesson too.

 

But is it unusual that Doormat is still laying eggs? Especially since the first one is getting closer to hatcing?

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Yea :) I'll just have to keep a close eye on them. Hopefully they learnt their lesson too.

 

But is it unusual that Doormat is still laying eggs? Especially since the first one is getting closer to hatcing?

Yes, it is unusual that she is laying again.

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I seriously thought she had finished.

 

Egg #3 has a four day gap between it and egg #2 then egg #4 came two days later....and now egg #5?

 

How very strange.

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I have had a situation where the hen did not lay for a while, then she came back to laying. She stopped due to the hot weather, and by the time she satarted again, the damage was done. Only 1 good egg form the first 4 layed, and the two eggs layed later were small sickly offspring that did not last long. I will never let my birds breed in hot conditions again - EVER!!!!!!!!!!

 

The heat may be affecting your hen.

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if two of your other birds were not really hurt but had sighns of being around the breeders nest box and they them selfs are male in female they re wanting to nest

they wont stop just as they had their toes bitten

you will end up with lots trouble

cover whole breeding cages dont worry about the sun

its possable you could sit outside on weekends and watch your birds and leave cover up while your their for bit of sunn on week ends or week nights but if i was you just give carrots in silver beat bit boiled egg and leave cover on daily

or you will in counter no chicks hatching and toe less birds :{

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Hens odd egglaying may also be a result of being in the aviary and the distractions of other birds.

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Thanks for the replies.

 

I did some more investigating while cleaning off some of the blood (Bloo is fine now, it crusted over in about 10 mins) and saw that they had been chewing on the nest boxes.

 

It was only Overcast and Bloo that were bothering the breeders, so I've decided to give them a little time out in another cage. I figured from the chewing that Overcast was looking to nest, so I will see how they do in the cage, and if all goes well I'll add a nest box.

 

As for doormat's odd egglaying, I really can't tell whats going through her mind. But she is not stressed and is still quite content in her nest incubating, so I will let her go for the time being. Hopefully when I start breeding more, I will have a proper divider in my aviary.

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