Some Of My Experiences:

I hope it’s interesting to read of some experiences I have had. I have this one pair the hen a Cinnamon Opaline Sky Blue Clear Flight paired to an YF Cobalt Normal. He is probably YF2 but he has no bleed into his body colour, but most of the chicks from this batch have. They are both nice big-bodied birds, what I would call more show types.

They have had more than what is considered the right number of batches, as even though they have good fertility the hen is strange; after two chicks have hatched she just lets the other later chicks die. Through not feeding I think. The cock looks what I call lazy, he doesn’t bustle around like some males feeding all the time & feeding the hen like mad when she appears out of the nest. I decided to let them have another batch, as they had only raised two’s & three’s in three batches, because they don’t rush around they both seem fit still. In pervious bathes after they had only two chicks survive, I used them to foster chicks from other large batches, as she always feeds large chicks, it’s only young chicks after the first two get large she neglects. In this last batch I thought I would take her eggs away & give them to others, so I could get more chicks from them as their young looked good & I didn’t think I would pair them together again. But I had problems with some other batches & was desperate for feeders, so they are still feeding, they will need a rest after this batch. I kept taking their young away & giving them to others, but now I have kept giving them big youngsters from others to ease the others loads & now they have 6 chicks, which they seem to be feeding well.