I am just wondering what do people do with their males after breeding, i know hens need to have a rest before going back to the avairy but what about the males. I am just trying to work out how many cages i need to purchase and setup in my breeding room.

Both Genders need a rest

The dad's loose just as much condition as the hens - more infact as they are the ones gathering all the food for the hen and the chicks.

do you usually rest them in seperate cages so if i put 3 pairs together do i need 6 cages for after the babies fledge. Sorry if it sounds like a stupid question.

Not silly at all.

 

I havent cabinet bred yet (soon though ) but in the past my birds rest in the aviary after breeding.

 

After being cooped up in a cage I love to see them flying with the rest of the flock in the aviary.

Edited August 19, 200816 yr by **Liv**

i am the same as you and i have only colony breed so i would just take the nestboxes out when the babies had fledge. i was not sure if they needed time by themselves before they went back to the aviary.

Same as the Hens I give them 3 rounds a year and then rest them.

I know some do keep them separate, but personally if his weight is good, then I'd put him back in the aviary to be a happy bird again.

 

I think being in a small cage is very stressful for birds who normally live in an aviary.

I put a couple of males together in a cage to rest for between 1-2 weeks after breeding, just to watch and see that they're ready to go back into the avairy, same with the hens but I leave them for 3-4 weeks. Just depends on the birds.

I will be using my patio cage which is large and putting the three in there to rest them after they finish up. Then after a few weeks they will go back into the avairy.

Mine rest as well. I have the kindie cages for the youngster and the resting breeders ( male and female ) also go in there until I think they have built up some condition again. A lot of breeders go into a moult whehn they come out of breeding cages too, so you need to watch their health for awhile.

Thanks for everyones advice, i am browsing the net to purchase cages for when my breeding room is finished and now i least know how many i need to buy.

Yeah I have babies kept in the Nursery LOL

Hens are rested on their own and given pick me ups and cocks go back onto flights

I have a 1200x2400 flight,that I use & any that don't lay or not fertile, & finished breeding go in this cage.By the end of the season & they have 2plastic rings on,they go to the pet buyer,2 fails & they are out.

I normally end up removing hens to prevent them breeding again. This means that Dad's finish off raising the young. last time, I put the dad's and the young in the small aviary, to let them learn to fly around, but still have their Dad's there.

 

I do have to say that this may have a side effect I had not anticipated. The are all in the large aviary, and it is very obvious, that the young ones bonded with their Dad's a lot more than they did with their Mum's. This is the way it is for all the young, except Milly, who bred last year. Her young are close to her, but then, she was not really removed from teh nestbox like the other mums.