Well 2 weeks in and we have eggs in 13 out of 16 cages. One hen hasn't laid and it is possible her breeding days are over. The other two which haven't laid have only been put down in the last few days. Not too bad really.

 

Here is a few shots of some of the cock birds and a couple of hens, most of the hens are sitting in the nestboxes. Probably should have put this in the breeding journal section?

 

Edited September 1, 201113 yr by fordmob

Nice birds Dan, you should breed some beauties from them, I like nearly all of them, some of them look like my birds, lol that's probably why I like them lol

Some really good birds in there fordmob. Looking forward to seeing pics of the youngsters!

Good luck lets hope you get lots of fertile eggs and then healthy chicks.

Thanks all. Bird number 2 who I have named "magic" is a bit of a key. I have 2 of his sons and a number related back to his mum who was a Henry George bird. As pride says if I can get some fit youngsters out of them I will be doing okay I think.

 

I have been lucky to pick these up and have potentially saved myself some years of hard work.

Nice birds Fordmob ....you would have reason to be hopeful of some good chicks out of them. And I look forward to seeing the results.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PS Admin duties ask me to advise you to please edit your photos to sizes 480 by 640 before posting please

Thanks Kaz.

 

Looks like I stuffed up with the photo sizes, I thought i resized them properly but a few got past me.

I really like that bird No 2, he stands out.

Yeah splat he looks really nice, i like your greys too fordmob.

Well done Fordmob for hitting the ground running, you certainly don't waste any time once you set your mind to something!

 

I'm assuming you didn't need to quarantine 'cause you birds come from one source? No matter, a small detail!

 

 

 

What I'd really like to know is your immediate PLAN!!!

 

Is your aim just to breed numbers?

 

Or maybe there are features you want cement or faults you want to remove?

 

Perhaps you favour a certain variety or colour?

 

 

Please, tell all!

few nice birds their

 

i love your Grey hen and the cobalt he may be violet even cam can lie with blue at times

you do have some lovely birds and i know you do have a structured plan their

 

as far as quarantine you also been in this game before so im sure you took the appropriate measures

Edited September 3, 201113 yr by **KAZ**
post edited by admin

I am sorry GB, but I did not see Renee's post like you did.

 

I thought she asked some honest questions, and her post actually made me think about things myself.

I am sorry GB, but I did not see Renee's post like you did.

 

I thought she asked some honest questions, and her post actually made me think about things myself.

 

well since its been edited dave looks like i was having a go at ren and i was not

i was simply stating dan has been in the game before and does know his stuff

that maybe wording could of been different that was all

 

kaz can at my request you please just delete my post

free speech is obviously only selective on this forum

be lucky if this post isnt edited and oh its okay i wont be on here again

over the selective speach thing i said nothing nasty or inapropriate orhave i in this post

at all

Ummmmm. Not sure what's going on here but yeah it's pretty straightforward and 'cause Fordmob is an experienced breeder I am assuming he DOES have a Breeding Plan.

 

 

If I get a Foundation cock bird I first try to breed numbers and then next generation I try to improve on one fault and then 3rd generation I breed back to siblings to cement the line (hopefully the fault I have eliminated stays in place too!)

 

In 2008/9 I focussed on breeding depth of mask into my birds, last year I tried to fix some of their heavy flights and length of body and now this year I am cementing several lines.

 

Meanwhile at the same time I try to keep my varieties clean, for example the DF Greys I bred in 2008 for my Albino line I can now use for the daughters of my Super Albino I bred in 2010 - so you see I breed sometimes years in advance of immediate availability.

 

On top of juggling fault corrections, there is also the question of pairing of Maidens and maintaining enough experienced hens ... and back ups.

 

Oh and then there's Feather quality, I almost forgot to mention that that comes into the mix when putting 2 birds together ... so for example, to use my Albino line again as an example: the buffest hens went to the longer bodied DF Grey cocks and the hen daughter that looked least like her father was then paired up with him.

 

And then you have got the question of compatibility .... you know they have to fancy each other ... and be in condition to breed ...

 

I don't know about you guys but I put hours and hours of thought ahead of each breeding season and right now my hubby has given up asking me what I am thinking about!

Edited September 3, 201113 yr by renee

Splat, that Cobalt is far better than any bird I have ever owned, I have his son and daughter and a number of relatives.

 

As far as quarantine goes I bought my birds from 2 sources. I have paired them together separately at this stage and have kept a close eye on them. I did give them all a dose of coccivet, I have no troubles when using Amprolium (coccivet) before breeding or even during so i was confident enough to dose them. I wasn't as sure with the Ronidazole (Tricho Plus) treatment so I have only dosed a few birds that I am holding on to for later with that. If you pair up birds straight away from the same source quarantine isn't an issue, they were all in the same flight anyway. I think most breeders will pair birds up straight away if they have purchased pairs from the same source. It's different to dumping a couple of outcrosses in the flight and hoping for the best.

 

I gave the birds vitamins and watched them pretty carefully. I did separate one suspect and am keeping an eye on her. She is an older hen so she could just be a bit tired. She isn't wet or vomiting, just lethargic so I will watch her.

 

As for a plan I am lucky enough to have bought what was growing into a stud. I have a number of related birds that go back to top breeders and in that lot I also got a nice Gary Armstrong light green and two of his sons who are dark greens as ready outcrosses. I also bought some birds from a great and esteemed local breeder and forum member.

 

I won't use birds with long secondaries or heavy flights as it extremely difficult/impossible to get rid of. I wont use any bird that has a skinny head or very short mask. I am happy to use small birds that are well bred that have all the good features. I also won't get birds with hinged tails, and I try to avoid lumpy bumpy backlines. Small spots aren't a problem as it seems to be the easiest feature to repair. Big opalines can help with that I reckon and it will be something I have to work on with that cobalt/dark green line.

 

I suppose it comes down to what you see as faults and what you see as deficiencies. I don't think you should keep birds with faults. Deficiencies are things that you can work on improving, faults need to be eliminated completely in my opinion.

 

I have little concern about variety at this stage. I just want to breed good birds, especially hens. This season I will pair traditionally but as soon as I start to get a number of good hens I will start to use polygamy. I have found it the best way to get more quality. I will put down a number of pairs then just to be feeders. It won't worry me to only use 5 or 6 cocks in my main varieties, though not all cocks are suited to it. I previously did this with a Kakoschke bird and it got me going. (After a couple of years I lost all my birds in a bad storm when my aviary blew away.)

 

As for pairing I spend ages stewing over what to pair with what. One of the pair is usually a showbird, it stands off the perch, has a straight backline and tail, ie it has a good structure, even if it is lacking in size or feather. One of the pair will have good size. At least one of the pair will also have feather. I personally place more emphasis on visual pairings, I won't pair related birds together just for the sake of it. I think close linebreeding should only be done when you are using very good birds.

 

I have never worried about maidens, experienced birds etc, but my previous birds had good fertility so time will tell how I go this time. Like everyone I had probs with young hens not feeding. I used to dip an A.I. tube in some warm baby soy milk and give the new chicks a feed and transfer them if need be. It works a treat. I would also give a maiden hen a 4 or 5 day old to feed and that would often get her going.

 

As far as a plan goes I just go with the flow. Being my first season with these birds I will get an idea once I get some chicks out of them what I need to work on, what birds throw on etc. This year is really all about trying to get some quality and numbers out of any variety. In a few seasons if I have five or six really good cock birds in the main varieties they will be all I will use and will cull heavily.

 

Feeding is crucial too and I try to keep it simple because I don't have a heap of time. I feed oats along with the usual seed, I feed a lot of seeding grassses, greens, corn, silverbeet and carrot. I also sued to feed the birds a mix of soy linseed bread mixed with baby soy milk but I guess many would shudder at that but I got really good results with it. I am going to try something different and use a mix of passwell parrot crumbles, egg and carrot or silverbeet. I am also mixing The Good Oil in the seed and do vitamins a couple of days a week.

 

I have two pairs of lutinos down and one pair of fallows. I might try to pick up a few more fallows.

 

That's my plan in a nutshell seeing you asked Renee. I am by no means an expert though and there are people who have been in this caper for a lot longer and done better so take it with a grain of salt.

Brilliant! Simply outstanding reply Fordmob! Thank you very much

That is a very interesting post Dan, thanks enjoyed reading it.

 

I have changed my soft food diet right in the middle of breeding which i know is not good

but no choice really. Seems I have been having so much trouble with soaked seed.

I have decided and started and the birds just love it so all is good.

My recipe is

weetbix, eggs, 9 grain bread, carrots, beetroot, celery which are all food processed. And then I add 2 tablespoons of

soy bean meal, finch food and budgie crumbles which are all mixed together in a small bin.

I make up enough for a week and freeze it in small tubs.

 

my breeding cages have a feeder jar of hulled oats so they are still getting their energy.

Thanks, I think a high protein soft food is important and the key to fit younguns and feather.

 

When I said I practiced polygamy I meant with the birds, not personally.

 

I do have very good fertility however, personally that is.

Ha ha fertility !! does that mean you or the birds Dan, lol

 

I fed the soy milk the year before and had no problems with it.

Edited September 4, 201113 yr by splat

I have four kids splat.....I was so fertile that measures had to be taken to stop it.

Lol. Lets hope the cock birds take after you then Dan, you will doing great. lol. I have 4 sons.

When shaking hands with ladies I used to have to wear gloves, I come from very fertile stock. Legend has it that three of my grandparents children were concieved by eating from the same soup spoon.

 

I would have been a good stud cock before being gelded, not a lot of feather up top anymore though.

 

When do you reckon I will win one of those award thingys that you have won Splat?

When shaking hands with ladies I used to have to wear gloves, I come from very fertile stock. Legend has it that three of my grandparents children were concieved by eating from the same soup spoon.

 

I would have been a good stud cock before being gelded, not a lot of feather up top anymore though.

 

When do you reckon I will win one of those award thingys that you have won Splat?

 

Chrikey Dan you make me laugh. lol

 

Hey which award are you talking about.

When shaking hands with ladies I used to have to wear gloves, I come from very fertile stock. Legend has it that three of my grandparents children were concieved by eating from the same soup spoon.

 

I would have been a good stud cock before being gelded, not a lot of feather up top anymore though.

 

When do you reckon I will win one of those award thingys that you have won Splat?

 

Chrikey Dan you make me laugh. lol

 

Hey which award are you talking about.

 

 

That platinum wings thingo. I reckon that post was worth it.

 

 

How do you get one? Who gives them to you? I want one cos you've got one

 

 

 

Edited September 5, 201113 yr by fordmob

When shaking hands with ladies I used to have to wear gloves, I come from very fertile stock. Legend has it that three of my grandparents children were concieved by eating from the same soup spoon.

 

I would have been a good stud cock before being gelded, not a lot of feather up top anymore though.

 

When do you reckon I will win one of those award thingys that you have won Splat?

 

Chrikey Dan you make me laugh. lol

 

Hey which award are you talking about.

 

 

That platinum wings thingo. I reckon that post was worth it.

 

 

How do you get one? Who gives them to you? I want one cos you've got one

 

Ha ha your funny Dan. That post deserves one.... Oh my god I will never slick from a spoon the same way ever again, might get up the duff. lol

Sorry Dan you have to earn the award, I can't remember how it goes but I think once you get to around a thousand post you become a bronze what ever and then it might be something around 1500 hundred or 2 thousand post and you get silver and so on. So get posting Dan you will have one in know time.lol