Mary Allen
If you want to have chicks in spring, you should now join the right rooster with the hens. However, this alone does not guarantee successful offspring. Other factors are just as important.
Successful pedigree poultry farmers begin family planning for their hens in January. Obviously, an important part of successful offspring is figuring out which cock goes well with which hens. So it is possible that the first chicks will hatch from the eggs in time for the spring awakening. The other equally important part, and one which we want to examine more closely here, is the attitude and care of expectant parents. Many tricks are common among breeders of poultry, which, however, cannot usually be found in books. The author reveals the best from 20 years of practical experience as a breeder.
When the rooster comes to the hen, it takes at least a day for the first eggs to be fertilized. But some roosters don’t like all hens equally, so it’s better to have a little longer to get used to them. Experienced breeders keep the rooster and hen together for at least a week before beginning to collect the hatching eggs.
Shorten the Feathers Around the Cloaca
The rooster’s «harem of hens» should not be too big. One to about five hens are ideal. Because the larger the herd, the worse the fertilization of the eggs. In addition, not all of the more than 150 chicken breeds are equally sporty. A dwarf rooster, for example, will certainly hop from one hen to another more easily than a heavy Brahma rooster. Nevertheless, every breeder wants as many fertilized eggs as possible. In order to have a positive influence on the chances of mating during the treading cycle, the feathers around the cloaca can be cut back in both the rooster and the hen. This increases the chances that the two cloacas will be pressed together during mating and that the sperm will make their way from the rooster to the hen. A single act of mating can, at best, result in the eggs laid in the following two weeks being fertilized.
If a breeder intends to switch cocks during the breeding season, he should wait about two to three weeks to be sure which of the offspring are from which sire.
Caution is advised when perennial cocks are used inbreeding. The spurs of old roosters are long and usually pointed towards the end. This could injure the hens during mating. In the book “Nutzgeflügel”, Collignon and Meier write that spores should be cut back to around 1.5 centimeters in size. The spurs are like fingernails and are made of dead horn that only has blood supply near the leg.
Longer Days Favor Egg-Laying
Logically, offspring can only hatch when hens lay eggs, but this is often not the case, especially in the winter months with the short days. In commercial poultry farming, the day is therefore extended with a special light program. According to the Animal Welfare Act, a maximum of 16 hours of artificial light are permitted per day. With a timer, the chickens are woken up earlier in the morning. Because a long day makes for a busy body and the opportunity for the chickens to eat more and perform better. After only one week of the extended light duration, the hens start laying.
In order to be able to lay eggs, hens always need enough fresh water. However, this can freeze in winter at freezing temperatures. Freezing is prevented in a heated base. A warm rubber mat ensures that the water is at a slightly warmer temperature, allowing the hens who were woken up early to drink – even before the keeper has crawled out of his or her feathers.
Most breeds can handle the colder temperatures in the chicken coop. The most important thing is a well-ventilated and dry barn. Good ventilation and absorbent and regularly renewed bedding are further factors for an optimal stable climate.
Chickens need a suitable place to lay eggs. The law stipulates that there must be at least one laying nest for every five hens. This is positioned in a darkened corner in the chicken house. A simple box with some hay for bedding is the simplest laying nest. There is also the possibility of group nests, in which several hens can lay an egg at the same time. Their chaff is suitable as bedding because the eggs can be hidden in it and the other chickens cannot soil the eggs with their feet. After all, hatching eggs should be as clean as possible.
Fall Nests Require Patrols
In terms of hygiene, roll-off nests are the best choice. There the egg rolls away just after being laid in the drawer underneath and the chicken feet don’t even come into contact with the egg. Committed breeders, on the other hand, prefer drop nests, also called folding nests. Because if the hen goes into the nest housing, a flap closes the entry and exits so that she is trapped inside. Only the breeder can free them again and so has the advantage of knowing which hen the egg came from. He then writes the ring number of the hen, preferably with a pencil, to ensure parentage control.
The use of fall nests requires multiple checks every day so that the chickens are not locked in the laying nest for too long. If the temperature is below freezing, the inspection frequency should be increased, otherwise, the future hatching eggs could freeze and be damaged.
As far as nutrition goes, chickens have less of a chance of eating a worm or succulent blade of grass in the run during the winter months. Vitamin-rich food such as dried mealworms, vegetables or fruits ensure a varied feeding table. Individual breeders also rely on the addition of vitamin supplements for a successful breeding period.