COMMENTS on STE1960 BREEDING DIARY

Brilliant start to your diary are, like the photo selection from start to now, will be good to see how your breeding progresses.

Very nice from nowt to how it has progressed to now
Bob

Thanks for your great comments.

Please post any comments on my Breeding Diary here.

Many Thanks.

Well done Stephen. Have to get around to updating my 2012 one with all my pairs. Hope everything goes well this year.

Great start to your diary Ste ..
Your NOT the only one who hasn't got any canaries gone down yet pal so dont worry and even more so DONT RUSH them ...
I've 25 lizard hens i'm putting down but none are 101% ready just yet ... another week or so and i may try a few pans in 6 or so ..If you rush the birds into going down you'll end up with clear eggs or worse so just chill and let nature sort itself,once you've one gone down you'll soon see things slipping into place...

Steve

Don't worry Steve your not on your own mate, I,v only got two pair down as yet its early doors yet especially for your
British birds, They'l come good mate. All the best. Oakey.

Only just got my cocks and hens side by side yesterday, I reckon another fortnight then pull the slides on some. Early days yet Steve.

I would imagine that even those with chicks will have some hens that still haven't laid any eggs yet
It's not about how quick you can get you birds to breed but how quick you can get them fit to breed.
Doesn't matter how many eggs a bird lays if they are not fit then the eggs maybe clear or once hatched they will not rear the chicks.

Just keep going the way you are going and you will soon see that the weather has a lot of influence on a birds fitness.
Good luck with your first season and a great start on your diary.

Well done.

same as that, I only took the hens out of the flight last weekend, put in some nest pans today, better to take your time and have a good first round than rush it and mess it up, the birds will let you know when they are ready

your goldies will probably breed early through the beautifull weather we are having,,,good luck with them and all yer birds,,,most of me brothers british have started building or seeking nests,,,ie flying from one sight to another and trilling to each other,,,johnboy...

Hi Steve,
nice to here whats happening on your Diary,Be carefull with your Goldfinches as alot of them do not like interfiered with
especialy when rings are put on.I have had pairs that dont care how often you look at nest some others you only got to look and they desert.Good luck with them and the rest of the breeding season for you.
Bob.

I popped into my birdhouse tonight to lock up and noticed 1 egg on the floor of my Brown Hen's cage, which I'm pairing up with a white Satinette Cock.

I've now removed the divider and hung one of the nest pan boxes I'm using onto the outside of the cage front.

Hopefully they will now start to build a nest before anymore eggs are layed.

Fingers crossed.

It is early enough to get a couple more rounds from this hen but you may have to "write off" this one.

In my experience you will not get many or any eggs hatch from this round.

What may happen is when you introduce the cock she may stop laying for a day or two then start laying again,or she may just lay as usual but in my experience the eggs are often clear.

I seems to me, they have a predetermined clutch of eggs either 4 or 5 and once laying starts for that group of eggs, even introducing the cockbird is too late. A shock, like introducing a cockbird or moving the hen to another cages often causes laying to stop temporarily but when it restarts and the remainder of the group laid, the eggs produced are more often than not clear.
Other people might decide not to agree with me but this is what I have observed in my own birds.

A case to point an egg appeared in my "hens" community cage on two days running I had a rough idea who laid them, I moved the hen to a spare cage and introduced the cockbird, treading was observed and she made a rough nest that night but it was two mornings before she laid again, when she laid an egg on each of 2 days that turned out to be clear. The two eggs in the community cage plus the 2 laid in the nest being the "predetermined" clutch of 4. A hen cant stop an egg once it's in the "chute" so to speak but she can delay it starting and split the clutch, for all sorts of reasons mainly due to stress.

I had similar experiences last year, I am of the opinion that so long as laying hasnt commenced it is possible to get fertile eggs even if treading was only the day before laying started....but if laying has started your chance of fertile eggs for that group of eggs is considerably reduced.

In my opinion, though as a "new" breeder it might be hard for you to accept, let her lay the eggs till she stops, take the eggs away completely and nest away for a few days, reintroduce the nest again, make sure the cockbird is installed (and in breeding condition !!!!) and make the last two rounds count.
Some might say it is a waste of eggs but if you can draw a line under it and forget it, it is much easier to stomach than the disappointment of them not hatching and wasting a couple weeks waiting for the non-event.....I know believe me. Time is everything once your breeding season starts,whenever it starts.

It might be worth noting that the hens I had, that this has happened to, were not showing signs of full breeding condition.... probably why you missed it as well....perhaps the recent good weather prematurely speeded things up. I wonder if these hens are actually not in full breeding condition but close and natures natural cycle took over probably another reason why these clutches end up clear. But all the hens I had that did this went on to raise fertile clutches starting at the next laying.

zipdogso wrote:

I popped into my birdhouse tonight to lock up and noticed 1 egg on the floor of my Brown Hen's cage, which I'm pairing up with a white Satinette Cock.

I've now removed the divider and hung one of the nest pan boxes I'm using onto the outside of the cage front.

Hopefully they will now start to build a nest before anymore eggs are layed.

Fingers crossed.

It is early enough to get a couple more rounds from this hen but you may have to "write off" this one.

In my experience you will not get many or any eggs hatch from this round.

What may happen is when you introduce the cock she may stop laying for a day or two then start laying again,or she may just lay as usual but in my experience the eggs are often clear.

I seems to me, they have a predetermined clutch of eggs either 4 or 5 and once laying starts for that group of eggs, even introducing the cockbird is too late. A shock, like introducing a cockbird or moving the hen to another cages often causes laying to stop temporarily but when it restarts and the remainder of the group laid, the eggs produced are more often than not clear.
Other people might decide not to agree with me but this is what I have observed in my own birds.

A case to point an egg appeared in my "hens" community cage on two days running I had a rough idea who laid them, I moved the hen to a spare cage and introduced the cockbird, treading was observed and she made a rough nest that night but it was two mornings before she laid again, when she laid an egg on each of 2 days that turned out to be clear. The two eggs in the community cage plus the 2 laid in the nest being the "predetermined" clutch of 4. A hen cant stop an egg once it's in the "chute" so to speak but she can delay it starting and split the clutch, for all sorts of reasons mainly due to stress.

I had similar experiences last year, I am of the opinion that so long as laying hasnt commenced it is possible to get fertile eggs even if treading was only the day before laying started....but if laying has started your chance of fertile eggs for that group of eggs is considerably reduced.

In my opinion, though as a "new" breeder it might be hard for you to accept, let her lay the eggs till she stops, take the eggs away completely and nest away for a few days, reintroduce the nest again, make sure the cockbird is installed (and in breeding condition !!!!) and make the last two rounds count.
Some might say it is a waste of eggs but if you can draw a line under it and forget it, it is much easier to stomach than the disappointment of them not hatching and wasting a couple weeks waiting for the non-event.....I know believe me. Time is everything once your breeding season starts,whenever it starts.

It might be worth noting that the hens I had, that this has happened to, were not showing signs of full breeding condition.... probably why you missed it as well....perhaps the recent good weather prematurely speeded things up. I wonder if these hens are actually not in full breeding condition but close and natures natural cycle took over probably another reason why these clutches end up clear. But all the hens I had that did this went on to raise fertile clutches starting at the next laying.

Thanks for your excellent comments.

Much appreciated.

Ste1960 you can make a new post I think by clicking on the one of the locked signs I think it's the left hand one.
Other wise it will take us a week to get to the bottom of the one your making now

I hope you don't mind me mentioning it.

Red devil wrote: Ste1960 you can make a new post I think by clicking on the one of the locked signs I think it's the left hand one.
Other wise it will take us a week to get to the bottom of the one your making now

I hope you don't mind me mentioning it.

Good point Red,

Steve as you are the administrator of your own diary clicking on the "locked" button will allow you and you only to make a new thread....in mine I make a new thread every week. Keeps it short and easy to read even with pictures,even though I havent got any !!!

zipdogso wrote:

Red devil wrote: Ste1960 you can make a new post I think by clicking on the one of the locked signs I think it's the left hand one.
Other wise it will take us a week to get to the bottom of the one your making now

I hope you don't mind me mentioning it.

Good point Red,

Steve as you are the administrator of your own diary clicking on the "locked" button will allow you and you only to make a new thread....in mine I make a new thread every week. Keeps it short and easy to read even with pictures,even though I havent got any !!!

I thought that was what I was already doing on my '2012 Breeding Diary Post', apart from this last post on here thanking people for comments.

Or am i being thick and not getting what you are saying.

Please explain

ste1960 wrote:

zipdogso wrote:

Red devil wrote: Ste1960 you can make a new post I think by clicking on the one of the locked signs I think it's the left hand one. Other wise it will take us a week to get to the bottom of the one your making now I hope you don't mind me mentioning it.

Good point Red, Steve as you are the administrator of your own diary clicking on the "locked" button will allow you and you only to make a new thread....in mine I make a new thread every week. Keeps it short and easy to read even with pictures,even though I havent got any !!!

I thought that was what I was already doing on my '2012 Breeding Diary Post', apart from this last post on here thanking people for comments. Or am i being thick and not getting what you are saying. Please explain

If you do what I have suggested than you will have to give a new name each time you make a new post.
But at the moment when you add to your diary you are just extending the one post which is why it is a mile long.

I hope this helps.

Red devil wrote:

ste1960 wrote:

zipdogso wrote:

Red devil wrote: Ste1960 you can make a new post I think by clicking on the one of the locked signs I think it's the left hand one. Other wise it will take us a week to get to the bottom of the one your making now I hope you don't mind me mentioning it.

Good point Red, Steve as you are the administrator of your own diary clicking on the "locked" button will allow you and you only to make a new thread....in mine I make a new thread every week. Keeps it short and easy to read even with pictures,even though I havent got any !!!

I thought that was what I was already doing on my '2012 Breeding Diary Post', apart from this last post on here thanking people for comments. Or am i being thick and not getting what you are saying. Please explain

If you do what I have suggested than you will have to give a new name each time you make a new post.
But at the moment when you add to your diary you are just extending the one post which is why it is a mile long.

I hope this helps.

Sorted

Lets hope that its the first of many,I'l bet that your well chuffed Steve.
All the best. Oakey.

Nice hope your season goes well for you
Bob

Off and running , first chicks of the season are always good .

Great start hope all goes well

Ste1960 your nest of five Satinette's, if you look at the chicks the one's with the darler eye colour will be browns and the others will be Satinett's.

I hope this helps you.

Thats a mighty fine nest full of hungry mouths that you have there Steve, Lets hope that there is more to
come, how are the Goldfinch's doing mmate?. All the best. Oakey.