Setting Up Pairs Part 3

The first mistake I see that new breeders make is that they cannot harness the excitement of when a hen lays her first egg. They mark the egg, check it once or twice a day, and even check it fertility another couple of times. This is, in my opinion, the number one cause for dead in shell eggs. I know its exciting, but pairs must be left to do what they do. Its our natural instinct to want to intervene and make sure all is well in the nestbox. These intrusions often lead to pairs putting very small holes in their eggs that are a harvesting ground for bacteria. The constant nestbox checking also can lead to nervous parents. I check pairs only when I notice the hen staying in the nestbox for an extended period of time. I check for an egg and note the date it was laid. A week into laying, I will check the nestbox to see if the hen has completed laying eggs. If I can get a fertility check, that is fine. But, whether or not they are fertile is nothing you can control. Checking the eggs for fertility will satisfy the breeders curiosity but will not help the pair at all. I then will check on the hen on week two to make sure the hen is not laying too many eggs and possibly compromising her health.

At the end of week two, I begin offering eggfood and other nutritional items that the parents will feed their chicks. Although this is not a nutritional article, I will tell you that I feed eggfood mixed with a breeding supplement. Then, I also offer some non-sweetened "cheerio-type" cereal. Peas, carrots, greens and other veggies are also good sources of soft food. Then, on the third week, I will start to hear babies being fed! This is when the excitement begins!

In the next article: Inbreeding and Linebreeding