See what I put in bold above. What did you mean? " try to work with a minimum of four males" ? So, have a minimum of four breeding pens? I can easily split up my stock into four areas, but in the summer only. I would really like to have them all together in the winter. How difficult would that be? Have you ever tried that? (Having pairs or trios etc and then putting them all back together) do the roosters just go nuts? Also, with the toe punching.....do you like that lots better than using zip ties/ leg bands?You have to be careful with temperament. "Bad temperament" can often emerge from inappropriate husbandry. There's a learning curve for everyone, and everyone at some point does something that makes their birds crazy. However, with practice one comes to recognize the screamers. You might be with a dozen birds and one or two of them are just insane: scratching, screaming, flapping, going nuts. If a majority of the other birds are calmer, more even keeled, then it is a reflection on that bird. If all of your birds are doing this, it might be a reflection of floor space or the way you act around the birds. Our Anconas would be wild, and have the flying ability to be wild, if I went rushing about the place, flailing about, chasing them trying to pick them up, etc... Instead, I walk gently around them speaking softly. When they start going out of doors in the morning, I start by opening the door and sitting a few good feet away, making them deal with my presence while exiting. Gradually, I move closer and closer over the course of several mornings until after a few weeks I'll sit in the door and make them walk over my lap to exit the building. I throw the wheat as a treat, and they come running to see what I have. Now when I go to pick them up, many will assume the submission posture, and I pick them up easily--remember these are the horrible, flighty Anconas--rubbish. However, if something startles me and I move uncharacteristically quickly, they scatter, which is a good thing. If there's a non-Game classs of birds that can take care of itself, it's the Mediterranean breeds, along with the Hamburgs, Campines, and Lakenvelders. To breed for SOP and production: Hatch in early spring. Track weights cull anything that shows any lack of thrift at all. Cull any defect the moment you see it. Do not make excuses. At 6 to months old, weigh your birds, take strong note of type and then color. Reserve your finalists. Have more finalists that you need brood fowl. In mid/late January, go over your birds again. Weigh them, palpate for indicators of laying, and set up your breedings. Don't breed from low quality birds just for numbers. Pair up your birds like a rabbitry, or perhaps in trios, don't add extra hens unless they are the true peers of the other females. Try to work with a minimum of for males. Toe punch everything. Notice that with this rhythm, you are following growth and weight right from the start. At 6-ish months you're culling to the Standard, and in mid/late winter, when production is the hardest, you're seeing who's producing. This way you develop SOP quality birds that exude productivity, size, and thrift. If you don't select to the SOP, you're just reinventing hatchery birds, and they already do that better than you. This, though, is why breeding too many breeds is deleterious to a strong breeding program. For every breed you raise it requires either a duplication of infrastructure and effort or a halving of output per breed. In the former you slowly, unperceptively develop a hatcherythat costs tens of thousands of dollars
, and hope your spouse will just keep loving you anyways
. In the second scenario you breed for years and years and get no where
eventually loosing heart and deciding you're not good at chickens
. If you choose one breed
and start attending shows where you meet important mentors
, you eventually just get to relax
and enjoy the rewards
of the order you've created
while your peers are left wondering why it doesn't go their way
and you struggle not to gloat
so that folks keep talking to you
. (Really that last bit was just to use a disco rabbit
) It would seem I'm having too much fun and should go our and shovel the growing coop I'll apparently do just about anything to avoid. Honestly...chickens....geesh...
