Beginner Breeder Tips/Advice?

[LaughingLagomorph]

Hi! I'm by no means new to raising poultry, I am however new to breeding them.

Does anybody have some tips, tricks or advice for a new breeder? Are there any supplies I should invest it?

I currently have some little ayam cemanis that I plan to breed when they're old enough. I'm also planning to breed silkies and coturnix quail.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I'm not a professional breeder, just a hobbyist, but I have some things I've learned along the way breeding for olive eggers with my Barnevelders and Cream Legbars. (I've also raised Silkies to use as broody hens, so know something about them). Note, I've not dealt with quail, so all my comments are towards chickens, but much could be applied to the quail as well.

First, only breed from stock that is healthy, good quality, and well tempered. Soft heartedness is fine for pets, but not for your breeding stock. You only want the best for the future of your flock in health, temperament, and quality. Choose hens and roosters that are in the prime of life. Typically a hen is most fertile the first 2 to 3 years and roosters the first 5. Generally you need a bird to reach full maturity to see its fullest qualities.

Secondly, have secure pens. Hens and roosters like to jump fences, squeeze through posts, crawl under spaces, etc. Suddenly, you've got the wrong rooster or hen in the wrong pen. I have personally witnessed that it takes about 10 seconds for a rooster to enter a pen and mate with a hen. You will have to not use the eggs from that hen for at least 3 weeks, 4 being better, before you can trust her eggs have not been fertilized by the wrong rooster.

Thirdly, use only fresh, top quality eggs to incubate or broody set (I use broody hens, personally). Set up an egg carton to place your best eggs into. I like to mark in pencil the date I've gathered the egg. Gather daily to be certain your egg has not sat in the nest box long. Store the eggs in a cool, dark area. Place pointy side down. Alternate elevating a corner of the carton daily to be certain air cells don't settle. Eggs are best set within 1 week of lay. I have hatched at 2 weeks of lay, but I see a distinct drop in hatch rates. I rotate my eggs out of the carton when they've reached that 7 to 10 days age.

Finally make sure you've got a good ratio of rooster to hens. The general rule of thumb is 1 rooster to 10 hens. Now that is a rule of thumb. I have 20 hens. I had, until very recently, 2 roosters (one brown line pen, one blue line pen). Sadly my brown line rooster died. I have gone to a sustainable flock, meaning I only breed and raise on property, so I didn't want to bring in another outside bird (recent avian flu risk). So, I simply tore down the partition between the flocks and let them run together figuring I'd go mainstream olive egger this year. I did not expect to have great hatch rates. However, that one rooster has managed to maintain a 70 to 80% fertility rate and I've experienced 80% hatch rates. So, that rule of thumb can vary. Just check your eggs regularly for fertility. You should recognize that by the "bullseye" in the blastodisk. (If you don't know what that means, reply and ask).

As to equipment, just the regular feeders, waterers, parasite control. It is good fence lines that make good breeding lines.

You may want to watch your Silkies in fertility. They have some extra bum fluff which may need to be occasionally trimmed on the gals to insure good fertility.

Be sure you know what you will do with extra cockerels before you begin.

That's my immediate thoughts. Good luck on your project.

LofMc

 

[AprilWC]

My best suggestion is to find a mentor in your breed(s) to guide you. They can be an invaluable resource as you navigate selecting birds for breeding.

Don't be afraid to start over if you're displeased with your starter stock. I did that after realizing my original birds did not grow into what I hoped and expected they would be. The original birds would be fine for home egg or meat production, but not suitable for a program aimed at the SOP.

Cull hard and have an outlet for your culls. I personally butcher cull males for the freezer and keep most females for eggs.

Have adequate space to grow out cockerels and pullets SEPARATELY. Usually cockerels that are not around females will grow up just fine together in one pen. I recommend upgrading to individual housing for cockerels you want to grow out for breeding prospects. They have better growth that way and of course no risk of getting injured by another male.

As was previously stated, have an adequate hen to cockbird ratio. Some breeders do not leave the cockbird with the hen(s) full time to avoid overbreeding and injury or damage to the hen's feathers. 30 minutes paired up should give the male time to fertilize. You can repeat daily or every other day.

 

[sdm111]

My best suggestion is to find a mentor in your breed(s) to guide you. They can be an invaluable resource as you navigate selecting birds for breeding.

Don't be afraid to start over if you're displeased with your starter stock. I did that after realizing my original birds did not grow into what I hoped and expected they would be. The original birds would be fine for home egg or meat production, but not suitable for a program aimed at the SOP.

Cull hard and have an outlet for your culls. I personally butcher cull males for the freezer and keep most females for eggs.

Have adequate space to grow out cockerels and pullets SEPARATELY. Usually cockerels that are not around females will grow up just fine together in one pen. I recommend upgrading to individual housing for cockerels you want to grow out for breeding prospects. They have better growth that way and of course no risk of getting injured by another male.

As was previously stated, have an adequate hen to cockbird ratio. Some breeders do not leave the cockbird with the hen(s) full time to avoid overbreeding and injury or damage to the hen's feathers. 30 minutes paired up should give the male time to fertilize. You can repeat daily or every other day.

Other than I pair up or trio broodstock for the most part unless it's a special mating I agree with above. Don't be soft hearted it's for the best of the breed to cull all but the best of the best even don't be scared to wax your whole stock and get new if it's for the better of the breed. No pets