Identifying egg producer when flock mating

[bigike619]

Hello, In flock mating breeding where you have multiple hens of different breeds to 1 cock in a pen, how do you identify which hen laid the egg short of seeing the hen in the process of laying the egg? Thank you

 

[RiDaGeckoGuy]

Hello, In flock mating breeding where you have multiple hens of different breeds to 1 cock in a pen, how do you identify which hen laid the egg short of seeing the hen in the process of laying the egg? Thank you

What breeds do you have

 

[wrathsfarm]

Hello, In flock mating breeding where you have multiple hens of different breeds to 1 cock in a pen, how do you identify which hen laid the egg short of seeing the hen in the process of laying the egg? Thank you

Familiarizing and recognizing each individual hens eggs by a certain shape, color or other characteristic is how I learned.
I keep track, stalk all my Marans so I can set a specific hens eggs for my test matings and I also do the same to track color for the first 20-30 eggs when my pullets start laying. All this helps me recognize each hens eggs even when I don't see them lay.

 

[bigike619]

What breeds do you have

Just a generic question. That question has always been in my mind so I thought I’d ask the experts.

 

[DemeterAD9]

I have the same question but I also have a game plan for when all my pullets start laying. For me it will just be a lot of watching, listening, and creeping on the coop till I am familiar with who is laying what. For future reminders, photos will of course be taken of the eggs in question and the girls who laid them. I have a good mix of colored and tinted/brown egg layers so that will help keep things straight.

So far there is only one laying and I caught her in the act so there is no doubt who it is. Just have to catch the next 18... Really I can bypass the hens of the same breed unless I want to hatch eggs from one specific girl.

I've heard of a few other methods like putting either lip stick or food color on the vent and simply matching the color on the egg to the color of the vent it came out of. Trail cameras are also an option.

 

[bigike619]

Familiarizing and recognizing each individual hens eggs by a certain shape, color or other characteristic is how I learned.
I keep track, stalk all my Marans so I can set a specific hens eggs for my test matings and I also do the same to track color for the first 20-30 eggs when my pullets start laying. All this helps me recognize each hens eggs even when I don't see them lay.
View attachment 3939198

I didn’t know! How about that. An egg looks the same as the other egg to me. Thanks

 

[wrathsfarm]

I didn’t know! How about that. An egg looks the same as the other egg to me. Thanks

Lol.... I'm fairly new to breeding my Marans but THE most valuable info I learned was lots of pics and lots of notes. We need to study each hen and rooster to know who to pair with who to move our breeding program forward for individual faults we need to eliminate or qualities to breed in. I'm focusing on my Marans so that involves their egg color in the standard I must include for darker eggs.

I date, track and take photos of my eggs and won't set any eggs I'm not absolutely positive who they came from in my pairings.

Another way would be to trap nest each hen I'm using to breed and bring in the rooster as needed if I'm not familiar with each hens eggs until I have enough to set.

I've had one incubator hatch this spring where I set 22 eggs from 3 hens. 2 of those 3 were in hatching bags and all chicks hatched were color banded to their dams leg band when placed in brooder.
I've also had 10 broodys and all eggs set were hen specific and color banded to watch for selection.
I did have one woops egg but that was in my mixed flock where I thought it was a BCM x BR egg which is a Marans hybrid commonly referred to as a Midnight Majesty Marans but it was in fact a BCM x SLW, quickly identified by the rose comb.
Not a monster deal in my mixed flock hatch for fun, but I can't have this error in a specific pairing as it throws off my notes in my breeding program not knowing who the dam is.

Hope this helps a little...

 

[RiDaGeckoGuy]

Just a generic question. That question has always been in my mind so I thought I’d ask the experts.

I do what wrathsfarm does and I familiarize myself with each hens laying habits and egg color.