Selection of breeding stock.

Febuary and all nearly all the birds are out during daylight hours.The cockerels I bred last year are out running riot with all the hens and pullets that are at range.
This goes against most advice given, but I find there is no better way of keeping the birds fit as a bit of competition.Ben is on hand to stop any major fights and break up most matings between the birds.
Over the next few weeks I shall select the birds and pen them for the breeding season.Any males that don't meet the standard are penned and finished for the freezer.Just the odd 1 or 2 are kept back for a breeding programme.

After selection each pen is dusted with louse powder and allowed to settle into the breeding runs.
Any hen that has been mated by any cockerel while running out will be fertile to the cock in her pen within 3 weeks and once in full lay I take a sample of eggs and test them.

There are a number of breeding pens that have produced some good birds last year that will be re penned this year.

January.

It's winters like this I dread.Snow for weeks and frozen drinkers that have to be de-frosted, as without water the birds really suffer.Egg production stops and it's a miserable time for them and me.
I have increased the amount of cod liver oil on the grain to every feed and the amount of cut maize to give them some extra vitamins and energy.
Just keeping the birds happy is an ongoing job.
They have the 2 stable blocks and the large hay barn that is under cover to get out of the snow and bad weather.

By 4pm they are all on the roosts and I can lock up and get some time indoors myself.I check around the fields daily with the dogs for any signs of foxes.

October and Autumn.

I love this time of the year, but don't look forwards to the first frosts of the year.Months of frozen drinkers and cold fingers and trying to give the birds as much comfort as I can till new grass and longer daylight brings spring.

I have had a very good breeding season and the sheds are bursting with growers.Every time I get a chance to sit on an upturned bucket and watch the birds interact the pleasure makes all the work involved worthwhile.

As yet I haven't had a chance to select the birds for next season or at least birds that may be good enough to go into the breeding pens.
I have bred a lot of Indian Game, both dark laced and Jubilee and some of the growers look promising.

This season I ran about 80 growers from 5 pens all together in the granary.These birds were from different hatches and different ages and as soon as they feathered they were allowed to run out of the runs and follow the older growers outside.They seemed to do very well on this and spread out around the farm and fields.No real problems they all seemed to get on well and only 2 birds (both splash Marans pullets) had any tail feathers removed.Oddly enough these 2 were from different batches a month apart and they stick together everywhere they go and even more oddly they have teamed up with a group of Black Sumatra growers and where they go the Marans go...even managing to roost high in the granary how they manage that I don't know.

The ongoing trial for a table bird goes on and this season I mated a Welsh Black to Welsh Black Cock to pure Indian Game hens.
The results are a number of very large birds with good width but a bit high on the leg as yet they hopefully will fill out as they grow.

I bought in 2 lots of Copper Marans eggs this season after searching ebay for some quality looking birds.Out of 24 eggs I managed to get 2 from 12 and 4 from 12 and they turned out to be rubbish...I think I'll stick with the lines I have.

Out of 6 Mottled Cochin eggs, again from ebay I got 1..a pullet.She looks ok at the moment,growing away well and hopefully will come in better next spring.

I bought another 6 Black Cochin,again via ebay and 5 were clears and 1 early dead in shell..Very disappointing considering they were from a member of the Cochin committee and supposedly won lots of shows.