| Tips and Tricks for Pedigree Breeding By Laura Haggarty (copyright 2007) (Please note: I did not develop the following techniques, what follows is a compilation of information gathered from three experienced breeders, to whom I owe a debt of thanks for their hard work and willingness to share their results. Many thanks to: Jean Robocker, Ric Ashcraft, and Krys Brennan.) I pedigree breed my Dutch Bantams, and have put together some simple techniques that allow me to determine right from the start who are the sire and dam of a given bird. When creating breeding pens I work with trios, one cock, two hens. When the hens are laying well and I am ready to collect eggs to hatch, I take each hen in turn, and using food coloring (available at any grocery store), drop a few drops into her vent of a particular color. I may use red for one hen, blue for the other. Then in my notebook (good recordkeeping is crucial!) I note which hen has which color by her leg band, and the band number of the cock in with her. During the first few minutes the majority of the food coloring is passed by the hens with feces, but there is always enough left to mark eggs for the next several days. Once an egg is laid, if you use bright light, you can see streaks of color left by the vent on the egg. This allows you to mark the egg with the hen’s band number and date of lay. Store your hatching eggs as usual, and set within a week. Each pen will need only enough colors for the number of hens in it, I find red, blue, and green to be the best to use, yellow can be used but is sometimes hard to see on the egg. Once I am ready to set my eggs, just before putting them into the incubator (I use a cabinet type), I create a log sheet which shows the band numbers of the hens across the top, and the dates laid down the side. Then I note each day on which a given hen has laid an egg. This gives me insight as to how they are laying and who is producing well versus who is not. Then I arrange the eggs in groups in the racks according to who laid them. After a week in the incubator I candle them, and note which eggs were not fertile, if any. On the day the eggs are to move to the hatcher, I set up trays with divided areas, one area for each hen. I have cut lengths of hardware cloth so that they create a grid, and use duct tape to affix them to the trays. The mesh allows sufficient air to circulate and keep the eggs healthy. Before I move the eggs into their given area I make a map, so that I know which hen’s area is which after the chicks hatch. Then into the hatcher they go. Once the chicks have hatched, I look at my map and using food color again, I assign a two-color code to each group, depending on their dam. I then use these codes to mark the chicks themselves for identification. With Dutch I can mark either on their stomachs or the chipmunk stripes on their backs. For example, all the offspring from hen 7P will have a code that consists of a blue stripe on the left, and a red stripe on the right. I map out individual color combinations for each hen, so none are the same (even if you use just red blue and green that gives you up to 30 color combinations, as long as you include a blank.) Before I take the newly-hatched chicks out of their mesh grids I set up enough small bowls or boxes so that I have one for each hen’s offspring. They must be large enough that they cannot jump out, and I make a note on each one which is the dam. From there I pop them into the bowls, and quickly start the marking (it’s good to have helpers at this stage to wrangle all the chicks.) I put several drops of food coloring into a small plastic container (we save the cups single serve applesauce comes in, they’re perfect for this), and using a Q-tip I mark each chick according to the map. Then into a box and off to the brooder! Dutch chicks are big enough for small leg bands by about three weeks, and the color on their stomachs is still very visible at that time. I buy legbands in two sizes, one set in a four, the other in a seven, all the same color for a given year. Once the band is put on I make a note of the number and the dam (according to the color on their stomachs) and enter all that data into my computer. You can, of course, just keep it in a notebook if computers aren’t your cup of tea, either way is fine, as long as you’re keeping track. On or about ten weeks I switch to the larger size band, with the same color and number as the smaller ones, saving the old ones for reuse another year down the road. That way each chick has its own record of dam and sire, tracked from the moment it is laid as an egg. This whole process sounds like much more fuss and work than it actually is, but the benefits are well worth it. By pedigree breeding you can track problems which might crop up and eliminate them sooner, saving yourself time, trouble and money in the long run. Best of luck with all your hatches! |
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By Laura Haggarty (copyright 2007) The first thing to remember about preparing to show your birds is that good feather quality doesn’t come overnight, it must be grown, and it takes six to ten weeks to grow new feathers. Proper feather growth is created by proper nutrients: food with the right balance of amino acids and proteins; and clean, abundant water, both to drink and to keep feathers clean and conditioned. Conditioning should happen all year long, there’s no way to take a bird with poor feathers and make him show ready in the space of a week. We use feeds with protein levels between 18 and 20% (lower for large fowl, higher for bantams.) We try to keep our birds on grass if we can (feather-footed breeds can be successfully kept on grass if they’re in pens you rotate regularly so they’re not stepping in their own poop.) The moisture from dew is important for feather quality, if your birds are in pens which don’t get access to the outdoors, misting birds once a week or so in warm weather will help a lot. Parasite control on a regular basis is also key. Birds with worms or mites will not have good body condition, which may not be obvious when seen from outside the cage, but which a judge will feel when he picks the bird up. Ideally you should check your birds at least once a week for external parasites, and worm them as dictated by your conditions (different housing exposes birds to different parasites, some birds may never need to be wormed.) If they show signs, de-mite/de-worm them with either your product of choice, or Ivermectin (we use Ivermectin, as it both de-worms and de-mites, see this link for more info: http://www.shilala.homestead.com/ivomec.html Once you’ve gotten your conditioning routine down, and have a show date on your calendar, here are some things you can do to prep for a show: - About two weeks before the show, have your state NPIP tester come and test your birds. Some shows will let you test as you arrive, but then you may have bloodstains on your neatly washed birds, better to do them beforehand. - About a week before, clean out all pens/coops/cages in which your birds live. Re-bed deeply with clean pine shavings (cleaning out pens regularly makes this task easier than if you use the deep bedding method.) Hay, straw, and cedar shavings should be avoided as they are unsuitable for bedding (mold and/or odor problems.) - About a week before, if you have cages, put the birds into them to get them used to being caged. Practice taking the birds in and out of the cage (always headfirst!) so that it is comfortable with the process. Treats help with this. A piece of wood as a perch helps the birds get used to being caged. Leave them in there for several days (with food and water, of course!) then wash them. - About seven to five days before the show, wash your birds. Assemble the following tools: - Three pails or large buckets - One large towel per bird - Dog nail clippers - Dog nail file - An old toothbrush - An old washcloth or other rag - Blood stop powder, or cayenne powder (in case you nick a quick) - Carriers deeply bedded with clean shavings - Hair dryer (if it's cool outside) - Dish soap or some sort of show shampoo (better to use something like Ivory than Dawn, which strips too much oil from the feathers) - Apple cider vinegar - Bluing (only use if you have white birds, and not too much!) - Crates deeply bedded with shavings to put the birds into for the final drying time. Fill the buckets with warm but not too hot water. Put some ACV into the second bucket (not too much, just enough to cut the soap) and if you are washing white birds, several drops of bluing into the third. Gently lower the bird into the first bucket (but do not cover the head), swishing it up and down to get the feathers wet. Put some soap into your hand and gently brush it onto the bird, stroking in the direction of the feathers, not against the grain. Work the soap in, paying attention to the vent area and the toes. Be careful with soap around the eyes, best to just use a washcloth to wipe the head area. Use the toothbrush to scrub the toes and legs, get all the crud off of them. Transfer the bird to the second bucket, swishing up and down to get the soap off. Then put into the third bucket for a final rinse. Wrap the bird in a towel, leaving the head and feet sticking out. Sit with it on your lap (you will get wet) and gently trim toes and beak (no judge likes to be scratched.) Use the file on the beak to remove sharp edges and refine the look. Wipe around eyes again with the towel. Using the warm (not hot) setting on the blow dryer, dry the chicken so that it is almost dry (you won't get it all the way dry.) Place it into the crate with shavings in a warm, non-drafty place to finish drying (this may take several hours.) We find we can do between six to eight birds per day effectively (run out of crates!) Once the bird is completely dry, return it either to the cage or its clean pen.) To take to the show: - Your NPIP form, and health certificates if needed. - Food and water for all your birds. It sometimes helps them to drink if you start adding ACV to their water several weeks before the show, so if you run out of your own water you can add some ACV to the water at the show and the birds will recognize the taste. - Extra shavings, just in case (if you have room.) - Some Baby Oil or Vaseline, for putting around eyes and beaks to make them shine (not too much!) - Some folks use Pink Spray, or Show Sheen to spray their birds with, I find it tends to attract dust (and I don't care for the smell.) You decide. - Paper towels, you never know if you'll need some. - Baby wipes to remove any last minute stains. I’m sure there are some things I’ve left out, I’m not an expert, this is just a compilation of things we’ve learned over the years. Modify to suit your own situation, nothing is written in stone. And best of luck to you at your shows! |
By Laura Haggarty (copyright 2007) (Please note: I did not develop the following techniques, what follows is a compilation of information gathered from three experienced breeders, to whom I owe a debt of thanks for their hard work and willingness to share their results. Many thanks to: Jean Robocker, Ric Ashcraft, and Krys Brennan.) I pedigree breed my Dutch Bantams, and have put together some simple techniques that allow me to determine right from the start who are the sire and dam of a given bird. When creating breeding pens I work with trios, one cock, two hens. When the hens are laying well and I am ready to collect eggs to hatch, I take each hen in turn, and using food coloring (available at any grocery store), drop a few drops into her vent of a particular color. I may use red for one hen, blue for the other. Then in my notebook (good recordkeeping is crucial!) I note which hen has which color by her leg band, and the band number of the cock in with her. During the first few minutes the majority of the food coloring is passed by the hens with feces, but there is always enough left to mark eggs for the next several days. Once an egg is laid, if you use bright light, you can see streaks of color left by the vent on the egg. This allows you to mark the egg with the hen’s band number and date of lay. Store your hatching eggs as usual, and set within a week. Each pen will need only enough colors for the number of hens in it, I find red, blue, and green to be the best to use, yellow can be used but is sometimes hard to see on the egg. Once I am ready to set my eggs, just before putting them into the incubator (I use a cabinet type), I create a log sheet which shows the band numbers of the hens across the top, and the dates laid down the side. Then I note each day on which a given hen has laid an egg. This gives me insight as to how they are laying and who is producing well versus who is not. Then I arrange the eggs in groups in the racks according to who laid them. After a week in the incubator I candle them, and note which eggs were not fertile, if any. On the day the eggs are to move to the hatcher, I set up trays with divided areas, one area for each hen. I have cut lengths of hardware cloth so that they create a grid, and use duct tape to affix them to the trays. The mesh allows sufficient air to circulate and keep the eggs healthy. Before I move the eggs into their given area I make a map, so that I know which hen’s area is which after the chicks hatch. Then into the hatcher they go. Once the chicks have hatched, I look at my map and using food color again, I assign a two-color code to each group, depending on their dam. I then use these codes to mark the chicks themselves for identification. With Dutch I can mark either on their stomachs or the chipmunk stripes on their backs. For example, all the offspring from hen 7P will have a code that consists of a blue stripe on the left, and a red stripe on the right. I map out individual color combinations for each hen, so none are the same (even if you use just red blue and green that gives you up to 30 color combinations, as long as you include a blank.) Before I take the newly-hatched chicks out of their mesh grids I set up enough small bowls or boxes so that I have one for each hen’s offspring. They must be large enough that they cannot jump out, and I make a note on each one which is the dam. From there I pop them into the bowls, and quickly start the marking (it’s good to have helpers at this stage to wrangle all the chicks.) I put several drops of food coloring into a small plastic container (we save the cups single serve applesauce comes in, they’re perfect for this), and using a Q-tip I mark each chick according to the map. Then into a box and off to the brooder! Dutch chicks are big enough for small leg bands by about three weeks, and the color on their stomachs is still very visible at that time. I buy legbands in two sizes, one set in a four, the other in a seven, all the same color for a given year. Once the band is put on I make a note of the number and the dam (according to the color on their stomachs) and enter all that data into my computer. You can, of course, just keep it in a notebook if computers aren’t your cup of tea, either way is fine, as long as you’re keeping track. On or about ten weeks I switch to the larger size band, with the same color and number as the smaller ones, saving the old ones for reuse another year down the road. That way each chick has its own record of dam and sire, tracked from the moment it is laid as an egg. This whole process sounds like much more fuss and work than it actually is, but the benefits are well worth it. By pedigree breeding you can track problems which might crop up and eliminate them sooner, saving yourself time, trouble and money in the long run. Best of luck with all your hatches! |