hens

[mic]

has anybody got any tips or tricks,to stop widowhood hens pairing up,other than locking them up,cheers

[pjc]

keep them on v-perches with a wire floor, if they've got nowhere to pair and nest they won't!

[Guest vining45]

some put them on poles instead of perchs i`ve even seen a rabbit on loft floor to stop them pairing on the floor but my friend feeds alot of barley and keeps the feed a bit tight builds them up end of week seems to work for him

[mic]

so it should be,its a simple question,deserves a decent reply,muppets

[gangster]

as  said poles may be the best solution ...

[Guest TIMBARRA LOFTS]

as  said poles may be the best solution ...

 

possibly or a couple of sections and soon as one starts to pair remove it to another section..

 

 

[blackdog]

keep in an aviary on poles with a wire floor and keep food to a minimum,works for me.

[tigger]

put a show pen on the floor of the hen section with a spare

cock in it for 10 minutes twice a week.

never in 8 years had hens pair up.

          tigger

[Roland]

Yep, dale rod to perch on, and a rabbit or gueanea pig left running around the floor. Won't hurt them none, they just nip over to say hello if they go on the floor and of course up they fly.

Just a drop leave shelve when feeding and water. If closed up individually of course they only mate  / tread then when out which is seldom to say the least if after flying keen to get in. So though some don't care, others do.

[Guest vining45]

if u don`t want a honest answer why ask question wasn`t taking the p---

[peterpau]

so it should be,its a simple question,deserves a decent reply,muppets

 

Sounds like you got good answers to me, a big old rabbit sounds stupid, but I've heard of this more than once.

 

 

[steve d]

I know someone who used a rabbit once, for the record mine are on poles and I have a sloping floor made of wire, first time I have tried hens but nothing paired together yet ;)

[mic]

to the genuine replys, thakyou, if your a bit late on this, there were a few replys removed at the start of this thread,by others,my reply was to the muppets only,and not to the genuine replys to the question posted,i,we are not here to offend,thankyou

[NW USA]

Throw an old sterile cock in with them.

[john nico]

i just keep mine hungary all week stops them from pairing and on the friday feed them well before they see there cocks

[Guest vining45]

sorry mic can get a bit firerry at times thought u were having a go hope the info helps im not to good at this game but got freinds who are :B :) ;D

[Guest Owen]

I have two tippler cocks that are used alternately in the corridor where the hens can see them. This is when the hens are brought in from the aviary where they spend the day early in the week. The aviary has a metal mesh floor. At the moment I have box perches in the aviary, but I will change them to "V" perches when I can.  I lock the hens up in individual boxes from Wednesday on. They are fed the same as the cocks, but a smaller ration. I think it is important to feed them well on race day well before the cocks are due home, because the last thing I want is hens chasing food when the cock gets in.

The cocks only get a pinch of seed when they get home. They are not fed properly until they have been home a least 30 minutes.

Any hen that does not concentrate on the cock is dumped. They would ruin a good cock.