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Posted
its a box for breeding you best cock 2 multiple hens at the same time so getting more direct from him in a far quicker time than conventional breeding

 

Sounds a good idea to me :)

Posted
its a box for breeding you best cock 2 multiple hens at the same time so getting more direct from him in a far quicker time than conventional breeding

 

Do you have a drawing or a picture of one :)

Posted

 

Do you have a drawing or a picture of one :)

 

i think [according to what i have seen you build] you would be able to make a good job of making these bull boxes , im sure someone will supply you with a drawing or picture [ill try and get one for you if poss]  but genuinly beleive you would be a dab hand at making these,, their used a lot by the big breeders,

Guest spin cycle
Posted

i tried a homemade 'bullbox' last year and made a right 'hash' of it. i'd love to see some pics....and read more about system (allthough i don't think i'll try it again). i'm sure there would be a demand for proffesionally made ones.

Posted

YOU DONT HAVE TO HAVE A BUL BOX HERE IS A SIMPLER WAY WITH YOUR NORMALL BREEDING BOXES, AND YOU DONT HAVE TO FLOAT THE EGGS ECT,,

 

BULL BOX SYSTEM

 

DAY 1

 

On the day you are ready to proceed make sure that the hens have been well fed and watered. It will work a little better if you introduce the hens later rather than earlier in the day. Feed & lock the cocks into the aviary then place the hens in the locked half of the nestboxes of their selected cocks. If the hens are fit and ready to pair they will tell you so without a cock being present. It is a good sign that things will go easy when the hens are very amorous.

 

With the hens secure in their half of the box allow the cocks into the loft. They perform there usual stuff with plenty of billing between the bars of the partitioned box. There is not a chance that the cock can tread the hen. Leave the birds like this until morning.

 

Now is a good time for pen and paper, so make sure that you have a clipboard or such in the loft, with the ring numbers and box numbers for all the hens laid out. This will help you re-place the hens into the correct boxes until they are fully versed and keep good records of the days to come.

 

DAY 2

 

The first thing that I check as I walk in the loft is that all the hens are still in their boxes, none having escaped previously. This will be the first item on the agenda every morning for the next few days. If any hens have escaped it is not a problem at this stage but you must remedy the situation and prevent it happening again as it is vital to the purpose of your programme. Feed the cocks and lock them in the aviary with their own drinker. Once secure you can allow the hens freedom of the loft to eat and drink, pickstones etc. As each hen returns to a box (hopefully its own) lock her in. When all the hens are back in their boxes let the cocks come back in. you will get a feel for how things are going at this point. The cocks should rush to their boxes spinning and cooing. Repeat this again at some stage of the day, allowing the hens a chance to stretch their wings, eat & drink and find their own box. You can also fit little drinkers to the nestbox if you wish.

 

DAY 3 and DAY 4

 

Exactly the same as day 2.

 

DAY 5

 

This is the day to introduce the stud cock. The cock I used was 10 years old and I thought this could be a problem, but it turned out to be quite the opposite. This system can work with a cock that is already paired or sitting but you will get quicker results if he is un-paired.

 

Feed the cocks and lock them in the aviary. Release the hens to eat & drink etc. Lock all hens back in box. Bring in the stud cock and release him into the loft, he will strut his stuff and the hens will respond from the boxes. Allow the stud cock to roam around, he will fly upto many of the hens introducing himself. They will all respond to his attentions. After 10/15 mins release the hen from the first nest box, in no time at all she will get down for the cock. As soon as the deed is done get the hen back in her nest box and remove the cock. Mark down on your record sheet a note alongside the hens ring number that this occurred. Place the stud cock back in his own section. Rest for 30 mins and repeat with the 2nd hen. No need to allow the stud cock time to get his bearings, just place him in the section and release the next hen. Copulation will be swift, the chances are that all the hens saw the first procedure and are now competing with each other. Remove the stud cock and re-place the hen. Repeat this every 30 mins to cover the first 6 hens. Then give the stud cock a couple of hours rest, re-starting later in the day with the last 6 hens. Don't forget to mark down each hen in turn. If one of the hens refuses to mate make a note of it as she will be the first one the next day. When all is done make sure all the hens are secure and allow the cocks back into the loft from the aviary, they are none the wiser.

 

DAY 6

 

If all went well the previous day, do exactly the same procedure but this time in reverse, starting with the hen that was last the day before. Not forgetting that the hens must be well fed etc. before you commence.

 

DAY 7

 

Exactly the same procedure as day 6.

 

DAY 8

 

Now depending on the hens you are using you could be getting eggs at this stage. If so, I suggest you concentrate on any hen that has not laid as it is my experience that once the hen has laid she will have nothing more to do with the stud cock, (sounds about right!!) Carry on with the procedure until all the hens have laid. But be warned, I have never known a hen that has already laid her 1st egg to allow the stud cock to tread her again, so the theory of 2nd egg fertilisation needs looking at.

 

At this stage I allow all the cocks into the loft (but no contact) whenever possible to see that their hens have laid. As soon as the hen lays her 2nd egg I open the box and allow the cock to enter. Many of them rush in and instantly sit the eggs, no matter what time of day it is. Once all the hens have laid you can treat the section with ordinary everyday management. The cocks will have no problem believing that the eggs are their own and will sit normally. Let them sit 4/5 days and then check the eggs are full. If you find that any are infertile you can check your records to see if there is a reason for this. When I used 12 hens every single egg hatched using just this method, ending up with 24 young birds that all resembled each other in various ways. If you paired up correctly in the first place you will now be able to let these cocks and hens lay a 2nd round in the normal fashion.

 

I agree this method can take up some time, but the wise amongst you will plan this carefully to fall on a weekend or a holiday. It is well worth the trouble and does not take up any more time in respect of days.

 

Posted

Cemetary, how do you think the big studs get so many birds so quickly from spacific birds?

Mind you, DNA testing may prove different!

 

Phil

Posted

this def works sam,, as i had hens locked in boxes allowing one cock to tread these each day , i didnt do it as exact as you, but did manage to get a good few eggs over a period of time,, i,e any eggs that were fertile in the w,hood hen boxes , i knew what the sire was,, the difficulty i had was ,as  hens were laying at  different times ,  was finding  a suitable pair to put them under :)  but good read sam ,,well done :)

Posted

JIMMY, I AM ALSO GOING TO BE USING MY HEN BOXES THEN ALOWING THE ONE COCK TO TREAD BUTI THINK THEY WAY IT WORKS IS THAT THE HEN IS THAT EAGER (RANK) THAT SHE WILL LET ANY COCK TREAD HER SAME WAY WITH THE COCK, HE WILL TREAD ANYTHING  ;)

Posted

pjc,

 

Am not refering to the big studs mate, uless Sam is a big stud, am more or less speaking about the back garden fancier.

 

Yes i am aware what the big studs are doing, tell me another wat they would get so much out of one bird ? you wouldnt have to be  a professor to work that one out surely.

Posted

I have looked into them for years Porter & Richardson had one to pair there best cocks from it was excellent system i bought three direct from GTXI with different dams at the same time.

 

I can maybe draw it for you tomorrow dunc if no one posts one before hand.

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