now that the moult is finished

[jimmy white]

now that the big moult is about finished, what are the forums views , as how the birds should be treated  now, i.e exercise, feeding pairing,etc etc,

[Chatrace]

The moult here was finished over a month ago, but as it was finishing ,I started my winter pre breeding Med program. PMV.Worming, respatory and Canker and cocic . Then start them on oaster shell grit for a better egg shell when mating starts. Next week at this time I will have them together as the lights have been on for 13 hours and will go to 16 starting tomorrow. They are on a pellet grain mix now also and plenty of fresh water.

[jimmy white]

i wait till the last flight is fully grown, then,[ as my birds cant get out,] i feed them for about 4 weeks on the best malted barley, they only get enough to eat, as to when they start picking,i keep a close look, and handle the hens to make sure they will not be fat in any way, fortnight b4 pairing ,i feed mixture, mixed with wheat germ oil, then feed accordingly after that

p.s i often mix a little wheat germ in the barley and add brewers yeast, they get garlic in the water, everyday.remember, these birds have previously been fed on a high protein diet ,to ensure a good moult and at this stage are a wee bit on the fat side    vits once a week.. had their dropings tested , all ok.

[westy]

a couple of myne are still in the moult

[carl]

My older birds are almost through there moult,most on the last flight.I will start and add barley to the mix now,getting it up to 50% barley 50% full mix.Hopefully this will get the weight off them for breeding.My birds will now be treated for canker,cocci,worms,respitory before pairing.

[Guest]

Im at the same point as Carl, but I have had their droppings tested, and all was ok, so I will just treat for canker when I pair rhem up and maybe respitory if I can get some stuff for it. I was told recently to put wheatgerm oil on there corn to get them ready for pairing, so I will add that to their corn with brewers yeast. Mine are also being given Probiotics, while the weather is bad to stop any bad bugs getting a hold in their gut, this seems to be keeping there doppings spot on, with loads of down feathers coming out. Just planning what to pair to what for the breeding season, and looking forward (NOT) to those massive droppings the hens seem to do after a night on their eggs. LOL

[Guest]

Still on their last flight, and won't be putting them out just yet (waste of time, won't exercise) thinking on towards end of December which DEFRA claim is also the end of the 'high risk' period.

 

Most thoughts are on the birds health & possible pairings 2006. Couple of latebreds not yet 'showing' so don't really know sex, look different, but don't ask me which is cock and which is hen! I've cocky hens and henny cocks.  

 

Looking closely at one particular cock. He's pretty quiet and I'm wondering what exactly is going on with 'him'. His vents are open. Can a cock's vents open? He also has what I call 'a fat ass' in that there's a definite 'bump' in the sweep up from the keel to the tail. I can feel pressure there. Can a bird get an internal 'fatty lipoma'?