SELECTING, KEEPING & BREEDING PEKIN BANTAMS
FOR THE BEGINNER
By Karen Johns
I have written this book on selecting, breeding and keeping PEKIN bantams because I am so often asked the same basic questions. When answering these questions I am overwhelmed with the effort of putting the information from my head, gained from years of experience and reading, into some one else’s’ head who has very little or no experience or scientific knowledge. So I have endeavoured to make a book that covers as many aspects of Pekin bantam keeping that I can think of and in the simplest form including some basic science. I have written the book so that it can be picked up whenever there is a query or a problem with ones birds. From this I expect those who are keen to continue on to other books and learn from their own experiences.
Many people seem very surprised at what an enjoyable and educational experience it is keeping Pekin bantams, and what friendly natures they have. They are amazed that this bird has a personality quite different to other breeds of birds or to the common backyard layer. They often start out getting them as a pet or educational experience for their children, then find there are many varieties of colours they would like to collect and then become engrossed in the fancy themselves. I will make an effort not to include details on show type birds as that is more than adequately covered in other books and for which I do not feel qualified but it is important to set some standards to follow. The following literature I have found to be very useful and there is much more:
THE AUSTRALIAN PEKIN BANTAM by the Pekin Bantam Club of Australia 1993
BANTAMS by Helga Fritzsche 1985
BANTAMS by W.F. Entwinsle, first published in 1894
AUSTRALASIAN POULTRY is an extremely useful magazine that is worth reading and rereading even years after the issue was published.
CHICKENS IN YOUR BACKYARD a beginners guide. By Rick & Gail Luttmann. Published by Rodale Press, Inc. 1976
A GUIDE TO BASIC HEALTH & DISEASE IN BIRDS. By Dr. Michael J. Cannon. Published and edited by Australian Birdkeeper, 1996 (1st ed.) & 2002 (2nd ed.)
Internet sites; try Pekin, Cochin bantams (another name for Pekins in other countries) or different languages (Zwerg Cochin) showing beautiful photos and terrible photos, chat rooms purely for Pekin lovers and articles on personal experiences. These are changing all the time and are worldwide contributions. Remember every thing you read may not necessarily be true or applicable to your circumstances (for example the snows of Europe to the tropics of Australia) but can help expand ones knowledge and a feeling of being part of a worldwide group.
The last things I want to do is deter or discourage people to keep, breed, show and experiment with Pekins. In fact the more who do it the better as there is so much negativity and ignorance around that I feel many are discouraged. What I recommend is start of with three or four, or a setting of eggs. Don’t try to get every colour that might possibly exist. Be patient and read all the information supplied and more. Books on diseases of birds like “A Guide to Basic Health & Disease in birds” by Dr Michael J Cannon and published by the Australian Birdkeeper is just as applicable to poultry as the bird illustrated on the front cover and should be on all bird keepers bookshelves. I have never not been excited at the prospect of seeing other people’s Pekins, no matter how humble they may appear compared to the champion bird of show. I have found many Pekin keepers try to apologise for their birds for no reason, unless the birds have been poorly treated. And I know to well the feeling of having someone to come and visit you and your birds and feel that they feel the same way about the Pekin bantam.
Pekin Bantams appeal to many because they are very poor fliers so containment is very easy, however they are very vulnerable to predators or injury because of this. Their nature is pleasant and friendly and they are very dependant on good care from their owners. A single bird can be kept on its own however being a flock animal they do like companionship. It is best to have a pair, that is a male and a female, but two hens will do. A pair of roosters will get on reasonably well unless there are hens around and then they tend to become rivals. There are always exceptions to all I have to say in this book and everyone can tell you their anecdotes. So if your birds prove me wrong I am quite happy to accept, also remember each bird or line of birds has its individual behaviour and character. Throughout the book I try to put “may”, “might” and so on for this very reason.
My learning experiences with Pekin bantams have been drawn from living in the tropics of northern Australia. The areas are high rainfall some of which receive over 3 meters of rain per year. The humidity is high which makes temperatures appear high but rarely exceeding 40celcius during mid summer. Minimum temperatures rarely drop below 0 Celsius on the early winter mornings and even rarer days where they are below 16c. Because of this climate, parasitic infestation can be high. There are often problems with the wet, especially those places with red volcanic soil. Because the places are rural with low development many problems occur with the native animals sharing the same habitat. Many beginners drop by the wayside because they feel it is too hard or it interferes with their way of life. But there are many of us who make it through the hard times and the disappointments because life wouldn’t be life without our Pekins.
OBTAINING STOCK:
Remembering that this is not about winning prizes but learning about and enjoying Pekin bantams, I will not indulge in the standards and the intricate specifications of colour types pertaining to these, that are required. I am assuming you want Pekin bantams and are prepared to find out about them. So then one must go about finding them. Pekins are living animals and should be treated as such but also there are government regulations that control their transport, welfare and keeping of. Cat cages and strong cardboard boxes with plenty of air holes with hay or wood shavings as litter are ideal for transport of birds.
Birds can be found through a number of sources for example through advertisements in local and rural newspapers in sections on pets, livestock, poultry and general for sale section. The only magazine on the subject in the newsagents, AUSTRALASIAN POULTRY also has advertisements. Local poultry auctions are becoming popular and these are advertised in local papers and flyers are posted up on notice boards and in the pets or poultry sections in newspapers. The POULTRY BREEDERS DIRECTORY is another source and is also on the Internet. Poultry Clubs can advise you, you can track down exhibitors at shows, local markets and so on.
Do not assume that because a bird is expensive, cheap or from a certain person that it is good or bad or that it will produce good or bad chickens. Judgement of birds can only come from years of experience of keeping, handling, breeding and showing, though some people still never get it. A Pekin can get champion Pekin of show when it is the best of a bad bunch. Never buy site unseen.
If one wants to breed uniformity of stock one must seek out a bloodline or what is commonly called a line or strain. Interbreeding of different lines produces unpredictable results such as colours and patterns and unpredictable type, even if both parents [unrelated] are both show winners. Type refers to the physical features of a breed of bird that defines it, for example as a Pekin bantam. These features are things like tail shape, posture, feathers, head features and many other intricate details that are obvious to a trained eye but lost to the beginner.
Lines of Pekin bantams are birds that are deliberately related and when they are selectively mated together the progeny are relatively predictable, more is explained later on in this book. When talking about the female line one talks about the direct relations of the female bird used, and so the male line. When some one says these are Joe Bloggs’ line they mean that person developed them and they have characteristics that he developed and maybe he won many shows with them. Usually he has excelled in them and the line of birds is much sort after in its purity. This is especially so if the person has retired from the fancy [the name given to the breeding of exhibition poultry] or died and other breeders are trying to keep the strain alive, however this requires good husbandry skills not to degrade it or change it and really ultimately if a person is successful in maintaining a successful line over a number of years then the real credit lies with that person. Many a breeder has seen their birds destroyed by ignorance and bad management.
It is best to start with young birds but birds up to three years old are acceptable as long as one starts breeding stock immediately so that you have young birds coming along. Learning the jargon is important and I have tried to introduce it on the way through. For example it is important to understand that rooster and hen doesn’t just refer to male and female respectively, A cock bird is a male over one year old and a hen is a female over one year old. A pullet is a female under one year old and a cockerel is a male under one year old.
A good proportion of roosters to hens is one rooster to two or three hens. If you have more than one rooster they will fight, or at best they will be in constant competition. Hens have a peck order, which may change with their cycle of laying and brooding. The youngest always gets picked on and usually remain at the bottom of the peck order. This is an order to which one hen bullies all below her, the next hen bullies all below her and the bottom hen gets bullied by everyone, but this is not always so as I have seen the lowest hen bully the top hen. When putting together a pen of birds that have not been together, remembering there should only be one rooster, hens will fight until this peck order is sorted out and relative harmony is sorted out. Roosters may be involved to sort things out. A very young cockerel may be given a hard time until his maleness becomes apparent by the older hens. Cockerels are usually ready to breed by at least 6 months some are more willing than others.
A HEALTHY BIRD:
It is very important to obtain healthy stock as this prevents much heartache. Vet bills are often more expensive than the bird is worth and often the problem is incurable or will infect the stock you have or future stock. This does not mean you need to get vaccinated stock, as vaccination does not guarantee freedom from disease. I personally believe in breeding for disease resistance and keeping ones own stock relatively isolated as much as possible from others and great care taken when they do come into contact with others such as at shows. The best vet is often the axe; it reduces heart ach and helps control the spread of disease. I have been known to keep a bird by the fireplace and spending hours coxing it to live but many a time I have had to dispose of a very good bird for what to some is a very minor problem but to me is too much of a risk. Always isolate sick birds and quarantine new birds for a week or two and treating them for internal and external parasites. It is also important to remember diseases can be passed by handling a sick bird and then handling a well bird, so maintain strict hygiene when coming into contact with sick birds or of unknown health status and then handling healthy birds. This may mean cleaning shoes and cloths and showering immediately when coming home from someone else’s yards.
If you are at a vendors yards, check the state of the other birds, their pens, drinking water and general quality this will give you an indication of the health status one can possibly expect. Handle the bird, examine its feathers, look for gloss and lots of fluff. Look for signs of mites and lice, which can be clusters of eggs around the base of the feathers around the upper neck and vent area. Stickfast fleas adhere around the bare areas of the head like little black dots or ticks – you definitely don’t want to take them home. Generally if the other birds in the yard are not cared for or are of suspect health buyer beware. Nothing is worth the heart ach or frustration of buying a sick bird.
Check the head for a nice bright red comb, the featherless fleshy protrusion on top of the head (no bits sticking out the side of it). See that the wattles and ear lobes (smooth featherless skin similar to the comb under the beak and around ear holes respectively) have no scabs or lesions. A hen not laying eggs tends to be duller in these areas and on mature hens’ the combs and wattles are significantly smaller than mature roosters. Combs should be standing upright never flopped over.
The nostrils [two small slits on the upper surface of the beak where it joins the head] should be clear of any materials and discharge. Look at the beak too, ensure the bird is breathing through its nostrils and not its mouth and ensure the beak closes neatly and not overgrown. Open the beak gently with the tip of your thumbnail and ensure the inside is clean and free from any cheesy deposits, blood or foreign material, the throat too if you can. Listen to the breathing and feel for any ‘rattling’ or wheezing by holding your hand on the breast. Be suspicious if the face has any change in colour due to handling like going pale or dark red which is different to bright red. Finally have a good sniff of the bird’s breath to ensure that it is not offensive. The eyes should be bright and clear with no secretions.
This may be a bit much to ask a beginner but if you cant do this, ask a knowledgeable person to help you. If any birds other than the birds you plan to acquire appear ill do not take any home with you. Err on the side of caution. It is very important that you handle every bird you plan to acquire.
Check the breastbone is not bent; this could be a genetic fault and is not wanted in the breeding pen or very prominent (knife like) which could indicate lack of weight. Look at the feet and check the state of the nails; very long toenails and beak is a sign of inactivity usually due to confinement and missing toenails on the outer little toe is another genetic fault. Scaly leg mite is usually obvious by its crustiness, grossly enlarging the scales on the legs in the worst cases. This is easily curable but not something you want to start with. Scaly leg mite and uncut spurs over two inches long is a sign of neglect. Straight toes are very important as curved toes are a genetic fault, passed from one generation to another and can increase in severity, but it can also signify a too hot incubator if the bird has been artificially hatched or nutritional deficiency in the hen laying the original egg, better to avoid a bird like this altogether.
Gently open out the wing and check for split wings, this is a well-defined gap between the main flight feathers and the lesser flights, a genetic fault. Any wing not pulled out correctly can look split also if the bird is not in full feather. Check around the vent area to ensure it is clean and the feathers fluffy and there are no scabs. The presence of a white fuzzy growth on the base of the feathers often in balls, are lice eggs and accumulated faecal material are other examples of bad management. The occasional louse can be found along feathers or on the skin and they can very easily get out of control, not always a reason to reject a bird. Bird lice look just like other lice species, light brown or greyish, long with little legs and about 2 millimetres long. Ensure too that the vent area does not smell offensive. Sometimes mites can be seen, these are tiny dots crawling along the skin or feathers, some times in and out of nostrils- not a good sign.
Look at the feathers; a young bird or newly moulted bird should look glossy and clean. Individual feathers should be free of severe regular minute lines across the feathers these are tiny areas of damage that can be due to the invisible feather mite. Neither should the feathers be tatty of a chewed up appearance, which may indicate depluming mite. Depluming mite can also be responsible for lack of feathers around the head area, although other birds pecking it or the rooster mating the hen can also cause this. Feet feathers normally are damaged due to free ranging. Hens often lose their ‘blossom’ after commencing laying eggs and all birds steadily lose feather condition until it is time to moult again, a yearly event for adult birds, usually in late summer to early autumn.
When bringing home any birds, no matter how healthy they appear or who they are from, it is best to worm them, twice at about a week interval with 2 different types of wormer and delouse them again twice as even if you cannot see them they may have low grade infection or eggs ready to hatch and multiply very quickly. This should be done whether you have other birds or not and if you have other birds the new ones should be isolated for a week at least through this treatment and all droppings disposed of in a manner that insects cannot eat the droppings or isolated in away that insects cannot suck the blood of the bird and become infected with intermediate stages of a parasites/disease life cycle and infecting “clean” birds by biting them, for example fowl pox. Only put the new birds in close proximity to the others when one is satisfied they are disease free. There is nothing saying your new birds won’t be susceptible to something your birds have or are not still carrying a disease. Remember that it is better to make sure one does not get any new problems other than the ones one has, i.e. prevention is better than cure.
GENERAL H EALTH AND MANAGEMENT:-
It is very important observe ones birds daily for about half an hour if possible when they are actively about their daily activities. One should notice weather the birds are active, i.e.; dust bathing, foraging, eating, vocalizing, preening, mating and so on or are they lethargic, sleeping/sleepy, hiding in corners, drooping wings, sniffling, flicking heads, hunched up and so on. The section on choosing a healthy bird also applies to ones own flock and birds should be handled at least once a week checking these points. Roosters can become more infested with lice than hens and suffer weight loss as they often spend more time organizing things, guarding, giving the hens their food and not eating and dust bathing.
It is important to check the birds’ crop [where the food is stored before it is digested], which is found to one side of the upper breast of the bird. In the evenings it should feel tight like a gulf ball and about the same size on an adult bird. Do not squeeze it as it can cause discomfort or damage to the bird. If however it is like that in the mornings before the bird has eaten then there is a problem with food not passing through the digestive tract of the bird. If on the other hand the crop cannot be felt or barely felt or soft and slushy in the evening at perching time one must ask why the bird has not been eating. The bird may not be sick, as it may just be a management problem. One must check to see if all the birds are in the same predicament and if the food is adequate, have you changed the brand? One or more of the others may bully the bird making life miserable and food and water intake restricted. Just because a bird is flicking through its food does not mean it is eating. A good way of checking the health status of a bird like this is to present them with their favourite food such as wet bread and see if they gobble it up, but continue to monitor the bird for a few days.
Bullying and boredom (which can result in bird plucking and eating each others feathers or skin) are problems especially in confined spaces. Hanging a clump of green feed just within reach helps provide entertainment, with the added benefit of it not being contaminated by birds walking and defecating on it. Some people use Styrofoam boxes, which the birds happily consume, I haven’t heard of any negative affects but prefer more natural means of entertaining birds. Adequate feeder space, nests and perches also help. Avoid mixing ages, that is different age groups of chickens and adults as the smallest and the youngest will be bullied. When young cockerels become too precautious and sexually active they need to be removed, even if it means euthanasia them as not only do they cause social upset one can end up with zero fertility. Stress by all factors can make an opening for disease to come into the flock. A handy book for further information is POULTRY DISEASES UNDER MODERN MANAGEMENT by G. S. Coutts 3rd edition published by Nimrod Press LTD., 1987.
Hens are very bossy, however if they are not over crowded and the previous recommendations are followed problems should be reduced. A mature older rooster in their midst helps keep their excesses in line. Free range helps as well, however in the evenings and at the times when confinement is necessary one may need to resort to other solutions for example separating the birds at risk or selected birds may need to be put in small temporary or permanent cages of their own in the evenings with adequate food, water and protection. Birds so treated learn to recognize and look foreword to this rather than abhor it and are usually waiting or put themselves away and may become distressed if they feel you have forgotten them.
PEKIN COMMUNICATION and behaviour:-
Pekin bantams are very social animals and communicate in many vocal and physical ways. To a beginner these may be quite alarming r go totally unnoticed. Through out the book I will make references to many of these. The acts of dust bathing and sun baking can have a worried observer racing to the bird to find out what the problem is. Roosters climbing in and out of nesting boxes can cause confusion and misunderstanding by the owner. Then there are the vocals. Some vocalizations sound the same to the unwary owner but their meanings are very different and their very lives maybe at risk if the owner is not literate in chook talk. In the section on predators I go into the vocals and behaviour but there are so many more that will delight the observer or make them aware of a situation.
Chickens communicate to each other, they are aware of each other’s where abouts by constant cheeping, and if they may become lost from the main family they cheep more loudly and start looking for their companions until they are answered and identify their own location, which usually results in the lost one hastily racing over to its companion. They have their immature sounds that mean the same as the older birds. They will alert the others to danger or to food. They may emit a calming twitter at night or even a very immature crow.
Hens have a wide range of vocals, she communicates to her chickens, even before they hatch. A hen communicates to her rooster, if she is lost, in trouble, broody, wants to lay an egg or has laid an egg. Roosters communicate to his flock, calling for food, especially little tit bits. A rooster will help find and make a nest, alert to not only danger but also the approach of the provider of food. The rooster will make sounds to move along his hens. There is a distinctive sound he emits as he drags his wing on the ground and dances around a hen (this is usually to check out the receptive status of a hen). If the hen is receptive she may squat which is an indication she is prepared to mate with him. Some times the rooster will shun her just as she may shun him in another situation. The rooster may do this dance to another rooster or chicken, which quickly learns to respond by vacating the area.
Learning these behaviours can also alert the owners to the health status of ones bird. It is important to learn what are normal and abnormal behaviours. It is important to notice if your birds are frustrated, irritable, scared, happy and so on. It is important to stop a while and watch your birds. It is just as important for an owner to realize when a hen is not satisfied with her nest as she is to an intruder. At a glance one should know whether the birds are happy and contented, this is exhibited in many ways from active foraging or preening of feathers, or not so happy and this can be by a bird ducking and weaving to avoid the pecks of the others.
ROOSTERS:-
Pekin bantam roosters are charming little animals full of character and beautiful to look at. It is a shame that in our modern society there is becoming less and less tolerance to them and so little is understood about them. The rooster needs specific care like the rest of the flock. He is not just there for the creation of chickens but because he performs a certain role. A Pekin rooster is usually exceptional in his care of the flock; he organizes things, recognizes danger, alerts everyone to danger or suspicious activities or something unusual and will put himself in danger for their protection. He calls for food, finds nest and tit-bits. He often cares for chickens and herds the flock off to roost at night. He’ll include you in his flock presenting you with a juicy grub or hopping on your lap for a chat.
All roosters crow and there is no stopping them, some times starting very young, before 2 months old but not loud. Many people these days are very intolerant to the cocks’ crow regarding it as noise pollution, unnatural or disturbing. And as a result have lobbied councils to ban them forcing many to never experience something that our ancestors have experienced since the dawn of civilization and many who have bred poultry all their lives to be forced to give them up because of increasing urbanization and the criminalization of poultry keeping.
Roosters crowing at night can often be caused by a disturbance like a mouse or other intruder, a light, other crowing roosters and just because he is what he is, a rooster. A new rooster or a change in environment will often increase crowing frequency until they settle in. Some roosters are noisier than others. Once one rooster starts crowing, they all start, each unable to be the first to stop. Crowing is the roosters’ way of announcing his presence to other roosters and hens. Once upon a time one could listen in the early predawn crowing of the roosters far into the distance each answering the others call. Now I suppose we are lucky to hear the haunting call of the curlew or the other creatures of the night, if they are out there anymore.
Roosters do not lay eggs but sometimes a hen will crow. This is rare and not usually as loud as a rooster but it does occur. The hen is normal in all other respects. Where I have heard it the hen appears agitated about something like being removed from her usual run.
Roosters have spurs, which are a horny growth on the lower leg above the back toe, which continually grow. They are difficult to see on Pekin roosters because of their short stance and copious feathers. Hens rarely grow spurs and the occasional rooster may never grow them, because of this and the fact that some birds spurs grow faster than others and they can to be shortened, never use their length as a guide to judging the age of a bird. It is important to check spurs regularly when handling the bird. If they become too long or sharp or curved in an odd direction they may cause damage to the hen or the rooster himself. Spurs should be cut back by half to about 2 centimetres and before they reach 4 centimetres long. There are 2 methods of doing this, one is using a cutting blade on an angle grinder and the other is using a hacksaw blade. The angle grinder method causes less twisting of the leg and the heat cauterises the blood vessel, which runs down the centre of the spurs thus preventing bleeding. In both cases hot wax to the cut tip will help stop bleeding if it occurs, although usually bleeding stops itself in a short time. Take care not to twist the leg during the operation as this may cause joint damage. After a week or so the spur can be neatened up with some medium grade sand paper taking care not to rub too much on the centre where the bleeding occurred. Sandpaper can also be used to round off sharp tips.
Many roosters are very friendly and enjoy human company however some can be quite aggressive. There are many reasons for aggression in roosters. A lot has to do on how the bird is reared. Usually if the bird is handled gently and regularly and there is no cause for fear or stress it will respond well to you. Play fighting with it when it is a chicken is fine if it ends gently. Rough handling of a cockerel or other birds in the vicinity causes fear and fear causes a bird to want to defend itself or other birds. Young cockerels will always be misguided about their sexuality especially if locked in a cage by themselves. This should never be treated with aggression no mater how irritating or painful it gets.
Roosters that come from yards where they are only produced for potential showing are often nervous and respond to fear with aggression. Birds will usually respond well to gentle talking and slow movements. Hold birds firmly and do not allow wing flapping. Gentle stroking around the head as well may also be calming. Never let a bird go if it is struggling, when it has quietened then let it go slowly. Never chase birds around to catch them, especially when you are in a hurry. Offer treats regularly and use the same call when approaching them for food or coming to their pen so they recognize you and are prepared for you. Within a couple of weeks birds will get excited when they hear you and look foreword to your company. It can be a bit hard when you don’t know what the bird regards as a treat and it is already untrusting and aggressive, but fine cut grass and bread are usually accepted. If a bird sees other birds enjoying something it soon learns to do the same. Give just a little of the treat at a time so that the bird is looking for more and is encouraged to come closer to you. This method is also used in pen training for shows. Occasional some particular lines of Pekins will produce aggressive roosters but most produce good-natured roosters. Ensure the spurs of aggressive roosters are kept blunt and if children are involved the rooster may need to be disposed of. Always supervise young children with birds and enforce gentleness and respect for all animals.
Keeping more than one rooster together is not a good idea in a restricted environment. Through this book I shall reinforce what I say here. Never introduce two mature or semi mature roosters together as they will fight and the more confined they are the worse the consequences. Fighting in both roosters and hens follow the same behaviour pattern but where hens are just sorting themselves out in the peck order the roosters fight for control over all the hens and to be the only rooster to mate with them. Although the winning hen can make life very miserable for the looser.
Fighting begins by a bird picking at the ground and eyeing the other. If the other bird responds then it progresses to the full neck hackles standing out followed by the birds jumping at or over each other trying to hit the other with its spurs, even if it doesn’t have any, and pecking at each others faces. Some battles may be short with one rooster retreating and thus being chased off or some may go on for varying lengths of time, finishing for a while for a break and then starting again a little while later or the next day. Faces of both combatants may become very bloody and by the following day swelling may cause temporary impediment of sight. Pieces of wattles and comb may be torn or ripped off later affecting birds show potential. Fighting like all stresses also leaves the birds open to disease
Even though there may seem quite sever loss of blood due to the appearance of the bloodied feathers, injuries are rarely fatal. In long fights both combatants may be so weary it takes all their effort just to hold onto the others wattle. It is best not to allow birds to fight but where roosters are kept together or one gets into a pen with another the inevitable will occur. If a fight does occur usually all that is necessary is to separate birds, clean up faces and make sure they do not get access to each other again. After the birds have rested they start to get back to normal but if the bird is temporarily blinded due to swelling, helping with food and drink maybe necessary until swelling subsides enough to enable the bird to see again. If a Pekin bantam fights with another breed of bird, even a part Pekin, it will usually come off second best and in the case of a more nimble bird and there is no escape it can be killed or seriously injured. When one wins, one looses. The victor will make the losers life very unpleasant.
On the law of averages when hatching chickens one tends to get 50% roosters and 50% hens. With Murphy’s Law (if something can go wrong it will) one gets more roosters than hens, both ways it is too many roosters. Cockerels can be run together up until a certain stage and then it becomes easier to separate them. If the hens are kept out of site they can be kept together for longer. One doesn’t usually separate a flock of cockerels because they are fighting but because of the tendency to try and mate each other which causes stress within the flock.
If one needs to keep a number of roosters it may be necessary to keep them in batteries of cages similar to those seen at shows but the size that is used to hold the very large fowl if confinement is for the long term. These cages should be situated in a place that considers all their physical needs like cool, warm, free of dust and free from draft. It is best that they can observe what is going on amongst the other fowl so they do not become bored and neglected. They must be checked regularly so that spurs and toenails do not over grow, that faecal material does not collect around their vents, feet and other feathers. Parasites must be controlled and attention paid to nutrition especially if they do not receive sunlight, which is important in producing vitamin D.
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These solitary confined roosters should have plenty of wood shavings, which are topped up and changed regularly. Food and water should be in a situation where they are not filled with debris from the activity of the bird or surrounding pens. These containers can be situated on the outside of the pen, somewhat elevated above the cage floor. Access must be easy through a hole at the front of the cage and ensuring room for his large comb.
Other options for a small number of roosters are to pen them singly with a hen or two. Once they have been together for a couple of weeks the hens usually will stay with that rooster. If free ranging groups like this, ensure that it is not necessary for the hens to have to enter another rooster’s territory in search of food, nests shelter or such as this will cause tension and fights, which may also end in the hen changing roosters.
Birds can be encouraged to maintain territories with free range without fences and without them interfering with each other. This requires skill and patience of the owner and constant vigilance. Birds should have their own pens for a start, where they can be locked up and return to sleep, nest and feed. The previous paragraph must be adhered to. Distance must be maintained between pens and preferably they cannot see each other due to shrubbery and/ or buildings. Birds should never be encouraged to encroach on another’s territory hence all their needs should be close to their pen, this includes shelter. Birds should be ranged on alternate days to begin with. A rooster without hens will never comply, ever. Do not feed one group in sight of another, as they will all come running. If at first you don’t succeed try again, although some times one may end up ranging birds on alternate days or different times of the day. If all of a roosters hens are broody or he hasn’t a laying hen and there is one in the other flock he will try to get her.
Some other hints to keep birds in territories. The three-hen number is a good number for a rooster to look after, too many and he cannot keep them together, too few and he will seek out others. Try keeping and rearing the same colour together as a rooster finds the most desirable hens are those that are the same colour as the mother that reared him and the group he was reared with. Hence one can have a flock of buffs and a flock of blacks and so on. But again this requires skill of the breeder to manipulate the bird’s behaviour.
If one really wants to keep two roosters together one bird must be subordinate. Allowing a chicken rooster to grow up with the adult does this. However just separating them for a day or the older becoming unwell, or the younger becoming sick of being dominated, may cause sudden fighting. Keeping mixed flocks of roosters and hens is not a good idea as stresses occur and stress opens up access to illness or illnesses becoming worse. It is stressful for a rooster to have to be constantly defending his hens. It is stressful for a hen to be constantly mated or attempted matings by lurking roosters. In this case fertility can also suffer. One cannot expect minimum stress when birds cannot peacefully settle down at night with only the normal expected squabbling for perch room, nor when the main rooster is chasing others off or roosters are dragging hens off the perch or mating broody hens sitting on the nest.
It is best to keep two to three hens per rooster, the larger number if the rooster is young and vigorous. An over vigorous rooster can make one hen miserable and you will notice feathers missing on top of her head or the hen becoming stressed. Other reasons other than a roosters possible youth making him like over zealous with mating hens could be that he is not mating satisfactorily and one or both birds may need to be trimmed more, even if you do not want fertile eggs it will make life easier for all concerned.
Do not keep Pekin hens with larger breed full sized roosters like a Rhode Island Red or such as she could be seriously injured or killed due to the fact they are still the same species and they are just as attracted to each other. It is okay to keep a Pekin rooster with larger varieties of hens and amazingly they will sometimes produce fertile eggs. Other large birds such as turkeys, peacocks and so on can also be aggressive to Pekins causing stress, injury and death.
Roosters will always try their luck trying to get another hen. The above requires skill, patience, constant observation and the knowledge as to whether everything is fine or whether one needs to interfere. Running more than one rooster or the flock territory method does not ensure knowledge of paternity of ones chickens, not only because of the ability for a rooster to mate with his neighbours wives but because ones best birds may not be adequately trimmed thus the lessor quality bird or the ones that are trimmed better will father or mother the chickens.
Roosters will crow and you cannot stop them. The predawn chorus can be very noisy if you have more than one rooster. The only thing one can really do is muffle the noise at night. Daytime noise tends to blend in with the general noises around and appears to be less offensive to those who are intolerant to them. Those poultry keepers who have the finances, maybe a specially designed soundproof house for the roosters. For those of us not so fortunate there are ways. Putting a bird in a cardboard box every evening ensuring there are ventilation holes and then putting the box in another sound reducing area over night and releasing them first thing in the morning. This area can be a house or shed. An old car is also good ensuring the windows are only partially wound up. It is very important to remember ventilation, and cars can get very hot very quickly. It is also important not to forget the bird for not only is it necessary to take extreme care with ventilation and extreme temperatures it is important not to forget the bird as it is very risky locking an animal away without food or water, the result can be a very cruel death. Never leave this job up to a child.
Roosters do not take long to get used to this form of care and will learn to expect it, becoming very agitated if you forget him. It can mean the difference between owning a rooster or not as in many places one call of complaint to the local authorities by a neighbour can mean the enforced disposal of the rooster. This can be very upsetting as not only would the lack of a rooster spell the end of breeding ones own birds, but also many people become very attached to these charming little chaps.
HOUSING:
A pair of Pekins can happily accommodate a pen of about one metre square. Don’t bring birds home and throw them in the chook pen with all the other chooks. They are not like just ordinary chooks. Pekins need housing that is not exposed to heat and cold excesses, and need to be free from draft but adequately ventilated. Pekins and mud or damp conditions are not compatible. Birds seem more comfortable in a smaller area than larger areas, especially at night. The pen must be kept dry but not dusty. It must be free from leaks and driving rain. Make it predator and vermin proof and it is important to consider the ferocity of a dog attack and the litheness of a snake. If using perches they should be kept low, not much higher than their head as Pekins are poor fliers and when coming off the perch can land heavily thus causing injury. Do not place perches over the top of feed or water dishes or nests as contamination of feed and water exposes birds to many diseases and dirty nests are not good for healthy eggs.
Nesting boxes are important, as birds seem happier when they are provided. They are best situated close to or on the ground. They can be made out of cardboard boxes but these need to be trashed regularly as they can become a breeding ground for mites and cannot be washed. Various open cut drums or similar are very good, and the opening is best at one end rather than the top. Plastic is best as it is strong, water proof and washable. The best nesting material is fine fresh hay with a bowl shaped depression in the middle. A clean, easily used, well maintained nest should produce clean usable eggs.
The floor of the pen can be soil or untreated wood shavings, which prevents droppings collecting on feet. Wire and gravel can injure feet and foot feathers. Wire flooring however can have many benefits. In the case birds are being prepared for shows ensure that it is covered with plenty of wood shavings or hay, which is topped up regularly to prevent damage to the footings (feet feathers). Chaff, although not as good as wood shavings and more expensive, makes a good floor covering too. Again ensure dry but not dusty or mouldy otherwise the birds tend to develop respiratory and eye problems. Wood shavings are preferable to grass or hay in that it is easily dug though by birds, it covers wet droppings and it does not absorb moisture from the air causing moulds to grow.
The benefits of a wire floor can be many. The raised wire floors allow droppings to fall through thus helping keep footings clean, preventing contamination of food by its mixing on the floor of the cage and thus allowing birds to consume faecal matter. Also the need for cleaning and moving is reduced. In the hot wet tropics this also allows better air circulation in the heat and by being raised above the ground. Also the cage should not get wet from moisture from the ground and /or run off from rain. If these cages are placed on the ground it also discourages bird from digging and thus damaging the footings or soiling themselves. Also a well-wired pen should reduce the access by rodents and predators. But it must be remembered that pens on the ground must be moved regularly, at least daily if the ground is not sandy, thus preventing the birds inadvertently eating their own droppings and getting dirty. Birds can still be free ranged from elevated pens by providing a step or ramp to the door which they quickly learn to use. It is often a good idea not to allow birds to forage under raised pens for the same reason one doesn’t want them to have it as the bottom of the cage.
Pens can be made from recycled materials; these useful materials can be retrieved from the local dumps. Old sheds, corrugated iron, aviaries and guinea pig cages are very handy with some needing very few modifications. Discarded pallets and crates can be covered in wire. One doesn’t have to have very many carpentry skills to make an acceptable pen or to modify one. Fence panels can be erected and moved to make yards or bent to shape to make very strong pens. Panels of weld mesh can be cut, joined or bent very easily. Pens styles are limitless. Every bird keeper has a different one. Every bird keeper will give you his or her ideas and advice on pens. A pen is only limited by your imagination and not your financial status. They can be elaborate or basic, beautiful or crude. Pen making skills improve with practice and with understanding of materials, also the birds and your needs. The best pens are the pens that suit you and your birds, for example easy access, mobility, weight, wheels, age of birds, environment, neighbourhood, climate and so on.
Feeding Pekins both chickens and adult is rather a personal thing but for the beginner it is best to start with what the previous owner supplied the birds. Poultry are omnivorous and cannot survive as a vegetarian, that is, they eat and need both meat and vegetable matter. Most birds do not like change in food type so if you do change the diet do it gradually by mixing new feed in with old style food, reducing old and increasing new over several days or more. Always keep clean fresh food and water available. Adequate nutrition is very important for the bird’s health, especially if you want to breed them or rear them to their maximum potential. An inadequate diet or a change in diet can cause problems like compromised health, reduced or cessation of laying, cause unseasonable moult and reduce egg hatchability, infertility, just to name a few.
The easiest food for laying hens is a layer ration. Birds will often turn their noses up at a different brand even if it is better for them. Often there are changes made to the brand used, for good or for worse, your birds will notice. An increase in vitamins is important for birds, roosters as well as hens, in the breeding pen. Pekins can be encouraged to eat most things even if it is not good for them. Try to ensure a balanced diet and go on the theory that if given a free choice they will choose what is best for them. Never leave stale food in the pen until they have no choice but to eat it. This also applies to grains, etc that they don’t like. Food must always be fresh and that means it must be stored correctly before and after it is bought. Uneaten grain can often be germinated and in this new form the birds find it much more enjoyable and often more nutritious.
A daily supply of plenty of fresh greens is very important, this can be in the form of grass, thistles, lettuce, silver beets, dry Lucerne leaf, the list is endless. I cannot over emphasize this as it supplies all sorts of trace elements and vitamins that cannot be supplied in the normal feed or by multivitamins. Pekins also love birdseed and most foods we eat. An ever-present supply of shell grit for calcium for laying hens, for eggshell formation, should be in a separate container. Hens lacking calcium will lay eggs with fragile or absent shells, just a thin skin. These eggs may never be seen as they are easily broken and eaten with relish. A hen craving calcium is often reluctant to roost in the evening and while searching for calcium pecks at anything light in colour. Crushed eggshell will be consumed if necessary, I have never found it promotes egg eating. Suppling the bird with a source of calcium for which she can choose if she wants it or not is best as forcing it onto her diet can lead to imbalance in calcium and phosphate levels, which are interdependent on each other and affect the health of the bird if in unbalanced proportions. Sharp stone, i.e. coarse river sand, should be available to help grind up course food through the digestive process. This too the bird chooses to eat or not to eat. Excess of sand passes through the bird, not normally causing any problems. Treats like bread, cheese, meat, etc are relished and help you develop trust in the birds.
Look at the range of feed available from your stock feed supplier. It should range from starter rations through to breeder rations. Breeder rations have extra vitamins; others have higher or lower protein content or additives. Check to see what they are and decide if you need them or not. They are often sold in amounts of one to forty or more kilograms. The suppliers often have small bags of shell grit and other useful products on their shelves. Extra vitamins can be dissolved in drinking water if one doubts the quality of feed and fresh greens are not always available. Lack of sufficient vitamins reduces egg hatchability, not just fertility. Always check use by dates. Do not supplement just one vitamin as like the calcium: phosphorous relationship, too much of one vitamin can adversely affect the up take of another then again lack of one vitamin can adversely affect the uptake of another. Therefore if you are dosing your birds with cod-liver oil you maybe creating more problems than solving. A balanced varied diet of fresh foods is best, especially daily freshly picked greens and rely on the birds natural ability to choose what it needs and how much.
Medications in food are diluted if birds are fed other foods in their diet rendering them ineffective, for example wormers and coccidiostat’s. Be aware that some drugs are dangerous if used in conjunction with others, for example different coccidiostat’s in the feed and another drug supplied in the drinking water.
Always ensure the food is fresh and not mouldy. Many vitamins are destroyed if feed is rancid. Try to keep feed so that it is not stored for too long, no longer than a week or two, as nutritional content decreases with time and is accelerated by exposure to heat, air and moisture. Cracked and crushed grain deteriorates much faster than whole grain. Plenty of clean cool drinking water must always be available. Change it daily or more often if necessary. If you wouldn’t drink it yourself then don’t make your birds drink it. Contamination or poor quality feed and water is a sure way to leave your birds open to disease.
Food quality, quantity and type affects the way chickens grow and one can do experiments to show this with chickens of identical age and parentage. For example if one batch of chickens have a very active game mother who would rather take her chickens around the paddock (which is not good for Pekin chicks), compared to a placid Pekin mother who stays closer to the feed bowl and rests often. Also try feeding one batch multivitamins and a morning feed of breakfast cereal soaked in milk along with their normal diet. In some cases one lot of chickens can be double the size of the other and /or healthier. Don’t be afraid to experiment for example by adding seaweed, brewers yeast or probiotics (which are commercial available natural organisms specific to the fowl and fed to the bird which may or may not benefit it). But never force the birds and take things slowly with close observation.
Birds are often encouraged to eat something new when they observe other birds relishing it. Birds are more likely to try a very tiny morsal than a lump. A mother hen will teach her chicks to eat what ever she does. Some times moist food is preferred to dry, especially if birds have sore throats. Beware moist foods can go off in a matter of hours especially in hot wether, producing toxins that will kill or make birds ill. Hence it is important to remove uneaten material within a couple of hours or so.
It is useful to have treats that a bird will do almost anything for, for example eat when sick, come running when you call them, tame them, settle them at shows and so on. These treats can be meat, bread, cheese, yoghurt, cooked rice, rolled oats and so on. Poultry also enjoy maggots, ant larvae, termites, grasshoppers, baby mice (pinkies) and other organisms from around the garden. Worms are often ignored after an initial indulgence.
PARASITES:-
There is much information in poultry literature on parasites. Basically they are external and internal (some living inside the body and some living outside the body). In nature all animals have their particular parasites living on and in them at all times. All animals pick up these things from their surrounds and other animals. Parasites are organisms that use another organism, the host, as its food supply. In most cases the host organism is not adversely affected unless it becomes weakened and weak birds are vulnerable to illness. Excess parasites can also reduce fertility and discourage hens from brooding eggs properly. It is important to have the animals around us as healthy and as comfortable as possible, so have a program of reducing the parasite load of your birds.
There is a huge range of anti parasitic chemicals, which can be applied externally, or internally depending on the type. They can be bought in solution, powder or tablet. There are both products that are regarded as natural/organic and those that are man made, both can be toxic if not used properly. These can be administered in different ways for example orally through drinking water or swallowed directly or applied to the skin or feathers. To find these different preparations one may need to shop around. What is used on parrots and other caged birds can be assumed to be safe to be used on poultry. This is where Dr. Cannons book BASIC HEALTH & DISEASE in birds is excellent as it gives advice, types of drugs, their use and dosage rates which is just as applicable to poultry as other birds. Also advertisements in bird magazines may be useful for the latest drugs and techniques. Instructions must be adhered to, as there may be a withholding period on the human consumption of eggs and meat (some people do eat Pekin bantams).
External Parasites: Dust bathing is the chickens’ natural method of reducing some external parasite infestation. These are lice and mites. Some are visible to us and some are microscopic, especially for of us with aging eyesight. Dust bathing is something that chickens do to reduce infestation and enjoy doing it even if they are not infested, however it is not the most effective treatment. Adding products like Derris Dust and wood ash to the dust bath can be effective but actual direct application of Derris Dust or Carbyrl Powder between the feathers of a bird is best. Flea powder for cats and dogs and solutions for pet cage birds are good too. Dust or spray birds in the morning and in the open so that they can shake out the excess during the day otherwise birds maybe adversely affected by inhaling the product when confined at night or in closed quarters. Excessive application of some products xan be absorbed through the skin causing toxicity Sometimes dipping the birds may be necessary but unless one has large numbers it should be avoided, as it is stressful for the birds. If you do dip, watch out they do not suffer from loss of body temperature (hypothermia) and die, which can be within ½ hour, or contract an illness later. Ensure at all times that correct doses are applied. Read instructions well and ask for knowledgeable advice first if in doubt. I cannot over stress this, as death from toxicity of many substances can be fast and effective or slow and lingering.
Another external and difficult to eliminate parasite is the stick fast flea. Some of the modern parasitic control products that are applied to cattle are absorbed through the skin and they work applied to the skin behind the comb of the chicken [used in very minute quantities], this would not be available without a vet consultation. These are very effective in eliminating stick fast fleas and other internal and external bloodsuckers, but knowledge of the parasite life cycle is paramount for complete eradication of this pest. However they are not effective against feather mite, which eat feather not blood. I stress always consult a vet as products can be very toxic to bird or owner and are not registered for use on chickens. The kitchen scales are very handy for weighing birds and kitchen implements for measuring dosage rates, remembering to wash everything well after use, besides being toxic some chemicals will dissolve plastic.
Some parasites do not live on the body of the animal. These can be mosquitoes, leaches and mites of a different species to those mites that live on the birds. Mosquitoes can carry diseases such as Fowl Pox from bird to bird over a wide area, i.e. town and suburbs, but are not usually a problem unless in large numbers. Leaches are not usually a problem unless in large numbers. However, mites on the other hand can be awful, when one finally notices them they are in plague proportions. Mites live in the soil, perches, nests and even on the body, and can cause extreme discomfort to birds and humans alike. There are many different species of mite with different habits, especially in the tropics. In severe infestations, regular dusting or spraying of living areas maybe necessary. In the tropics there are some species of mites that are more of a problem in the dry season of some years. They can be so severe that they can kill broody hens on the nest and chickens as they try to hatch. Dusting in such an outbreak is only marginally effective. Spraying birds’ houses and perches with various available solutions that can be obtained from vets and other pet product suppliers is reasonably effective, but follow manufacturers instructions to the letter. For example dilution rates for poisons are usually different when applying to housing and applying to the bird or a dog. Once the storm season starts in the tropics mites usually vanish as fast as they appear due inundation with water, except in the dry places. I have found putting the sprinkler on in the pen over night, without the birds, very effective when one wants to avoid using chemicals. In early days hydrated lime was used on floors, this however can burn exposed skin. Many of the non chemical using community recommend a very small amount of sulphur and other substances in feed however it must be remembered these forms of treatment can also be toxic if not used properly or in the right doses.
To check nests for mites, put your hand in under a sitting hen for a moment of two and then check it for minute crawling dots. Look on eggs in the nest for crawling dots or a dirty gritty appearance of eggs. Also a feeling of itchiness when handling or visiting the birds or later an itching around waste bands especially. A shower and change of cloths (and ordinary laundering of cloths is sufficient) solves the personal problem. Dust the nest and the broody hen, then release her out of the nest, doing this at about the first week of brooding is a good precaution. The hen complains but it does not interrupt her desire to sit at this stage. Make sure a hen is able to dust off the excess before she returns to the nest. Mites can increase numbers very quickly, one minute unnoticed the next they can be a teaming nightmare. Hens that hide and brood in a secret place away from the general run of the flock often are not affected by these problems but then their safety becomes an issue.
Some of the products used for internal parasites are effective for external blood sucking parasites. These products can be in the “pour-on” or oral form. The pour-on form is where it is administered to the skin of the bird, usually on the back of the neck; it is absorbed through the skin. This makes easy treatment of large numbers of bird by torchlight at night.
Internal parasites: Internal parasites generally mean a number of different species of worms that live in the digestive system of the bird. Worm infestations can be very hard to diagnose. Some times a bird maybe pale and unthrifty, chickens may fail to thrive. Some birds may loose weight but in other cases weight may be unaffected. In the tropics we can also add another worm, it lives in the eye and if left untreated will cause blindness. Early symptoms of this are watery eye/s and the discharge collecting on the wing where the bird tucks its head to sleep. If in large numbers the worms can be seen in the inner corner of the eye where the third eye lid retracts. They are clear, small, long wiggling, in the front corner of the eye. It is very difficult to see them in small numbers. Other species of worms compete for the food the bird eats as well as eating the blood and often wasting more than they can consume. Birds are infected by worms in many ways, for example eating of contaminated food, water or soil and by eating another organism, such as in the eye worm where their infective stage is in a cockroach that has an intermediate larval stage of the worm living in it and other insects in the case of the tape worm. The life cycle of many worms is very complex. Chicken worms do not infect humans, humans have there own set.
A program of worming and delousing should commence at about six weeks of age and continue at every two or three months especially in the warm wet months or when over crowding or unsanitary conditions has occurred. I suggested to alternate the type of wormer used so as to reduce the threat of resistance to the drug by worm species. Also some wormers do not elimination certain species either due to the worms developing resistance or the products range, for example the tapeworm, which can cause major problems especially with chickens, hence alternating wormers’ help. Ask experienced and local poultry keepers, pet shops, stockfeed specialists, or bird breeders in your area first or if that fails, your vet, or even better all of these, for advice. Referring to a book of poultry diseases is helpful however sometimes one is likely to be guessing as these often pertain to a different area or country, microscopic identification or superseded treatment.
Some worms can be observed in the birds’ droppings (faeces) but they maybe present without these signs. Worms die very quickly after being passed by a bird however this is just a symptom of what is really going on inside the gut of the bird. Different species of worms often have different appearances, some are long and wiry, some are short, white and fat The tapeworm can be in flat wide pieces or long segmented worms. Tapeworms if not properly voided will go back up inside the bird and the bird can often be observed trying to void it or trying to peck at it after passing its dropping. Some times the bird will eat them. Birds can be reinfected by some species of worms by eating from or anything contaminated by their own or other species of bird faeces. Some worms cannot contaminate a bird unless it goes through a different life stage, that being in another animal or life stage that fulfils its specific life cycle. This knowledge of the life cycle of a particular parasite species can help you break the cycle of infection of your flocks thus increasing its health and maybe saving you dollars. For example prevention of the bird from eating the insects that eat the birds’ droppings by raised wire floors or keeping floors dry. However this can almost be impossible especially when using brooders with lights as there is nothing that makes chickens happier than catching and eating most kinds of insects.
Vets can do autopsies on dead birds and gain an idea of worm infestation. They can also check faeces under a microscope and maybe identify infestations. It is best to get these tests done after worming of the birds to gauge effectiveness of drugs used. Many tests and post-mortems can cost quite a bit and unless there is some problem that does not seem to be able to be controlled or it involves valuable birds it is not worth it. It is best to use vets that are experienced in treating birds, as these will be knowledgeable and interested in what to look for and treatment.
Adult birds moult once a year starting around about late summer to autumn. Do not expect your hens to lay eggs during this time. It is a natural process during which the birds need to do, as the feather is similar to, but not the same as, hair in that it is not a living tissue but a protective coating and deteriorates over time. The new feather grows behind the old like a pin and can often be seen attached to the old feather before it falls off. Pinfeathers at this stage are very sensitive and if damaged will bleed. Handling of the bird can cause pain and damage to the bird so handle gently during this moulting process. At the beginning of moulting the bird is often appears slightly unwell, hens usually stop laying, feathers will be everywhere. Roosters will drop in fertility and combs and wattles [head gear] shrink slightly and become duller in colour. Old feathers, especially on birds exposed to the weather, are often harsh in texture, dry faded and dull where as the new feather unfurling can be seen as glossy and bright and much softer in texture. Feather is made of protein like hair so the birds do not need a layer ration but still need a good quality high protein food to grow these new feathers.
The reduction in day length is a significant factor to a birds moult and this is often affected by dark overcast weather. Deficiency in diet and other stress can cause a bird to moult. These stresses can also cause marks in the feathers as they develop. A sudden week or two of bright sunny warm weather may reduce the moult and bring hens back into an intermittent laying of eggs.
After a period of broodiness hens will often moult, the severity depends on her physical state and her feather age. This is a point to note when considering the needs of her chickens such as if they need continued warmth if they cannot all fit comfortably under her. Also a foraging hen is more inclined to damage her footings, which can be detrimental if she is wanted for showing.
Birds vary in the time they will take to moult, generally the faster the feathers drop the sooner and more even they finish feathering up. Some well-feathered, quality Pekins can easily take four months or more. Some birds tend to moult off and on thus the resulting plumage is uneven in its appearance, especially when exposed to the weather where fading or yellowing occurs. There are articles written about the progress of the moult and in controlling it. It is good to ensure that birds are wormed and deloused well before the feathers begin to drop so as the bird is strong and healthy to cope and the new feathers grow to maximum potential.
If eggs are wanted during winter one must have pullets of about 8 months old by autumn. Artificial lighting and dietary control helps manipulate this process. Information can be found on techniques employed by commercial operators at your local library.
Chickens go through what appears to be three moults by the time they reach adult stage, changing from down to an immature plumage then to the adult plumage of hens or roosters. This is slower more constant process and not as drastic as the yearly moult. Some chickens are fast featherers and some are slow and can look quite ugly compared with their faster feathering siblings. In some strains one can tell cockerels from pullets because of this, but in others you cannot. Chickens can change colour and shades along the way; so don’t start guessing colouration until adult plumage. For example in the partridge and the wheaten colours roosters end up a totally different colour to the hen and in many of the colour patterns there are changes even from year to year. Even then plumage can fade or yellow due to exposure to the weather or bird age.
If one is wanting a perfectly feathered show bird remember the moulting of the foot feathers is often the first to start to moult and is often unnoticed. Thus early care and intervention is necessary to prevent damage to the pinfeathers from a very early stage as unsightly breaks and marks occur. To help achieve ideal footings it is best to prevent them getting wet and damaged. This is done by plenty of soft, clean and dry wood shavings as flooring in pens. Care so that bird cannot knock over or stand in water containers or wander around on wet grass and restricting activity like the length of daily free ranging.
The beginner must realize that there are a large number of predators just waiting to jump on a little fluffy, defenceless Pekin bantam. The first one is the dog, be it yours, the neighbours or grandmas. Cats, especially ferrel cats will eat chickens but generally the domestic cat will leave them alone and a fierce mother hen usually discourages kittens or very young puppies from looking at a chicken.
Many native animals will predate on Pekins. Pythons happily consume chickens. They will often strangle chickens too big to swallow, thus leaving a trail of dead birds until it finds something small enough to swallow, and then, if they have eaten, in warm weather they are back a few nights later. I have been told by a snake breeder that the snake is acting in the same way as a fox would when presented with a mountain of food by killing indiscriminately. He couldn’t explain why some pythons ate chooks and some don’t. If the dead chickens are examined one finds glued feathers from the saliva around the head. The face of the bird often seems darker in colour to that of normal dead birds. A thin python of about four feet cannot often consume a half grown Pekin. This knowledge helps to gauge the size of the snake one is after. Look for pythons just on dark and again at about 9pm to 10pm. look carefully as they maybe watching you looking for them. Once one goes on a python search one may find three or four living in harmony with the chickens before the true culprit is found. It only takes a very small gap or a door closed after dark once the snake is in. Probably the tree snake may swipe the occasional chicken when mother hen is not on her toes. It is usually best to build snake proof pens and accept the occasional loss as the benefits of having them around, due to their consumption of rats and mice, far exceeds their absence.
Other predators are goannas, goshawks, butcherbirds, crows, kookaburras, scrub turkeys, quolls and rats, the list seems to be endless. not to forget the wily fox. Some of these predators relish eggs. Dogs can be trained to investigate disturbances with the chooks, the wildlife or other commotions. It is best all commotions be investigated especially those at night. Silence too is a bad sign. Dogs happily chase goannas up trees for the day and recognize those animals such as circling raptors, which can be troublesome. Dogs also like fresh eggs.
Killing a native animal should be avoided and is illegal. Other lines of defence should come first; National Parks and Wildlife are only too happy to help with relocation of native predators or suggest tactics. In today’s society one would rather protect our dwindling native animals rather than eradicate them. They also do important jobs by consuming unwanted pests or just add variety and intrigue. Just the presence of poultry attracts other animals if not for the excess food or to predate on them, it is because the poultry seem safe and secure so they feel it is a safe place too. Often when living in an area where these predators survive one finds they are territorial, keeping others of its species away. Remove that animal and another will soon move in. some predators are seasonal and will soon move along. Some are struggling to feed young with limited prey around or without a partner to help catch the more difficult prey to feed a hungry family. Loss of habitat can cause predators to move in, searching for water, food and shelter. Try to avoid giving predators a free meal on your Pekins, especially juvenile predators, as when they learn about easy meals they are almost impossible to stop and very smart and adaptable thus in the end causing much grief and/or coming to grief by human hands.
The first important lesson to learn about predators is to find out what it is and find out about it fast so that one can take measures to prevent further losses. Lesson two; always investigate and be curious. Look at the signs or for signs to indicate trouble. If a bird is making a sound or acting in a strange way and you don’t know the reason for it, find out. There is always a reason. It may only be a very large grasshopper. This usually involves sitting and watching quietly, sometimes for quite a while. Note the behaviour and maybe a book or some wildlife expert or poultry expert will help if you cannot accurately interpret the behaviour yourself. The most important thing to learn is the warning sounds of all the animals in your vicinity including your poultry.
Lesson three; look at the symptoms. The remains of an animal, what part if any has been consumed, maybe just the head is eaten or only the legs are left or just some feathers, no bird at all or no physical signs to the cause of death. When did it happen, morning, noon or night? This is very important. The earlier you know the faster you can act. Were you home? Was the cage door open or shut? Did you hear anything strange or unusual? If a bird goes missing look for it straight away. Be aware that a bird is missing, count them at night and count them in the morning. Birds can die of fright, smothered or injured through mass panic or they can be killed, injured or partly eaten through the wire of a cage. Check your dogs faeces if you suspect him of eating them as feathers pass right through and come out virtually unchanged. Although just because the dog ate it doesn’t mean it would ever kill one. My dogs love to eat my culls. Remember this is detective working and not to be too quick to accuse without sufficient evidence as one can very easily be wrong and regret it later.
Lesson four; try not to let it happen again. This involves finding out what happened when and dealing with it. It may just mean ensuring birds are locked up before dark every night or keeping little chickens locked in when there is no supervision. One may need to net pens or modify existing structures. It may mean detective work like wandering around at night every so often with a torch and always watching and listening. Live traps hired or bought can be set to catch the predator alive to identify and/or release elsewhere but it is useless relocating an animal that maybe innocent, a declared pest or you can make modifications to prevent future infringements by it or its successors.
Lesson five is never let predation on your poultry happen. If it is easy for a predator to kill your birds weather for food or enjoyment it will continue doing it. It is very difficult to rid it of a habit weather it is your dog or a goanna, which may necessitate in the destruction of the now pest. Because an animal has killed once does not mean it will be a constant predator and cannot be deterred. It may mean you and your family learning the warning signs, constructing proper pens and fences, supervision or keeping that mean or noisy hen or rooster because it is valuable as an alarm or deterrent. Dogs can be trained to guard, some breeds take to it better than others, most usually enjoy their stewardship. Geese can be excellent guards but can also be destructive if allowed contact with Pekins, harassing them or breaking the necks of chickens. Remember the lesson learned with the Titanic, nothing is invincible.
Children can be troublesome but if you train them correctly they can be very helpful, the younger the better. There aren’t many options for these though. An obnoxious rooster or hen can keep children at bay. Once they (the children) reach 15 they are usually useless as they usually develop different interests at this time.
Free ranging chickens can be very satisfying to you the observer and to the birds because of the freedom and activity it creates. Free ranging is the ability for the bird to wander around the garden or paddock, exploring, fossicking and doing their “thing” at will. There are problems associated with it, but generally I feel the birds are happier, healthier and more fertile, even if birds can only range when supervised or on clear days. Freedom is not unlimited, as the birds’ safety needs to be considered. Birds learn very quickly how to return to their pen and where food, water, safety and nests are. Fewer disasters happen when birds are allowed to roam when you are at home. Lock up birds securely every night and don’t let them out until you are out and about in the morning as many predators can be close by. Lawns are preferred short because short legs handicap Pekins, as do feathered feet. Low growing shrubs provide some protection from potential predators and the sun. Pekins also enjoy rummaging under them. Ensure that there is plenty of available water around but watch out for deep containers such as fishponds, cattle troughs and the dogs bowl. Another danger is containers, like the plastic bucket, that can flip on top of a bird if they perch on the edge of it and the container over balances. When a bird is missing this can be a good place to start looking as they can quickly die if trapped in the hot sun. Sometimes one can see the container moving around but most times the bird is silent and immobile.
Poisonous plants don’t seem to be a problem with chickens but things like rat and snail bait and spraying of plants in the garden for pests are definite problems. Watch out for birds being caught in sudden down pours of rain especially if birds have not experienced such a thing, or have forgotten what it is. Mother hens are especially prone, she will crouch so her chicks are protected and she gets drenched or she may end up sitting in a puddle. A chicken found stiff, cold and lifeless can often be brought back to life by wrapping and gently warming it. Until you have done it, it is hard to believe.
Free ranging and predators go hand in hand. Learning a few basic skills helps reduce the risk of loss. Free ranging is not usually impossible even if it is a modified version like into a fenced garden or while you are sitting on the veranda with a beer in the afternoon.
What I am about to impart on the reader is the reading of danger signs emitted by chickens {adult as well as juvenile} and common wild birds so that a person can be alerted to possible dangers to ones poultry. It takes many years of constant practise to make these things become second nature but it is possible because it is built into our survival mechanisms. It is like how a mother hears the whimper of her child even though she is asleep and the child is in the next room or a soldier is aware of signs to warn of the presence of danger. It is something that one can nurture and put to very good use. It becomes second nature, something imbedded in ones subconscious. I am not being religious here or talking about 6th sense. It is the ability to register to changes in ones surrounds and recognize unusual or particular noises of unwanted activities in ones surrounds even if one is otherwise preoccupied or asleep. It also encourages one to learn about ones surrounds and the wildlife that live in it.
By developing this awareness one sees and learns a lot more about ones immediate environment more than otherwise imagined. An example of this is discovering nesting birds, snakes, insects and so on and observing their activities just because ones awareness has been drawn to them by some commotion or some small activity that would have otherwise have gone unnoticed. But this awareness helps the safety of ones fowls by preventing an act of predation due to an unfortunate opportunity taken that may have developed into a regular habit for the predator. It can also help one dispels myths as to the harmfulness of some animals like tree snakes who only will take a small chicken if the opportunity presents itself but otherwise is harmless. One can develop a relationship with an animal or work out strategies to protect ones fowls and maybe live in harmony. For example one could feed unwanted poultry like culls, sick birds, cockerels, friends unwanted cockerels to the resident python so as to reduce his interest in your birds (as long as yours are out of reach at night).
In today’s society one would rather protect our dwindling native animals rather than eradicate them. They also do important jobs by consuming unwanted pests or just add variety and intrigue. There is nothing worse than rats and mice contaminating and eating food, burrowing in the ground, coming into the house and so on. Or introduced birds nesting in roofs, introducing lice to your birds, which a python would eliminate easily.
There are many sounds your Pekins will make to warn each other of danger. These are usually easy to recognize from their other vocalizations. If not, one needs to investigate just to make sure. Roosters and mother hens make a loud vocalization sounding like “hawk!” when there is any suspicious bird and all Pekins will run to cover if they feel it is a threat. Chickens will totally vanish, hiding under leaves and foliage. Their mother, if she is not hiding herself, will cackle loudly and her chickens will hide until she gives the all clear. She is not infallible as it maybe a false alarm or the predator may still be around or faster than her reaction. The rooster or the mother may even attack the predator sacrificing him or herself in the effort to protect their young or flock. For potential predators that are not in the air the birds make an alarmed cackling exactly like a hen coming off the nest or a pullet that feels the others have forgot her. A bird that feels its life is over, like in the jaws of the animal, will sound a noise like “aaark aaark…” or ”help heelp heelp…..”. This sound is something one must always be alert for at night, especially when you are asleep. In all cases it means an emergency that you must investigate immediately.
Birds can make a low key worried sound similar to “brrkkk brrkk brrrrrk…” when something else is wrong, a hawk is hiding in the trees or they cannot get out of the area like a pen, this could be a snake digesting its last meal in a corner. In this case one may notice the hackle feathers on the back of the neck slightly raised, body feathers are tucked tight as possible and they may assume a high stance. This is a sign of fear and also roosters will do this when they feel threatened by another rooster and do not want to fight. Chickens will make chicken sounding versions of the adult call. Young cockerels like to practice danger calls making the flock nervous. All birds know when the danger call is to be taken notice of and birds are very jumpy if they know there is a predator hunting in the area.
The local birds have warning sounds and Pekins will quickly learn to respond to them. The Indian Myna and the Australian Noisy Miner are especially observant, even a sleeping cat will set off a group of them, often mobbing it and bringing many neighbouring species in to investigate and support them. The Willy-wagtail should never be ignored. Its warning call is a “chatter chatter” and will usually be bomb diving what it regards as danger. It will also make this noise while bathing probably to make everything else nervous and on the look out while it is enjoying itself. The Butcher Bird that can be a terrible predator of chickens has its predators too, and will vigorously defend its territory making every species of bird in the neighbourhood wary. I cannot write down its sound but it is loud and piercing of about three syllables, starting off high toning down low, repeated over again and not produced out of fun and is entirely different to its usual carolling or other expressions. The bird often with its partner is usually bomb diving the object of its distain and one can hear the snapping of their beaks. Sometimes it is just a sleeping owl or possum or a snake caught out on a limb. The plover is a great bird to have around during its nesting time vigorously and fearlessly guarding its territory night and day. Often it is advisable to heed warning sounds and quickly lock up your birds until you are sure all is safe. If you are going out lock up your birds, they soon get used to your demands and routine and it is better than worrying all the time about what to expect when you get home.
Hawks (raptors) of numerous species can be cunning and once have developed a taste for chickens are difficult to stop. They can hunt in pairs and bring down a Pekin many times their weight, even a large fowl. They can ignore humans and take small chickens right in front of you. They can get through holes in netting or scare birds into a corner of their cage where they will eat their heads through the wire. They can come in the evening before, upsetting and frightening the birds, then spend the night in a strategic position so that when the birds wake up they have forgotten last nights intruder and will easily be taken if they have not been locked up. But then some species of raptors can live for years in your area without ever causing a problem.
Pekins recognize strange dogs, cats and humans and immediately panic making a loud cackling and fluttering for safety when one comes into their yard. New and unusual non predators will cause upset until trust is developed and sometimes they never trust them, like the big Channelbill cuckoo or White Cockatoo often causing irritation to those having to investigate the problem, but one doesn’t blame their distrust as there are a lot of predators waiting to enjoy a nice plump Pekin.
Observe the birds and investigate commotions and anything that sounds suspicious. Silence is suspicious. Look where the bird is looking; take care, as it may be a snake. If you are worried or don’t have the time to keep check then the birds should be locked up. It usually becomes second nature to scan the area when birds’ alarm calls are made, even when you are out shopping. I have given some examples in the above but it is up to you to learn about the species of animals in your area and their habits.
Allowing Pekins access to the garden is not inviting disaster and if following a few guidelines, common sense and lateral thinking is very successful for both garden and birds. It is still important to keep birds in a lockable, warm, cool, clean, dry and vermin proof cage. Pens need to be big enough for when it is necessary to keep birds penned for long periods of time; i.e. more than a couple of hours or over night. Pens need to be easily accessed by the birds and carer, easily opened and closed and it is helpful if they are mobile. Do not suddenly change cage positions to a site of too greater distance from the original site. Do it gradually or only occasionally being prepared to help if birds become confused. Birds may need access to their cage in a hurry in the case of predators or rain. Not finding “home” especially at roosting or laying time is stressful to them and they just may be unhappy with the move especially if the entrance is in a different place. Hens should be encouraged to nest in the cage as this eliminates stress if hens have to be confined at a time when they need to lay eggs.
Birds learn very quickly where they sleep at night and will put them selves to bed. They learn where their food and water can be found. The hen that is slowest to retire for the night is generally the hen that is laying as she is trying to squeeze in that last bit of food. Her rooster may get very irritated with her for not doing as the others do. The rooster is often so busy supervising that he doesn’t get a chance to eat a sufficient quantity. Ensure food and water are available in the cage for these purposes before the door is closed. Never ever lock a bird in a cage without water no matter what your intensions are as things can slip your mind.
The position of the cage is important as well. It is important to consider the heat from the sun, the prevailing wind and the safety of the birds. Doors should face protective cover such as bushes so they are not vulnerable to hawks when entering and leaving. The pen could be moved a little on a regular basis to prevent loss of vegetation around the door, as that is what the birds eat first on leaving. Maybe one doesn’t want the door facing in the direction of the house if you don’t want them on your veranda first thing. Cool constant draughts from the prevailing wind will cause a greater chance of colds and flu.
Design or modify the garden to suit the birds. Garden edging like rocks and logs need to be higher than the garden bed itself as this reduces the contents from being scratched out. Although it is easy to rake it up and dump it back in. Mulch covering the garden provides unlimited entertainment for Pekins. If it is thick and matted they have difficulty moving it. If it is thin, rotted down or lawn clippings they move it around readily while foraging for things edible. They eat seedlings, seeds and live organisms, their eggs and larvae. They don’t eat everything indiscriminately, some things are rejected, and some things taste better at different times. Their scratching around reduces weed seedlings from successfully growing, helps aerate the soil and increases the breakdown of the mulch increasing the availability of nutrients to plants.
All sorts of mulch can be used, for example peanut shell, sugar cane waste, woodchips, lawn clippings, paddock hay, feed hay even sand, gravel and rocks. The important thing to remember is that it must not be treated with poisons like that used to kill termites or snail bait. Weed killers seem to be harmless especially after 24 hours.
Sticks and cuttings can be laid down in places that are under too much pressure from the birds and if it looks untidy lay mulch over the top. Very thick compressed mulch needs to start to breakdown before the birds can fossick successfully in it. Pekins, due to their foot feathers and shortness of leg, are nowhere near as destructive to gardens as other breeds. They are not as active and pinfeathers can be painful if they are too active but there is no need to worry as these birds are self regulating and will rest or move on if they experience discomfort.
Trees and shrubs are safe from predation from Pekins however if plants are small or immature they may need to be protected. Usually this just involves placing a little netting around them or a cage over them or some rocks, sticks or logs around them. One may need to plant unpalatable species and put the more flavourful ones elsewhere, or plant more advanced specimens. Pekins can even be allowed in the vegetable garden especially when it is nearing the end of its productivity or vegetables like Brussels sprouts, broccoli or pumpkin vines are towering above them. They do like eating ripe tomatoes and leafy vegetables but if enough is planted then there is enough for everyone.
Every garden has its holding capacity. This depends on management and the garden size. Areas of the garden may become stressed at different times of the year. Lawns may have to be watered to encourage growth to provide pasture for the birds. Ensure stressed areas are managed so that they do not become unsightly or depressing which may cause upset in the family over the benefit of the Pekins in the garden. It may require spelling by fencing birds off, moving them to another area or just regular watering and fertilizer.
Fence panels can be bought second hand and can easily be moved onto areas to prevent access or to contain Pekins or stacked flat when they are not needed. Most fencing systems only need to be high enough that a person can step over them. They are even useful to prevent them coming on the veranda or the carport. A show quality Pekin will rarely try to fly over but they may learn how to wriggle through gaps.
Plants that are grown purely for the benefit of the Pekins are useful too, not just for the free-range times but when they are locked up. For example thistles, lettuce and waste birdseed or grain can be tipped onto an area where it will grow and can either be grazed by the birds or picked for their pens.
Places for protection other than cages maybe necessary. Prickly shrubs like Bougainvillea are excellent. Cars and trailers are often sought out to rest under during rain, heat or threat from predator but watch out they do not get run over or flooded out during a heavy down pour. Food and water should not be left in exposed positions where a bird could be under threat. It also helps to have a number of watering points around the garden and if there is rivalry or mixed ages a number of food stations.
Keep an eye open as to where your birds like to go. Discourage them from going into neighbours’ yards; watch out for unwanted intruders like dogs and foxes. It appears foxes have been seen in suburbia. Be careful your dog doesn’t get upset to having Pekins joining him in his bed or eating out of his feed bowl.
Dust baths are enjoyed on a daily basis and the whole group together. They like dry soil when its wet and damp soil when its dry. Dust baths usually are situated on the lee sidewall of the house. The dust bath is a necessary pass time and it is usually in the same place. Make allowances for the birds needs and tolerate it.
Keep your birds tame so that they can be quickly put away if necessary. This is done by feeding them treats and regular handling them especially when they are young. Calling them when you have a treat will have them running to you when you want them. It is easiest to catch a bird when you are down on your knees and talking gently. Chasing birds around the garden and throwing things at them only causes panic, distrust and stress. If birds cannot be coxed into their pen with some bread just a slow steady round up by walking behind them and using your arms is all that is needed. New birds not used to your routine will tend to follow the mob. A panicky bird will upset the lot. Patience is very important and will achieve the best results.
Pekins will naturally want to reproduce. Most people will want to eat their eggs. The Pekin hen likes to go broody and makes a great mother, the rooster usually makes a great dad and they are very entertaining to watch rearing their chicks. Breeding season usually begins in the spring after moulting, basically when laying commences. Often all the hens start laying at the same time except maybe the older ones. This can be a problem if one feels no hens are going broody and you dispose of the eggs and suddenly all your hens go broody and you have no eggs or your eggs are infertile. Failure of an egg to develop can be due to a number of reasons. In many cases the rooster is blamed and discarded, this is usually the last reason for infertility or no development of the egg to occur (which cannot always be regarded as infertility of either parent). The main reason is due to the sperm not uniting with the egg because both the hen and/or rooster have too many vent and cushion feathers (in the hen), thus development of a chick will not take place due to infertile eggs not because the rooster has produced unviable sperm or the hen an unviable egg but because the sperm was not deposited inside the hen.
The first thing one has to do if one wants to breed Pekins is to trim their lovely feathers. Prior to this one would hope that the birds have been brought through their moult fit and healthy, free from parasites and have their pens set up accordingly. One needs to trim birds to facilitate proper mating. Exceptional qualities Pekins have very abundant feathering and if you do not trim these birds and want fertile eggs one must resort to artificial insemination. Lesser quality birds often have no problems, but if eggs are infertile always assume first that this is the fertility problem. Trimming even ordinary backyard Pekins is helpful not only to prevent disappointment through infertile eggs but also to allow for mobility by trimming exceptional long feet feathers and to help keep vent areas clean from any faecal build up.
To commence one needs a sharp pair of scissors. Hold the bird firmly but ensure you don’t squash it. If the bird wriggles too much stop and let it sit on your lap for a moment, say nice words to it then start again, you may need to do this a few times. Hold the bird so that it cannot flap its wings. Commence with the feet first and take extreme care that you don’t cut off the little toe. Locate the toe and trim the feathers fairly close to it. Check the face of the bird regularly for gasping and darkening of colour i.e., that you are not strangling or squashing it. If this occurs reduce your grip a little and give the bird a breather, maybe change its position a little.
For the vent area this depends if it is a rooster of a hen. Work on the mechanics of the mating process. To work sit low so that your feet are squarely on the ground or kneel and hold the bird gently partly between your legs with the rear of the bird facing outwards and the head tilted slightly down. Use one hand to isolate the feathers to be trimmed and ensure you know both where the skin is [especially the vent opening] and where the beginning of the feathers are. In the other hand use the scissors and carefully trim close to the skin, take small amounts off at a time, especially while inexperienced. One can always trim closer after the main cutting is done.
Trim the rooster from just above his vent right down to just between his legs. This is all fluffy downy feather. Trim it fairly close to the skin. Beware of new pinfeathers, as they will bleed. Don’t trim the birds if moulting is still in progress.
With the hen it is a little more complex. Trim the same area as the rooster but not as drastically, mainly so that feathers do not get covered in glued droppings. Then trim upwards from the vent, a little at a time, cutting the light downy feathers. Stop before the main tail feathers. Trim to the sides of where you have just trimmed, partway into the sides of the main cushion, this is especially important on very good quality hens. Nip the end bits of the tail and your hen should look like half a chook. If you still have problems with fertility in the birds become a little more drastic with trimming. I try to minimize how much I hack off so they don’t look so bad as a result I sometimes have to go back and trim again.
Plucking for a number of reasons is not good, it is painful for the birds, feathers grow back too soon and it causes ingrown feathers. I have never noticed any reduced activity due to prickly feather stubs after trimming. I have noticed that Pekin roosters that successfully mate are less persistent in harassing the hen. If the hen gets up and gives herself a good shake after mating and the rooster is not ready to jump back on her a minute later is a good indication mating has been successful, however young roosters can be very keen. A similar behaviour to unsuccessful mating is where the rooster is constantly mounting his hens which do not want to come in to roost in the evening, this is normal, To the uninitiated owner this can be regarded as excessive sexual urges, I think he just wants his hens to roost so he can feed and rest.
Another cause of infertility is too many roosters. I presume this is due to other roosters not allowing birds to mate properly, but I also suspect there maybe other reasons. Keep roosters to a minimum, approximately one to say three or four hens and one to a pen.
If trimming or re-trimming was successful one should expect fertile eggs in about 3 days, this can be observed by candling of eggs one week after incubation. If one is changing a rooster wait 10 days until one can be sure of progeny of the new rooster.
A hen lays a number of eggs which do not start to develop until the hen goes broody, that is she actually wants to sit on them day and night. The act of laying an egg in the nest of other eggs does not start the other eggs developing to a point it is detrimental to the developing embryo, what it does is help these eggs stay viable, far more effectively than if they were collected and stored artificially elsewhere. Eggs will start to develop if a hen sits on them long enough to warm them, if this incubation is haphazard, that is unlike the hens normal sitting and laying an egg but more like a broody hen sitting on them for periods of time due to her not being set up with her own nest or some other problem, resulting in heating and cooling of the egg, the developing chick will die somewhere through its incubation or be too weak to hatch. This can also happen by a hen having too many eggs, a nest that does not properly contain her or her eggs or other birds’ interferences like chasing her off the nest.
A hen can, and usually does lay more eggs than she can effectively incubate, hence eggs should be dated and older eggs removed at about two weeks of age. These eggs are still edible if they have been managed properly. Eggs stored artificially will reduce their viability after one week of age. To have a chicken hatch from an egg it must be kept at a specific temperature for a specific number of days at a specific range of humidity and turned regularly. The egg has to be fertilized by a rooster mating with a hen or artificial insemination of the hen. The hen is naturally designed to hatch eggs and her natural desires (instincts) make her behaviour follow a set pattern to do it. We can interfere with her surrounds or artificially hatch her eggs as long as the basic needs of the incubating eggs are adhered to. We cannot interfere with her behaviour pattern only make use of it to achieve a successful hatching and rearing of chicks. A hen can and will sit longer than the specified time it takes to hatch her eggs but she does become weaker and eventually gives up. Generally once she leaves her nest with her chicks the hormones in her body change her thinking from incubation mode to mothering mode and she will not go back to incubation thinking till the cycle is complete and she is laying eggs again.
A Pekin hen usually lays an egg every second day, some times one a day, unlike the commercial laying fowl which is bred specifically to lay an egg a day. A younger hen is more likely to lay more eggs and more often than an older hen. If a hen is properly managed she can hatch in theory 13 out of 13 eggs layed by her. To do this however one needs to start right back at the quality of the diet fed to the hen and the rooster, their environment and the management of the hen and eggs. A hen will lay eggs and a rooster will mate with her and an egg will be laid and the hen will go broody but a 99% hatch of live, healthy chickens will not eventuate unless all the factors of management in this and the previous chapters are considered.
A Pekin hen, trimmed for mating, incubates less eggs, an ideal number is about nine. This will result in a better number of chickens for her to manage, especially as they get older and cannot all huddle under her to keep warm. A very good reference book is THE INCUBATION BOOK by Dr. A F. Anderson Brown, 1979, published by The World Pheasant Association.
For nesting boxes 20 litre plastic drums that once contained fluids such as farm chemicals, wine, soaps etc. are good but wash well before use. Cut out the opposite end to the pouring hole; take the cap off for flow through ventilation. These are waterproof, easily washed and protected firmly over the top. Old lawnmower grass catchers are also useful. Heavy cardboard boxes are good but not as durable and prone to harbouring pests so throw them out regularly. Your only limitation is your imagination.
Try, if you can, to get hens to lay in separate boxes so that you have a rough idea of parentage. Keep at least 4 dummy eggs in the nest if collecting eggs because if all eggs are taken the hen starts wandering around, vocalizing her loss and upsetting everybody by looking for another nest and this can take hours and can happen every time resulting in eggs being hidden or being dropped anywhere. Four golf balls make ideal dummy eggs; these are also inedible thus discouraging, but not always fooling, the many animals that like to eat eggs.
It is possible to store the eggs in the nest. It is said that this encourages the hen to go broody, but don’t bet on it. As many as thirteen eggs from one hen can be stored like this and still get a hundred percent hatch rate. To ensure that eggs are kept fresh for eating or up to date for hatching, write the date on them, and any other information you would like to remember. A permanent pen is best as pencil wears away. When you need to raid the nest for eating or reduce the clutch size for brooding, take the older eggs. Again I stress it is best not to let eggs get older than 2 weeks when stored this way and no older than one week when stored artificially. You need also to train the rest of the family to know your strategy so that you don’t become heart broken and hard to live with because they ate your future chickens. Do not store eggs in the fridge they are best in a closed egg carton in a cool place and tilted with one end up, alternating, twice a day. Do not shake or jiggle eggs.
Do not allow birds to sleep on the nest if they are not broody, as this will spoil the eggs. Choose even well shaped eggs. Avoid eggs that are small like those from pullets as chicks will be weak and inclined to disease. Avoid eggs that are extra large (which maybe double yolkers and will not be successful) or misshapen. Check for any cracks and discard these, as these will go rotten. Do not set eggs of unknown age if you are not prepared to monitor them by candling every few days. Rotten explosive eggs occur if good management practices are not adhered to. Do not keep soiled eggs for brooding. Do not wash or wipe eggs, they should be as from a clean nest, moisture can pass through the porous egg taking germs with it. Ensure nesting hay is copious, clean and dry and fresh long before the hen goes broody and disposed of after she has completed her hatching, but not while she is sitting unless it is an emergency like a broken rotten egg or soaked with water. Once a hen is broody do not allow other hens to lay in the nest. If eggs are introduced later they will hatch later. The hen will leave the nest with her first hatched and there is not much one can do about it unless one is willing to remove the chicks immediately at hatching and artificially rearing them. Some times they can be returned to the brood at night when hatching is complete. A hen is more likely to reject a chicken if it is a different colour to the rest of the clutch.
A properly managed nest should not smell or have mites running around, it should also be dry and free from droppings. If a hen fouls her nest or breaks an egg or (one hopes not) has a rotten egg break, one will need to clean the nest immediately. To clean the egg wash quickly in warm water and dry and return immediately to the nest. Wash and dry each egg individually and only those that need doing. Only change the nesting material if it is soiled. If the hen is dirty encourage her to have a good dust bath and run while you are cleaning her nest. Beware she may not recognize her nest if you change it or its position. If a nest is in the open cover it to prevent rain wetting her or her eggs and shaded if in bright sun. Never forcibly confine a hen to her nest unless you plan to take her off to run at the same time every day and put her back when she and not you are ready. Always keep nests in a cool place as heat can affect the egg or cause heat stress to the hen laying or brooding, for example not in old iron rain water tanks.
When a hen becomes broody, she makes a typical clucking noise and fluffs out her feathers, which you will learn as characteristic of a broody hen. Sometimes she can make this noise quite a few days or weeks before she actually sits and other times surprising you when, without warning, she is sitting tight on her nest. Sometimes this noise is made to you, to fellow hens and especially to a rooster that isn’t her mate, and later to her mate too. The best way to decide if the hen is broody is to see if she sits on her nest for 3 nights. And even better is when she is sitting during the day and at night. If you are unsure of the hens intentions allow the hen to at least sit on dummy eggs, that is eggs you don’t want or she will also sit on golf balls. Write down the due date on a calendar, they will hatch 20 days from the first night the hen has started to sit on the required eggs, 21 days if they are large size hen eggs, other species of birds that are put under the hen have their own required time. Eggs can hatch later if temperatures are too low or slightly earlier if too high. If they haven’t hatched by the 25th day it can be presumed they are not going to hatch. If you have chickens that are hatching at odd times then something has gone wrong with your organization. A hen does not lay eggs after she has gone broody, it can be assumed if another egg suddenly appears that you either missed it on first count, she wasn’t completely broody or another hen has layed close to or in the nest. A hen will happily accept any other egg she can find into her clutch regardless of its age or what she already has.
Most Pekin hens are excellent broodies and mothers especially if managed properly. There are the occasional hens that cannot be trusted and one soon learns not to use them. A good reliable brooding hen is worth keeping even if it is for no other reason. Many broody hens become aggressive to protect her eggs and/or chicks. When checking eggs or chicks protect them with your hand over the top of them so your hand takes the full force of her peck and the egg or chick does not get a damaging misguided peck by the mother. Treat the hen gently and with tolerance as a small graze or bruise is all she will leave and she is only doing what her instincts tell her. It is quite rare that a hen becomes unreasonable in her behaviour and this can often be traced back to some unpleasant experience, even some inadvertent behaviour of your own. If you find that a hens’ behaviour is regularly a problem with every cycle of broodiness do not use her and a 3 or 4 day stint in a wire cage where she cannot make a nest will discourage her broody urges and send her back to laying fairly quickly. Do not assume it is the hens fault if things do not go as planed as she could be disturbed in many different ways that cause her misbehaviour such as disturbances by other birds, mice or other animals at night, lice or mites, children and so on.
If you want to move the broody hen, do it if possible while she has the dummy eggs and only at night after about 2 to 3 days of sitting, some hens are better than others, most learn with successive hatching and rearing cycles what your expectations are and learn to trust you. It is easiest to move a hen nest and all rather than trying to get her to adjust to a new one. Ensure at first she is fully enclosed in her new pen, with food and water and room to exercise, otherwise when she gets off her nest to perform her daily ritual [eating, drinking, dust bathing, exercising and emptying her bowels], she will not be able to find the right nest again and often take the most available nest or refuse to sit unless you put everything back how it was.. Mark all her eggs so that you know which are extra eggs that may be deposited in the nest later. Make sure, preferably, that other hens do not use the nest or disturb the hen. Ensure her rooster or her last batch of chicks don’t join her on the nest. Check her daily, especially in the evenings, in case a problem may occur. Like all mothers she will improve with experience and so will you. Do not despair if your hen has sat on a wrong nest for a while even for a night things still may turn out all right. If you have a problem where the hen suddenly refuses to sit on her egg they can be moved to another hen or to an incubator as long as it is done within 24 hours.
A very useful skill to learn is how to candle your eggs. Shining a light into an egg to observe its contents does this. A home made cardboard box designed to cover the light-producing end of a torch with a hole the size of a 5-cent piece in the centre. It is best to find a dark place to do this and sometimes a very bright torch is needed as some tinted eggs are hard to see into. When an egg is pressed against this hole one can see into the egg and at one week one can observe the shadow of the developing embryo, blood vessels and the air space, if there is any. After this the contents of the egg darkens and one sees the egg air space (usually at the big end of the egg) increase in size. While inexperienced wait until eggs have been incubating for 7 days. This procedure is useful as it can tell you if your eggs are infertile and thus reset the hen with a new set of eggs with minimum loss of time and look at the issues of the infertility and make adjustments like trimming vent feathers.
Near the end of the 20 days one maybe able to see, with candling, the movement of the shadow of the chicks beak near the airspace, judge the time of hatching or even tell if all the eggs are at the same stage of development and more. It is always a good idea to open up unhatched eggs and observe the contents if you want an idea of why they didn’t hatch and to ensure it is reduced in future clutches. For example is it developed and at what stage did it die? Observe whether the egg has pipped or not, that is if there is little hole where the chick has started to break through. An excellent book for answering all these questions and many more is THE INCUBATION BOOK. Don’t assume because an egg hasn’t hatched that it is not important or that there is nothing you can do about it with future clutches of eggs. If in doubt about the development at one week, especially if the shell is tinted, don’t throw the egg out but wait a few more days and candle again. If you are worried an egg is rotten, sniff it. If there is oozing of the shell it most likely is rotten. Always remove rotten eggs from the nest as they explode very easily and can cause contamination of the nest and can reduce the other chick’s chances for a healthy start in life.
THE REARING OF CHICKENS:-
Firstly, trust the hen. Most times the hen knows what to do and she is a creature of habit and most of her skills are naturally in her. It is best not to peek when hatching takes place, as more problems will occur than any prevented, for example crushed chickens or dried membranes causing the chick to become stuck and die in its shell. Go shopping for the day or write the date on the calendar for a day later then be pleasantly surprised. Provide a safe environment where other birds do not disturb them. Ensure water dishes are shallow; many chickens drown in their drinking water. Take care chicks cannot fall out of the nest and not get back in.
Sometimes the rooster will bond to the chickens as well, especially if the chicks are new hatched and if he is over a year old – a little more emotionally mature, but do not assume he will. This can be important if you want to run them all together while the hen is still mothering the chickens and when she returns to laying. Other hens will not accept chickens and will (there are some rare exceptions) kill them in a slow painful way. The hen rejects the chickens, usually to go back to lay when chicks are about 6 to 8 weeks old. This is variable especially if the hen is due for her yearly moult where she may look after them longer. If it is early in the season or she is young the hen may leave the chicks earlier to return to lay. Some hens may stay with her chicks while continuing to lay eggs while others may vigorously chase them off starting with the chick that stands out the most, i.e. a different colour.
The chickens can turn their focus on the rooster and follow him. Sometimes the rooster will allow chickens to huddle under him to keep warm. It is important that the chickens are given extra care at the time their mother leaves, ensure they are warm at night and have plenty of access to feed and water and are protected from bullying by other birds, one of which may be their mother. They soon settle down in about a couple of days even if there is no cooperative rooster available. It is better they are not kept in with adults or older chickens unless they get along together, which is not common.
The occasional Pekin rooster may even rear day old turkey chicks or ducklings, which grow up quite well adjusted but best removed from their foster parents before they start getting aggressive toward him/her. Pekins hens are excellent for hatching duck eggs because when she gets her footings wet by her daily walk on wet grass she dampens the eggs, necessary for duck eggs. It is not a good idea to allow her to keep the ducklings as they are nocturnal and disturb her rest and because they love to bath in their water, and need to bath, they get wet and cold and huddle under their foster mother making her wet and cold. With all this stress she is vulnerable to illness. Some Pekin roosters can be quite vicious towards chickens and must be removed from the family pen. A hen will rarely spontaneously look after other chicks unless she hatches them herself, or day old chicks, which are put under her at night when she has been broody for at least 2 weeks. There are exceptions to all cases and birds should always be watched in case things go wrong.
Hens first start taking their chicks out of the nest, at about 24 hours after hatching and leaving any unhatched or hatching eggs. Once she does this she will not leave her chicks to brood the unhatched eggs but she will return to the nest with her chicks at night or when they are tied in the first couple of days. It is important to restrict their area for the first week because the hen’s activity may be too great for them. Area of access can gradually be increased as the chickens grow and strengthen. Chicks that are sick or cold cheep miserably and try to huddle under their mother wander along aimlessly or just sit hunched up. Their wings often droop; they look fluffed up, not showing any particular attention to their surrounds. Don’t let this happen. Lock the hen up in a warm place and provide food and water close to her. Sometimes a brooder lamp in a box with the chicks will help. It would also be a good idea to treat the chicks for coccidosis as this and the treatment will not affect the hen If the hen is too active, put containers on the other side of large wire mesh. This is so that the chicks can get through but the hen can only put her head through to eat and drink thus not turning everything upside down or sitting in or too close to the water dish getting herself and the chicks wet. A healthy chick, when not resting, is actively scratching and has a different type of ‘happy busy’ cheep.
If you feel the chickens are unwell a common problem could well be coccidiosis, which is characterized by blood in the chickens droppings but sometimes this is not evident. Chickens that are lethargic, sleepy, pale in the face, poor growing and poor eaters should be treated first for coccidiosis. As an emergency measure sour some milk with a little vinegar soak it in bread and feed it to mother and chicks. Cottage cheese is also good. The Incubation Book says that it changes the pH of the gut thus affecting the microorganisms that live there. Some chicks that are weaker may need encouragement. Medication is available from pet shops and veterinary surgeries as it is also used for calves and lambs. If medication is supplied in the feed, for example medicated starter mash, remember effectiveness is reduced by dilution when other feeds are included such as by free range, feeding bread and so on.
A coccidiosis out break will often occur when the weather becomes wet and cool. One can also expect an outbreak near the end of the breeding season. An out break that can take a breeder by surprise is when one unsuspectingly uses untreated feed, this is easy to do for a number of reasons like your regular feed is unavailable or you are sold a different feed to usual.
Hygiene is very important in the prevention of disease out breaks. Prevent faecal contamination of food and water. This can be done by slightly raising containers above the floor level to prevent scratching of litter into them, the level can be increased as they grow in size. Change water daily and more often if necessary. Keep litter dry and regularly change it or top it up with fresh litter. Pekin bantams do not do well when brooded on wire, effective in controlling coccidiosis in other breeds as their droppings fall through.
Do not mix chicks of different ages or breeds as all sorts of problems will occur due to different sizes, growth rates and personal characteristics of breeds. Pekin bantams do not brood well in large numbers; nine is about the maximum number to keep together. An only chicken is a very difficult number to keep as they get lonely and need the company of a group. A hen with an only chicken has a hard time and it may not be enough stimulation, even though it cheeps as much as a whole brood, to keep her interested in it. Even if it is a demanding child and she may reject it and/or return to laying. It is often easier to merge one of these into a younger group rather than an older (without a mother), however if harmony does not occur it is best to keep them separated as again stress allows access to illness and reduces growth rates. Sometimes chicks get on very well and the younger chicks treat the larger chick like a mother; trusting its judgement and huddling under it when tied or cold. Remember a hen will rarely accept a new chick especially if it looks different or acts differently.
A bit on artificial brooding is necessary for a number of reasons, for example if the mother refuses to accept them, you want to reset her, you have been given some chicks and so on. A cardboard box is ideal with a 40 to 60 watt light suspended above them at one end so that chicks can choose the position they find most comfortable. At first the food and water needs to be close but can moved into cooler area as they get stronger. Sand can be used as a floor covering so that the droppings are covered. Apply new layer regularly. Newspaper is good but must be changed at least twice a day, morning and night. Keep food in a dish and try to prevent contamination of both food and water by faeces. Try to organize food that spillage is minimal so they are not eating it from among their droppings. Keeping the brooder clean is paramount to prevent coccidiosis out breaks from eating contaminated food. Lights can be removed as early as 3 weeks as long as chicks are kept warm. By 5 weeks they should be well and truly old enough to be kept in a closed box at night if it is cold. Chickens enjoy being taken outside for supervised foraging on warm days. This time can be increased in length until they can be allowed the whole day out at 5 weeks. Chicks grow quickly so ensure they are not over crowded by increasing the box size or splitting the birds into separate boxes, if some birds are smaller than others make separate groups of the smaller and the larger chicks. Watch in case there are some weak ones, which may not be able to get enough food water or rest. Rest is very important especially as lights are on all night or there is over crowding.
Besides coccidiosis in chicks at an early age there are some other problems that occur. When fine mash is used some can be scratched into chicks eyes. If this is not caught and the eyes bathed early the birds can always have an eye/s problem. This is a good argument to use crumbles instead of mash. Another problem is droppings becoming stuck around the vent preventing or hindering the normal passing of faeces. This will cause death or poor development. Treatment should be as soon as possible to prevent any complications and chicks should always be observed for this. I find the removal of this material is best done when it is dry and carefully removed with the feather down thus leaving the area bare therefore nothing for faeces to stick to. Take care not to tear skin or in very young birds the pulling out of the yolk sac. I have found washing the area is useless as it is inclined to happen again very quickly causing more stress than removing the down.
Hens can leave chickens very early before chicks are really old enough to care for them selves. Others will look after them until they have long been able to look after them selves. Sometimes she can be extremely vicious to them other times she will totally ignore them. When this time comes one often notices the hen fails to answer her chicken’s cheeps then they start calling her. At this stage one can expect her to leave them soon. Sometimes they maybe better off without her so they can do their thing and she can do hers. A hen educates the chickens and protects them, which is often very beneficial and can save the owner a lot of time.
Sometimes it can be better to remove chicks from a hen for the welfare of the chicks. Some hens are too active, some are not sensible, and some are too rough and so on. Often I find it is better to remove chicks if one suspects they are not thriving. They may cheep for her for a few hours but soon settle down and improve when it is they that set the pace, ie more time to sleep, more time at the food dish and less miles to walk. Some times the removal of the mother means no upturned water and feed dishes, thus less contamination with droppings and no wet bedding, and no chilling of tied chicks. This also means less work for you changing everything and less worry when you cannot be there to do it.
One of the most often asked question about chicks is, “How do I tell the roosters from the hens?” Remember nothing is truly accurate. One method of picking cockerels from pullets is the slow feathering of the flight [wing] feathers of the cockerels from about 2 days old to maybe two weeks old, of some birds or strains only. At about five weeks to about six weeks, although this age is variable but can be only a window of opportunity, the slightly brighter red and larger comb on the cockerels is obvious compared to the pullets. This comparison can only be made of chicks that are exactly the same age [and breed] and is a good indication but only if one has a group of chicks of both sexes as sometimes one can have a group of chicks all the same sex. Another sign is the cockerels tend to be more precocious i.e. more aggressive and more sexually orientated than the pullets. Cockerels, in Pekin bantams, from an early age up until the hens begin to lay, tend to respond to human attention more positively than their sisters. At certain ages it is impossible for the beginner, and the experienced breeder, to tell the sexes apart. At about 4 months old cockerels are usually well feathered (but not always), their combs again become brighter red and slightly larger than the pullet. On the rooster mature feathers coming through on the wing bars [in the middle of the side of the wing] and the sickle feathers of the saddle [the back feathers that cover the top of the tail] and hackles [the feathers around the neck] are different to the pullets’. These are called secondary sexual characteristic feathers and have a glossy sheen to them, the saddle and hackle being pointed. These cockerel feathers are not found in their sisters and come through in a more spiky looking way. At the very beginning of this stage cockerels can almost be mistaken as mature hens, however hens have a duller more rounded feathers and their combs are pale even yellowish at this age. Very good black hens must have a shiny beetle green sheen to them but do not develop the sickle, or pointed, feathers but still appearing quite shiny.
Another way of telling pullets from cockerels is using the sex linked gene concept of breeding poultry. This however will work only when mating a specific coloured rooster to a specific coloured hen. These specific parent birds must also be of a specific lineage or will not necessarily produce offspring with the specific features. Most of he resultant chicks will not produce the colour characters desired for showing or for breeding show birds or for that matter of doing the same sex linked gene cross again. For example if one mates a Columbian rooster to a cuckoo hen then one should be able to follow the rules of sex linked breeding, the cockerels being cuckoo (black chicks with a white dot on their head) and the pullets being black, however the purpose for doing this would be for discarding the roosters at hatching and rearing the pullets for egg laying or for those who cannot keep a rooster but would like to rear Pekin bantam chicks. This also would eliminate the cost and the bother of rearing and disposing of roosters. One could sell them to some unsuspecting customer or as snake food.
Cockerels can start having nasty little fights at an early age and can have quite bloodied swollen faces. Usually they sort themselves out and it is best not to intervene especially if they have plenty of room. At some stage they will also get quite randy and cannot distinguish male from female, front from back, or human hand or foot from chicken. In fact they tend to get it all wrong and can be a dam nuisance and eventually dad, if he is included, starts to loose his patience and starts to ostracize them. They usually deserve it too. This is the time one has to decide what action to take, if any, to create harmony. Be tolerant of their wayward attentions to you for if you return their adolescent advances with aggression, when they mature they may treat you as foe rather than friend.
Unwanted male attention can stress pullets or weaker cockerels and this may affect their ability to feed and go about their normal activity. In some cases it will bring pullets into lay early which may not be wanted when trying to grow them to there optimum size for showing. Pieces of comb and feathers can be damaged, feathers can grow again but comb cannot. For well-prepared pullets for show or just contented well-grown pullets, separate cockerels from pullets. The age for this varies as some batches of chickens vary, as from season to season, some relying on the companionship for longer before their hormones kick in.
Pullets are usually placid and don’t especially seek human attention until maturity. As maturity approaches however they then start to sort out who is who. Pullets too start to have their little scuffles to sort out their rank in the peck order. In fact I cannot ever remember any sisters getting on with each other on an equal basis once they get close to laying, one dominant pullet always claims the top spot. Some pullets like to bluff dominance over you and it doesn’t hurt to let them believe it. It is advisable to ensure that hens, especially older hens, don’t make life to miserable for one who is less fortunate. You will find there is always someone who is at the bottom of the peck order, make sure they get enough to eat, that extra treat and ensure that life isn’t unbearable. As I said this is helped by not over crowding and that there are sufficient feeding and roosting places available. A good older rooster usually acts as a mediator when squabbles occur.
Another way to tell cockerels from pullets, pullets very rarely if ever crow. But cockerels can crow as early as 2 weeks old, not that this is the normal either. Some cockerels will crow much earlier than others. Basically if it crows it is a rooster.
Pullets have quite pale faces until they are ready to lay and can often be mistaken for illness or illness missed because of it. The comb does not usually begin to grow until laying is about to commence and can continue into their second year. It is desirable for Pekin hens to have small neat combs but this can not only be affected by genetics but heat due to a hot summer or very hot pens.
Never cull your chickens early especially if you are inexperienced unless there are obvious physical faults or one knows what one is after or until you know your line well. Different breeds, colours and lines develop differently and features like eye, beak, leg and feather colour change as the bird matures. Pekins should have red eyes when adult but chicks start off with black eyes, green legs can go yellow and so on. Pure black down on chickens will not produce pure black parents, probably black red. A grey down chick may turn out the purest of white or blue. One line of birds may develop in a totally different way to another, for example one may learn to cull ones mottles at hatching by the distribution of white on them after 10 years experience however a new rooster brought in from another line may bring changes in characteristics to down colour, thus culling on previous features removes the chicks that would have gained the best adult plumage. To the inexperienced eye a young cockerel may look like a mature pullet, an older pullet coming into lay may look like a young cockerel.
COLOUR BREEDING :-
A beginners guide to Pekins would not be complete without mentioning colour breeding; most beginners want to dabble in it. I want to go into this because in the poultry fraternity there is so much negativity about it. Too many people are too quick to criticize or cold shoulder things they really don’t understand. There is no better way to learn than actually doing. Yes a person may mix the genetics up and make them unpredictable but I am sure the purists are not going to go away so they can plod along and keep their lines going. They will be very useful for others breeding programs.
The original fowl was the wild jungle fowl from which all domestic fowl were produced. The Pekin bantam we know today is far removed from that bird, short in stature, feathers on its feet and a huge range of colours and patterns. The original jungle fowl colour is similar to the colour pattern called partridge with the hen being brownish and the rooster being black and golden. If we interbreed all our different colours, patterns and breeds this, in theory, is what we would end up with. The colours and patterns have been selected by humans and refined over many years and in recent history show standards of perfection have been stipulated. Mutations (changes to the normal genetic make up) in all breeds of animals and plants have been selected, collected and encouraged by humans, ever chasing something different to the usual.
The ideal show colours and patterns are often not possible to produce from a single rooster-hen cross as the ideal show hen has a father who has no place in the show pen and the same with the mother of a show rooster. For example black in Pekins the exhibition standards stipulate both sexes must be black with a beetle green sheen and as near as yellow beak and legs as possible. One technique in breeding the ideal coloured hen is to have your black rooster with a little red in his hackles to mate to a green sheen hen, and to breed your ideal coloured rooster you need a dull black hen with the green sheen rooster. Different breeders have different opinions and different families (lines) behave in different ways.
Naming colours of poultry is very confusing for the beginner as it has not been standardized among the breeds and colour varieties and probably never will be. One colour variety in one breed may have slight differences or large differences to that in another breed. A whole book could be written on the evolution and categorizing of colour varieties let alone the breeding and genetics of them. A very in depth book for this is “Poultry Genetics” by Crawford or a simpler book “Creative Poultry Breeding” by Carefoot. Colour varieties not only differ between breeds but between the rooster and the hen for example the black red rooster can be bred from a wheaten hen, called wheaten bred or it can be called a partridge bred black red because his breeding mate is a partridge hen. Brown red to the untrained eye looks like a black red but there are definite differences on where his red colouration and shades should be on his body and his matching hen is at least similar in colour. Even in the black reds there are subtle colour differences. Bring blue in instead of black to make a blue red and you have blue tailed wheaten as a match to this rooster. Swapping gold with silver on the partridge bred black red changes the name to a silver duck wing in Old English Game and his hen is called a silver pencilled, some may even call it silver partridge. Change black of the body colour on the birchen to white and you have a Columbian, change the background from white to buff and you have a buff Columbian.
Buff is gold or red in different intensities. White is also known as silver and black is black. Blue is blue whether it is light, dark or laced but not self-blue, that is lavender. Speckled in a Sussex can be Milflur in a Belgium bantam and spangled in an Old English game and it seems to be Milflur or porcelain in Pekins [not in Australia yet]. Cuckoo and barred look alike to the untrained eye and to some cuckoo is just a lesser barred. Identifying colours grows on you and the learning process is improved when you breed them or try to make them. When breeding colours the aim is to produce in the offspring the same as or better than the parents thus creating a line. So we see that if we are breeding our Pekins for colours it is not a simple matter of matching the rooster and hen colour from two show birds, other wise one will be very disappointed in the results. The only colour I can think that works like this is white and then care must be taken to keep the white pure white. When breeding colour patterns for example, birchen, Columbian, partridge, mottled and so on, it becomes even more complicated as it involves pattern and colour.
Don’t let me dishearten you or discourage you, as it is very exciting and much more interesting than just plain old black or white. I cannot go into depth over this, as it would become a book within itself, however information can be gleaned from books on other breeds. The standards for other breeds may vary slightly for example the black on white of the Columbian varies in the light Sussex fowl and the Columbian Wyandotte and the black tailed Japanese bantam is another example but the principles are the same. The Australian Standards of perfection can easily be consulted and if it is not there is the British and the American standards all with glossy colour photos and the Europeans and Americans have developed an enormous range of colours in their Pekins. A quick cruise on the Internet will show colour photos of silver laced, Milflur and so on, some may not be good and some are exquisite. Perfection in breeding colour and pattern is a goal one aims for but rarely if ever achieved but it is exciting trying to.
Understanding Mendles laws of inheritance is a great help but it must be remembered that many genes are involved in the intricate colour patterns of poultry. It is not only a choice between 2 genes but also a whole range, which in various combinations express very different results. The study of these genes and their interactions is still on going with many differences of opinion and new discoveries enabling advances with new techniques sometimes resulting in breeders changing opinions and improved understanding. This knowledge is not limited to the well educated as a person with a very ordinary education can learn and understand these things, it is just a mater of building knowledge upon knowledge.
It is important to understand the jargon used like a pullet-breeding pen or line. This means the matched birds in that pen when mated will produce the desired colour, patterns or shades for pullets /hens. Pullet line means the bird, be it hen or rooster, has the genetics to produce a desired colour pullet when mated to the opposite sex of the same pullet breeding line. However it is important that these birds be related as a lot of unknown factors can be appear in mating unrelated birds, even if the birds produce ideal examples of their colour when mated with related birds things may totally change if it is crossed with an unrelated bird, but in may not too, then type may suffer. When we look back at our blacks and if the birds when mated together produce ideal hens with not so ideal roosters, then it is a pullet producing line. If the birds when mated produce ideal roosters and not so ideal hens, then it is a cockerel producing line. Some breeders of blacks have managed to breed both cockerels and pullets out of the same breeding pens by carefully using birds of the same line exhibiting different useful characters.
A line of birds is a collection of birds that have been selectively inbred to one extent or another so that when they are mated together the progeny are very similar to the parents. This gives predictability to the breeding and thus a guarantee of the out come. This means smaller numbers of birds can be bred as there will not be as much wastage due to unexpected out comes and inferior progeny. However one must remember it is important to breed large numbers as variation does occur and some of these may not be desirable. Larger numbers gives a greater choice and thus reduces the problems of inbreeding due to the use of inferior birds.
A pen of birds usually means a collection of birds put together to be bred for a desired out come. It can mean as above a pen of birds mated for the pullet progeny or a pen of especially selected birds for improvement of progeny colour or type and so on. A pen of birds maybe a collection of birds for breeding for no real reason other that they are for someone’s enjoyment.
Another bit of jargon is “balance your pens” to a beginner this can be very confusing but when one understands its true meaning it becomes a very important tool. It means where one bird lacks, ensure its mate excels. Also it means that in a breeding pen one may need an under marked bird or an over marked bird to mate with the ideal marked bird to attain progeny of the desired markings, or a majority at least. In other words, breeding birds is a balancing act. An example of this is the black and white of the birchen. A perfectly marked rooster needs to be mated to an under marked hen that may only have white hackles. A bird lacking in forward tilt needs to be matched to a bird excelling in this area. If pens are not balanced then a fault can be exaggerated or in the case of the birchen one ends up with an ever-increasing amount of white through the progeny with the loss of the desired white lacing and crow wings (black flight feathers).
Cross breeding different colours can produce an array of surprises and it may not. It may produce different colours or patterns or improve shades or patterns. Some idealist frown upon it however it is a good learning tool and may introduce renewed vigour to a wanning line. If one wants to do this with some sort of aim and to understand or predict the outcome it is helpful to go back to basic school biology classes and learn about Mendles’ Laws of Inheritance. Here one will learn about pure lines, recessive traits and dominant traits. Basically a dominant trait will hide a recessive trait and a pure line is a line of birds that will breed for only that trait. So if we have a pure line of black Pekins [black being the trait we are looking at] we can always expect black progeny and if we have pure white line of Pekins [white being the trait we are looking at] we can expect white progeny but if we mate the pure black line with the pure white line we will get all black chickens because black is dominant and hides the recessive white. We must remember that in Pekins and other heavy breeds the black and white behave differently as to the light breeds of poultry like leghorns. This does not mean the white is not there for if brother and sister is mated we will find that 25% (one out of four) will be white or if the black offspring is mated to its white parent we will find that 50% (two out of four) of the chicks will be white.
Mendel was the founder of modern genetics. He discovered that by breeding large numbers of plants over many years that he could predict the outcome of the progeny, and found a mathematical correlation. He also found that with some traits it didn’t work. He is often accused of fudging his results but his discoveries were long before the rules of experimentation were devised and scientific thought was in its infancy due to the dominant religious attitudes of the time. The modern poultry industry was founded on understanding the relationship of traits not just for colour but egg laying ability, weight gain, broodiness and so on. Trait does not only mean colour it is everything about a bird that is inherited from physical deformities to feather texture to head shape and so on.
GENES AND CHROMOSOMES appendix
Some simple definitions:
CHROMOSOMES are very long strands of protein called DNA (deoxyneuclaicacid), which are in a code form for the further production of many types proteins, the code of life.
GENES are situated in pairs all the way along the chromosomes and are the code for a certain trait. A variety of many different genes for specific traits can be situated at these sites.
TRAIT is the name for any characteristic that the body has or does and can be passed on to its off spring, even a behaviour, type of feather or hair, its colour, the texture, the length and so on.
CELLS contain different complex parts with different functions. The nucleus part of the cell contains the chromosomes. Cells are the building blocks of the body. Different cells have different functions. The whole body is made of them.
HORMONES are chemicals made by certain cells in minute quantities. Different hormones affect different cells behaviour very effectively in other parts of the body, thus not only affecting the function of the body but the behaviour of the animal. Hormones are controlled by genes and can be turned on or off at different times.
All plants and animals have 2 of each chromosome in its cells, a pair of each, except the sex or reproductive cells.
Different plants and animals have different numbers of pairs of chromosomes.
There are corresponding genes on each of the pair of chromosomes. These pairs of genes have the same roles in function but may have differences. Thus genes come in pairs but an individual gene may not do exactly the same thing as its matching gene.
Cells (sex cells) that are to unite with another cell to form a new individual only have one set of chromosomes, thus one gene for each trait.
The sex cells that contain one set of chromosomes are the ova or egg cells of the female and the pollen or sperm cells of the male. Sex cells unite to begin a new individual joining one set of chromosomes from each parent and making a new cell with a pair of each chromosome, and thus a pair of each gene.
The only pair of chromosomes that are not identical and thus may not have corresponding pairs of genes are the sex chromosomes.
The sex chromosomes when looked at under an electron microscope look different to each other, one being larger than the other.
In humans/mammals the female sex chromosome pair is xx and the male is xy. In birds it is the other way around where the female has the xy and the male has the xx.
The interesting thing about sex chromosomes is that some genes do not have a matching companion on the other chromosome.
Sexed linked genes are genes that are carried or not carried on one of the sex chromosomes. The ‘Y’ chromosome has a bit missing, thus some “X” genes do not have a matching pair in the “XX” male fowl. For example if one crosses a light Sussex rooster (Columbian colour pattern) to a barred Plymouth Rock hen one can identify the male chicks from the female chicks at hatching by the cockerel having a distinctly different colour marking (greyish with light spot on head) and thus becoming barred as its plumage develops and the pullet being black and staying black as it matures. However if the parents are of the opposite arrangement where the rooster is the Plymouth Rock then identification of the sexes by colour at hatching is impossible.
The above is because the gene for barred feathers is only on the “x” sex chromosome and not the ‘y’ sex chromosome, which has a bit missing where the partner to the barring gene should be. The barred gene is dominant to the nonbarred gene. The “y”(missing any gene for barring or nonbarring) goes from the barred hen to her daughter and the “x” can only come from her father who is not barred. The son gets an “x” from his nonbarred father and another “x” from his barred mother. The barred feathers are not expressed in the daughter because there is no corresponding gene for barring on the “ y” from her mother and the “x” from her father does not have the gene for barring. Thus all the cockerels are barred and none of the pullets. The light Sussex is a white colour and the Barred Rock is basically a black and in these breeds the black dominates white. Thus the females are all black or somewhat birchen (i.e. with a bit of white lacing on feathers) and there are no white chicks. **
Scientists are still trying to unravel the secrets of chromosomes and their genes and are discovering new genes and their functions at an increasing rate. This however this just leads to more exciting questions and possibilities
FROM NOW ON WE WILL ONLY DEAL WITH CHICKENS AND ASSUME THAT ALL birds ARE THE SAME AND ALL birds ARE ONLY MALE OR FEMALE. ANY VARIATIONS OR ABOURATIONS ARE NOT CONSIDERED FOR SIMPLICITY SAKE.
Lets revise what we have said; genes are in pairs and create a certain trait in the organism.
Some genes will dominate their corresponding gene and not allow it to express its trait. We call this gene the DOMINANT gene and the other the RECESSIVE gene.
Eg in some breeds black dominates white. Thus if a pair of blacks are mated and resulting offspring contain whites then both parents must have a white gene which have paired in the same offspring.
Some genes may let the other gene do a little bit, this is called INCOMPLETE DOMINANCE. For example in the blue where neither the black nor the white dominates but the colour is a hybrid grey.
Some times the trait is affected by another gene that may even be on another chromosome thus changing the outcome of the dominant and recessive relationship. For example the reason why a hen is feathered one way and the rooster another, in some variations of trait a rooster can be a normally functioning rooster but have hen feathering. There are many genes on different chromosomes that can affect the end colour pattern result.
Genes are responsible for the production of hormones and hormones can turn other genes on or off thus affecting the function of a cell, and ultimately the function, behaviour or appearance of the bird. For example the reason a male chicken behaves and looks one way at 2 weeks and another at 1 year. Why hens will lay, go broody, stop being broody, rear chickens and so on.
One gene comes from one parent and the other part of the gene pair comes from the other parent.
Specific genes are always in the same place on the same chromosome and its pair.
During certain stages of sex cell development chromosomes can exchange pieces, thus mixing the genes up. Not changing the position in relation to its site on the chromosome but changing its neighbouring gene that was from a different ancestor which is affecting different traits.
This mixing up of chromosomes means that new individuals can have some traits from one grand parent but not from another. Thus the progeny of a pair of birds has a mixture of genes from all of its ancestors but not necessarily all the same genes hence the variation in each individual bird. This is especially noticeable if the offspring of two different pure breeds of birds (F1 which appear fairly uniform) are mated together resulting in a large range of possible combinations of genes thus a large range of different combinations of traits.
This crossover of chromosomes also means some genes are more or less likely to remain together. Thus some traits are more likely to often be with another trait and some are not. It depends how close they are on a chromosome, close more likely to remain together, far away less likely to remain together.
Genes are not affected by external influences. If a bird’s leg is cut off its children will still have 2 legs. If it is starved, scared and riddled with worms but from top quality stock, it cannot be a champion. There is however no reason why its off spring cannot, if they are treated properly and the inheritance from the other parent are suited.
On the other hand even if the bird is treated properly unless it has the genes to express the right traits, it cannot be a champion or its potential is limited.
Because one or both parents have a quality it does not mean its chicken will inherit it. But that chickens offspring may, and vice versa, the parent/s may not show the quality but the chicken may.
A trait may not have been exhibited for generations but suddenly appear because it can be expressed. This may not be because it has combined with a suitable matching gene pair but because another gene somewhere else has changed, thus allowing the trait to be expressed.
One good trait alone does not make a show bird. It is a combination of traits, carefully selected for. But many traits on the other hand are carefully selected against.
Unwanted traits can be inadvertently selected for, for example ill health and split wings.
These traits maybe found close to a wanted trait on a chromosome, which may make them very hard to get rid of. On the other hand they may be situated a long way away on the chromosome thus easy to breed out.
The easiest trait to get rid of is the dominant trait that is not affected by other genes so that it is masked.
It is almost impossible to get rid of a recessive trait unless test mating of the parents is done. Here large numbers of offspring may have to be produced to obtain a certain amount of confidence the trait is not there, and even then some unwanted traits can still sneak through the net. Also test mating for an unwanted recessive trait needs to be done with a bird with the unwanted trait and often these are hard to come by as they have been culled against.
Some traits are difficult to get rid of, especially if it can only be seen in one sex. A hen can hide a lot of traits that are not wanted in a rooster. That is often why it is better to line breed, eg father to daughter, to granddaughter etc. By doing this one is decreasing the risk of the hen carrying the fault of the male progeny, assuming the male does not have it in a recessive form in the first place. However if this is not done carefully another trait can be magnified in a population.
A bird in the wild is naturally selected for traits that help its survival. Those that have traits that help it are more likely to live and breed than those that don’t, thus passing it on. Those that have traits that may hinder its survival are less likely to survive, die early and may not have a chance to pass it on. This may not eliminate a trait from a population but may reduce its percentage in the population. This trait may only be expressed when both recessive traits occur in the same bird but can be carried for many many generations.
Traits maybe desirable to a breeder in its incomplete form, but lethal (the animal dies because of it) when combined with others, for example beards and crests of breeds like the Polish, super short legs in the Japanese bantam.
Allow a breed of show birds to be naturally selected for survivability and supposing that they are not wiped out totally by the elements and predators, they will evolve to something totally different in a very short time. A good example is the Pekin bantam. Those with longer legs and less feathers on their feet can run faster, those, which are lighter in weight, can fly higher. Fancy colour and feather lacing will matter less, especially if the colour is white so it stands out to a predator. Very quickly after just a few generations one ends up with a bird looking more like its game fowl counter parts. This it must be remembered is if there is sufficient gene variation in the birds to allow for the changes necessary to survive. Change in the physical appearance can only happen if there are alternate genes or mutation of the gene (spontaneous changes in the trait the gene expresses and under normal circumstances this is rare).
Contrary to the above, man does not select the way nature does. We select because something is pleasing to the eye, it produces more meat or eggs. We also select because the bird wins shows and we forget about other traits that may have been important. Shows do not measure egg production, survivability, growth rates and so on.
Most breeds of birds today do not look anything like what they did 50 to 100 years ago, if they existed at all. Most breeds only exist today because they are exhibited not because they were developed for a purpose like egg laying, meat, utility, fighting or beauty. Although I suspect beauty and size to the human eye always plays a part. Hence some traits have fallen by the way.
Another factor today is that skills in animal husbandry are dying. Once upon a time farmers came from a long line of farmers. Those with skills in recognizing suitable traits (and for many it was a choice or feeling they could not put into words) were able to keep animals that were productive, that had stamina and survivability. Animals were selected for a number of traits because they couldn’t keep those that excelled in one area as there were no antibiotics, electricity, wormers, cheap fast efficient transport, economies of scale and so on. Different geographical regions developed differently due to isolation (caused by oceans, mountain ranges and distances for example) but the goal may have been the same. Thus a utility fowl in one area (county or country) was different to another.
Today for the reasons of technology these skills are not wanted to such an extent any more. Today these skills although regarded as necessary need to be written in black and white, published, proven, researched, duplicated and replicated, made into a computer program and never forget copyright. Production and growth has to be at a maximum. GNP, growth, economies of scale, free trade are the key words. So we have animals for greater feed conversion ability, growth rates, egg production etc. these animals are selected for traits that increase efficiency and production. There is one strain for eggs and one strain for meat.
Now humans are changing the genes themselves, mostly putting new ones in. Not even from the same animal, not even from an animal. Foods are changed, and the genetics of them. Sanitation and chemicals are all important. No germs to create disease, no reason to breed for disease resistance. There is the belief of maximum production not beauty, utility or satisfaction. Stream line, assembly line and specializing, big is better. These are not times for variety, utility, or quiet appreciation and contemplation. There is no art for art’s sake or money for god’s sake just growth for growth’s sake.
Not to mention the consumer, the user of these products, the throw away society. The constant desire for instant gratification. When it dies there will be a new one, a better one, one will always be there, cheaper than before. But will there?
** “Poultry Science and Production” by Robert E. Moreng & John S. Avens copyright 1985 by Reston Publishing Company, Inc. Reston, Virginia, USA.
“Understanding Animal Breeding” 2nd edition by Richard M. Bourdon, 2000,Prentice Hall, inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
END APPENDIX
The modern beef industry is discovering the usefulness of genetics for breeding for the traits of disease resistance and quietness to name a few that are not obviously visible. Much of this can be applied from breed to breed and one can find that one is inadvertently breeding a Pekin with traits that include ill naturedness, prone to disease and is a poor layer and bad mother but is perfect in its colour markings so beware.
An example where the Mendel’s Law may seem confusing, which is really a very simple explanation to how some traits are inherited, is in the recessive/ dominant ideal of the blue coloured Pekin. Cross the ideal blue with the ideal blue you get lighter, some being white with black splashes. Cross a light blue or white with black splashes with a black and you get blue again. Dark blue to dark blue will get darker, even black. This however can be very simply explained by the incompletely dominant splashed gene (when the splashed gene is in two doses) where it modifies black to blue where both the black and the splashed genes are together, neither completely dominating the other.
The lavender colour is also called a self-blue because lavender crossed to lavender gives lavender. Cross lavender to a pure line black and you get black, it is recessive like white. Cross lavender with white however one is just as likely to get black or any strange assortment of colours and patterns. So if someone tells you your lavender is a blue it is easy to prove by crossing it with another lavender. However if one does not have pure lines then if you cross a lavender to a white you might get partridge which you won’t if you put blue to white. Lavender may behave as black when crossed with blue and even though it is not expressed [it is hidden], lavender will reappear in the sibling (F1) cross.
Another example of domination and recession not working is crossing buff with black, you get something like a brown red, and cross the progeny and you get more reddish and less black. Selecting over a few generations will bring back the buff; this is how one can upgrade the type in the buff. White and blue birds can be used too for up grading. Using white one may get pale buff with some white feathers, using blue you get paler blue of a blue red look. Remember this all takes time and these results are not always guaranteed as there maybe other influencing genes that become involved..
When breeding barred or cuckoo Pekins a book on breeding Plymouth rocks would be handy. It is important to note that the barring of the Campine breed of fowl is totally unrelated to the barred Plymouth Rock as it’s inheritance is very different due to the fact that the gene is on a different chromosome (not the sex chromosome) and is influenced by other genes for its full expression. Light barred birds need to be bred with dark barred birds to retain definition of bars and strength of colour hence the hints in this area would apply to Pekin breeding for this colour pattern. Plymouth rocks must have yellow legs and beak also a requirement in Pekins. In the case of the cuckoo/barring gene it is a sexed linked and a dominant gene. The pattern however will deteriorate with successive breeding of cuckoo to cuckoo but the mating to a black will bring it back, this is because a double dose of the barring gene causes the cuckoo to become washed out. The effect of slow feathering on cuckoo will turn it to barred which is a finer more well defined pattern of black and white lines across the feather. One must remember that these things are not always so simple as they sound. The barring can be successfully used on other colours such as buff, Creole and lavender as the barring gene is not a colour gene but prevents pigment in the developing feather being laid down in an on/off fashion, thus the lines of colour and the lines of no colour(white).
Hints on colour breeding from other breeds of birds are useful in applying to Pekins but it is important to note pattern variations between the same colours of different breeds and compare standards of perfection, which can affect ones approach. It should also be remembered that names for the same pattern/colour might be different between breeds and even countries. It maybe difficult when Australia has no specific standards in a Pekin colour hence one may find oneself looking for them in the standards of another breed or those of another country such as Europe or the USA.
Culling of chicks is something only the breeder who is very familiar with their particular line of bird should do. Not only do chicks of different adult plumage differ or can be the same but chicks of the same adult colouration can differ from one another because they are from a different line. Male a female chicks colouration may differ subtly. Unless there are obvious faults such as deformity or illness, culling should be restricted until the adult plumage is acquired and in some cases this maybe at 2 years of age.
Partridge chickens look nothing like their parents where the rooster is a different colour to the hen. The chicken’s start off looking similar to each other however as they change their feathers the roosters become known as black reds and the hen develops black lacing on a gold background, not complete until perhaps 2 years old. To breed, so W. F. Entwistle says, the required triple laced hens look for your rooster when he is a chicken, he will look like a pullet for the longest and will have lacing. This bird may develop like a normal pullet breeding partridge rooster and must be marked at the earliest possible age in case he is confused with his brothers. The partridge bred black red show bird is not the rooster who fathers you partridge hens, that is he is not out of your pullet breeding line. The cockerel breeding partridge pullet does not have well defined lacing but must come from a line of cockerel breeders and the rooster of the pullet breeding line does not conform to the show standard but must come from a pullet breeding line.
Buff is a beautiful colour but perfection is hard to achieve especially if one cannot start with perfect stock and uniformity of shade of colour of the pen of birds is not logical, as a balance of different birds is needed to maintain ideal shade. The ideal buff shade often varies with individual perceptions and interpretations of the ideal. To prevent the buff getting lighter one needs to infuse a strong buff colour. To read about buff is confusing as colours are described as lemon and cinnamon and the hen is dull while the rooster shines. What can be a glaring fault to one breeder can be a minor transgression to another. Many people are full of advice but when it boils down to it they may never have bred them or managed to maintain a respectable shade or type. A few things are easy to understand once the feather photos in the Australian Standards are referred to, such as statements that say “an even shade all over” and “buff to the skin”. However one doesn’t always know what the true expression of shades of the hen is because of the changes in the feathers at puberty, the roosters can develop different shades in their hackles to wing bows and to tail coverts where as the hen does not but can carry the trait. This is because even though the hen may look perfect in her own right, however she is not a rooster so she does not show those secondary male characteristics of a rooster. Thus if she was a rooster she might not conform to the uniform buff colour. In this case however cockerel and pullet breeding pens are not required, it is more of balancing the colour shades. If the original cockerel is uniform in colour and his sons are not then mate him to his daughter and again to his daughters. By this stage some, if not all, of his resultant sons will be uniform like their father. In the buff a rooster is desirable when adding new blood to a line because of these hidden discrepancies that could occur in a pullet. She may not be a risk if she has proven her worth in her offspring. I recommend if one wants to breed buffs and improve there type choose a medium shade rooster who is even in colour all over and even buff to the skin as your foundation bird, this is more important than type if one is going to go the path of upgrading. Choose for a mate the very best of any other colour pullet one can procure and preferably of a line that is inbred so that there is little doubt of her ancestry. Blue, black and white are good because there is less doubt of them carrying other modifying genes, which may confuse things.
At this stage we should revisit the idea of inbreeding or line breeding. I like to think of line breeding as careful selection of related birds so as prediction of offspring is easier and uniformity of progeny is at a maximum. Inbreeding tends to be a random form of interbreeding of related birds with no regards for faults or defects in the generations to come. When failures are culled thus not bred from and successes are bred from then the line should improve even if they are very closely related. If a bird has a fault in one area but excels in another never mate it with a bird with the same fault. If an exceptional bird is feeble then one is taking great risk at breeding it as the chances of the line developing this fault is high and not worth the risk. The whole Pekin is important not just the colour, in fact the Pekin shape [type] and physical perfection is more important than perfection in colour. Ultimately if one neglects these other factors to achieve the perfect colour the resultant line of birds may not look much like a Pekin or it may have to live on antibiotics or be vaccinated to keep it and its progeny healthy.
Many colour patterns of Pekins do not exist in Australia. One sees the beautiful silver and gold-laced Sebright bantam and wishes for a Pekin like it. If one remembers that these colours were developed in poultry by careful selective breeding and there may not be just one characteristic or single gene involved for example in the Sebright the rooster is hen feather and thus both rooster and hen can be bred from the one pen – no cockerel or pullet breeding lines. With so much difficulty in importing foreign birds it is only possible to recreate these birds in Australia. It takes much patience, tolerance, time and knowledge to achieve a goal of a new colour. The Pekin type is difficult to achieve or re-achieve once a cross to another breed is made. When breeding for a new colour pattern it is a seesawing of gaining colour at the expense of type and type at the expense of colour. In reality it is the picking up, discarding and recombining of a huge range of different genes, from the feather colour to the physical shape of the bird.
When starting out plan a strategy, as all that may be needed in the Pekin is available in the local Pekins although not of good quality. It is breeding all the characteristics desired into one bird, removing those that are not and improving type. Another strategy is to choose a breed of bird as similar as possible in feather type and shape as a Pekin, like a bantam Wyandotte or bantam Orpington, as the tilt foreword, lowness and the cushion tail are very difficult to achieve. Feather legs, eye and leg colour are not a problem as they come back very easily because of the constant necessity of crossing back to a pure Pekin (as ideal as possible). If choosing to out cross to a different breed look at what other traits this host bird has that maybe useful to bring in on the way as well. For example if you choose silver laced one has a choice of the Wyandotte which has the cockerel and pullet breeding pens or the Sebright where the rooster is hen feather but none of the hassle of different pens. It is important to study how these traits are inherited, are they dominant or recessive or do you get a mixture? Comb shape is neither a problem nor the mulberry face of the Sebright as they will long be lost along the way. Is it worth using the totally different shape of the Sebright regarded as extra years of selective breeding to keep the hen feathering or the shorter time using the Wyandotte because its type is more similar to the Pekin? Also it is important to consider using only a silver line to a silver line as if the ultimate goal is a silver type bird then gold is often very difficult to remove from a line causing loss of the clean white colour, it is not so necessary the other way around, ie silver in gold.
Do not attempt the cross unless the Pekin line is excellent usually a black or white but there are some excellent birds around of other colour patterns. Ensure the trait desired in the host breed is excellent. Both these pure lines of birds maybe needed to be drawn upon again in the unforseen future so access or ownership of the parent lines is necessary. It is also helps to know where some of your cull stock goes as it may help further down the line as some surprises may have developed or important breeders maybe lost or need to be culled. One way of choosing the future generation is one for colour and one for type if neither is present in one bird. Also breed as many as possible to increase choices and you can be sure if you loose a bird it will be your best. The hardest part to do is get past the first cross as the road will be long and they may not show any characteristics you want. Having someone to discuss the project with and even better to share the ups and downs with and give each other incentive is more helpful than I can express. Never assume a recessive gene is in your gene pool as if it isn’t one can waste a lot of time and money finding out it wasn’t there. One parent must have had a double dose of the gene to be sure that its offspring carries it. Otherwise one has to test mate the bird to a carrier (preferably with both recessive genes to increase the chances of the trait being expressed in the offspring), this is not always effective and can be very time and resource consuming.
A solitary chicken with unexpected colour from the other progeny in its clutch is usually called a sport. Often it is a tell tale sign that there are other things influencing the genes or unsuspected genes in a line. A sport usually refers to a spontaneous mutation of a gene, which is very rare and a breeders dream if it is useful. These birds should not be rejected as culls but observed. They could be the basis of another colour. These birds could also be of exceptional quality if from a good parentage and very useful in upgrading the unexpected colour. One of the best birds to breed it to is its parent and then cross it back to its resultant off spring. This should produce more chicks of the same sport colour. If this fails cross the off spring of the first sport cross, back to the opposite parent and/or the grand-chick back to the sport.
HOLIDAYS:
The welfare of your Pekins is very important to consider when going on holidays or even when you are not present for a night or two. If anything is going to go wrong it is in the time you are not there. Always ensure your birds are secure. If it is more than two nights ask someone to check in on them. Ensure for the unexpected for example extremes in weather eg flood, fire, heat wave, sleet, storm.
If changes have to be made to the birds’ routine make sure everything is running smoothly before the day you leave. Start preparations at least a week before leaving and have dress rehearsals so that birds are familiar with new routines. Changes to even little things like water containers can cause problems and ensure everything is running smoothly, especially if there are automatic waterers and feeders [these also should be checked by any carer so that they are running smoothly]. It is important that any modifications function properly and provisions are made for the unexpected. Other problems that can occur can be over crowding, fighting and bullying. It is important that there is a clean constant supply of food and water.
Write down explicit instructions for those who have been asked to care for the birds, even notes attached to cages. Make it as simple as possible. If one is fortunate enough to find a reliable carer ensure that one shows ones appreciation as people like that are hard to find. Ensure that one goes through the routine of care carefully and not in a rush with your carer so that nothing is over looked and they are familiar with everything. Never expect them to treat the birds as you would or recognize or rectify problems. It is very unfair to leave your carer with a multitude of complex instructions or even broody hens or hatching chicks, especially if this person is inexperienced. It is a good idea to leave your carer with your contact number or someone who can help rectify a problem. It might be an idea to ring to allay any anxiety you or the carer has during your absence.
Ensure your birds are marked if recognition is necessary as birds can change considerably in a very short time leaving doubt when parentage is important. It is often best if stock is kept at a minimum if leaving for holidays so that problems are reduced, especially overcrowding. It is not a good idea to go off on holidays in the middle of the breeding season and expect all to be fine when you get back. When you do get back make plenty of time so that birds can be observed for any developing problems.
SHOW PREPARATION:-
A section on show preparation of Pekin Bantams is important, as it is an area where information is hard to find and often comes by slow painful experience with or without advise. The urge to show ones birds can be stimulated for many reasons, for example ones children wanting to put them in the local agricultural show or the local poultry club show, the desire to see how ones birds stand up against others or to support an ailing poultry fancy. Show preparation can help see a bird in a different light for example making one aware of defects and imperfections due to improper breeding techniques or poor management.
Serious show preparation needs to begin long before the show date, before even the birds begin to moult. However if birds are to be displayed in public with other birds it still is helpful to read the following as first it makes one aware of the health status of ones birds as one would not want to infect others birds and it helps one to be aware of the intricacies of all that this book has been attempting to achieve. Birds are best shown when their feathers are new and fully developed as then they have the maximum fluff and bloom before general wear and tear sets in especially if they are free ranged or breeding.
Birds should have been treated for internal and external parasites and put under protective cover away from direct sunlight, weather and wet grass before the feathers begin to drop for their annual moult. The feet feathers [footings] often begin to moult long before one notices any other change and are easily damaged and broken as they grow. Once feathers are littering the place one is already behind in preparation if parasite eradication has been neglected. Feather mites and stresses cause markings across feathers and energy lost by bloodsuckers could otherwise have gone into good feather growth. This is also important to consider optimum health for the coming laying/breeding season.
Penning up birds for show preparation may put sudden changes on the birds way of life and care must be taken that the birds cope with this for example diet and activity may change thus observe if the birds are eating well and are not suffering boredom. Hens can be kept together with one older rooster to keep the peace. Hens do need experience in a separate single show pen so that they will be prepared for the show pen. Try not to handle her too much as this stimulates lay before she has fully developed and once this happens she will start to loose her bloom. If you can be lucky enough to have a hen lay her first egg just prior to or on the day of the show then she will be at her peak.
Unless a hen is going to be shown as a pair with a rooster, do not keep her with any roosters. Young roosters especially will harass the hen to the extent she will become a miserable bundle of scruffy feathers. She could also start to lay prematurely thus decreasing the quality of her appearance. If you want your hen to be shown at her best then you will not keep her with a young active rooster. At the most an older mature rooster of at least 3 years old who is not so robust as to hassle her with his excesses. The point of pen training is to encourage a bird to be confident and full of their own self-importance so that they display themselves to their maximum potential to the judge and the public.
Roosters should be kept separate in single accommodation where they can still observe the activities of the rest of the flock but unable to harass hens or each other. They settle down within a week. Pens should be bigger than those supplied for standard bantam show cages, 50cm by 50 cm floor area should be suitable. Cages raised above the floor level at least a meter is appreciated by the birds and prepares the bird for the show environment. If you are showing birds as a pair or trio they should be kept together so that they are used to each other, otherwise they will be brawling or the rooster, especially if he is young, won’t leave the hen alone, even then it won’t guarantee he will leave the hens alone. A pair is a rooster and a hen and a trio is a rooster and two hens. An exhibition pair is birds that are exhibition colour and a breeding pair is birds when bred together to produce either exhibition pullets or cockerels. The later is a rare category.
Plenty of dry wood shavings are best for floor covering and topped up regularly. This reduces damage to footings and helps dry out droppings thus reducing soiling of feathers. Birds also enjoy a dust bath in them and are especially good if the timber has been treated with borax as it helps control pests and parasites. Borax is harmless in this way but is toxic if it is added to food or water in its powder form.
The idea of pen training is to train the birds to show themselves to their maximum potential. It is also important for the welfare of the bird so that stress is reduced and the birds take the events to follow, such as travel, the public, the noise and so on in its stride. By training a bird one is introducing the bird slowly and at a reduced level to what it is expected to tolerate in one day at a show. The first part is to be isolated into a pen on its own. It is best to try and simulate what the show will be like, for example a bank of raised cages and visibility of other surrounding activities. Nothing but previous showing experience is going to prepare them for the noise of so many crowing roosters and squawking chooks. I like to take any person who visits my place down to see the chooks so that they (the birds) learn not to regard strangers as a threat. Regular small treats are important and gentle chatter to them especially while one is interacting with the bird or its environment. An old retractable car aerial makes a perfect judging stick. This is used by judges to move birds into different positions, it is frowned upon in the Pekin show pen and the birds finds the judging stick very disconcerting if they have not experienced it. Stroke the birds back and a little nudging with it is all that is needed. Introduce new things a little at a time so that it becomes old hat. When stroking the birds, be it hand or training stick, press gently on the back of the neck so their head goes down to a level of their tail. Stroke them in this position, on the back of the neck and the wattles. If one can automatically treat the birds like this whenever handling them from early chicken stage, the birds will enjoy it and always greet you with their head low. This is extremely useful if the birds are lacking in front or tend to stand high. Pen training for first time show birds should take at least two weeks prior to shows. Experienced birds only need a day or two and are usually looking for the treats as soon as they enter the training pen.
Don’t worry too much if the cockerel wants to rape your hand, this means he is relaxed and usually showing himself to maximum potential. If you want to train your birds to a few more stimuli, bring them into the house where there is the noise of people, radios, TV etc. Having them put up with the lights on until you go to bed gets them used to other stimuli they will receive in a show situation longer than one day. The more ho - hum every thing becomes, the better for the bird. One often sees birds in shows on the first day looking tall and feathers tight, making the owner think that the bird wasn’t as good as they thought. Give the bird a day or two they settle down and look beautiful but too late as judging is on the first day. But by the birds next show they are much more relaxed and showing to their best potential, remembering that many things contribute to a show winner.
Ensure entry forms to shows are presented on time or even as early as possible, as closure dates are important to show organizers to prepare cages, catering and so on. Sometimes closure dates depend on whether the entries fill the pens before the official date, especially if there is a respected judge. Ensure all the terms and conditions of the show are adhered to thus avoiding disappointment and/or conflict, as some shows stipulate vaccination of birds for certain diseases. The decision to show which birds (if you have a choice and limited space) should be made at least 2 weeks before the show so that adequate preparation of those birds can be made. Be aware of the times that birds are to be penned by as the other exhibitors will be there doing last minute preparations with various numbers of birds and some of which have come long distances. There are also rules as to what times birds can be removed from cages at the end of the show. Do not be ashamed of ignorance or expect to learn everything at ones first shows.
Remember shows are run by volunteers many of which will be trying to show their own birds and have been working long hours before the show and cleaning up after. Preparation and organization for a show is hard work and is not easily learned, especially if ones knowledge of poultry and showing is limited. This is often only achieved by lesser preparation of ones own birds or support of a partner. So please be patient and understanding of the stewards and organizers as without them there would be no show.
When a bird is Pen trained it displays itself at its best to the judge. A Pekin must be relaxed and calm. A Pekin that is not pen trained is fearful causing it to hold its feathers in tight, stand tall and try and escape the judges attempts to handle and observe it. A Pekin needs to be relaxed and at ease with its environment. It should look ball shaped with its head a little lower than its tail and leaning slightly foreword [otherwise known as “tilt”]. Fearful birds can flap around the cage displacing, damaging feathers or knocking over water containers, making it difficult to judge to the extent a judge may pass over it. A bird should come towards the front of the cage expectant of a reward, even to challenge the judge. Judges generally accept a bird’s misguided excesses and are aware of the Pekins natures.
A lesser quality bird, carefully prepared and trained before a show can take the judges eye to a better bird, which has not. But then winning is not everything, there are always other shows and judges and the outing, the people and the learning experience are all important. A poor looser destroys clubs and shows and contributes to the vanishing poultry fancy. Stay away from these people and don’t let them pollute your enjoyment or way of thinking. Shows are not only a way to learn and meet people with similar interests it is also a way of disposing of excess stock and acquiring new. One can also make friends with people of similar interest and new contacts for future help.
WASHING PEKINS
The final preparation for a show begins about 3 days before the show. The birds feathers should be fully mature, that is they are past the pinfeather stage and fully open. An occasional pinfeather is acceptable but your rival maybe the fully feathered bird. But then this may only be a warm up for an important show later. Immature feathers can also be damaged and cause the bird pain and bleed during the washing and drying process. Birds that have live external parasites or unwell may and should be disqualified and evicted from the show because of the risk of contaminating other birds.
Washing a bird 2 or 3 days before a show gives it time to preen the feathers back into position and ensures they are perfectly dry. The washing process needs organization and plenty of uninterrupted time. It is best to start in the morning and have the job completed by the afternoon. The more birds one has to prepare the longer and the more complicated it gets ensuring birds don’t get chilled and fights and accidents don’t happen.
Stage 1:- Preparation before washing is very important so that every thing is at hand , nothing is forgotten or one is wandering around looking for something. Plenty of old towels, at least 2 per bird. Shampoo, woolwash or some other soft soap that is a little diluted to make it spread better. Often the type of soap you use must be compatible with your water type (eg. Hardness and softness), what works well doesn’t in another water type just over the hill from the last place. An old soft tooth brush or nail brush, toothpicks, fine sand paper, toenail clippers, scissors, cotton buds for cleaning around the face, a good quality hairdryer [as cheap ones are unreliable and burn out easily], a blow heater, lots of towels, a work bench about waist high [top of washing machine is good], diluted Ricketts blue for white birds, heaters and a combustion fire in the main house helps reduce humidity which can make a bird hot but slow to dry. A warm made up solution of lice dip made at no more than the required strength; a warm room/s free of drafts to wash and dry the birds; bathrooms and laundries are good places. Other methods or tools may suit an individual better; trial and error is a great teacher.
A sink, bath or bucket is the ideal receptacles for warm water. Always ensure the water is the right temperature before applying it or dipping the bird. This temperature should be no hotter than that in a human babies bath and not allowed so cool that the bird becomes chilled. The procedure should be as short as possible to prevent chilling and reduce stress. The bird should not be that dirty if prior preparation is careful, as many stains are impossible to remove. Some times some colours look yellowish when wet but disappear after the feathers are dry.
Bleach can cause feathers to yellow and strong cleaners can cause blistering or irritation of skin and the feathers loose their softness. Dry clean towels should be close at hand to quickly wrap the bird in and also to wipe ones own face
Stage 2: - The aim of washing a bird is to remove the natural oils from the feathers so that they fluff out as much as possible. Dust and stains are also removed giving the feather its maximum sheen. Most stains are on footings and around the vent. If the vent is soiled with faecal material it must be softened and removed before the main wash, do not cut it off as one will loose the shape of the bird and it would be regarded as tampering and may cause disqualification and definitely loose points. While resting the bird on a non-slip surface [eg old towel] scrub the footings with lots of soap and water, the action of the brush must go in the direction of the feather in all cases. Don’t forget the toenails. The flight feathers of the wings may need the same treatment as the footing, especially in roosters where they are inclined to drag their feathers when they dance. Rinse off well before placing the bird in the clean bath water as if excessively stained, the dirty water will make the rest of the feathers of light coloured birds dirtier than when you started.
On the first wash the bird will float and will be difficult to wet, wetting is easier with the diluted shampoo. Be sure to hold the bird firmly so that it does not panic and flap its wings. Once the bird is totally wet it usually ceases to struggle, watch out when they do struggle as injuries to the bird or its feathers can occur, some times a rooster will droop his head, just watch out it doesn’t go under the water. Ensure all parts are wet as areas like under the wings and the breast can be missed. Avoid contact with its and your eyes and if some shampoo does enter eyes rinse out with plenty of cool water without drowning the bird, baby shampoo is often the best if worried about eyes. Rinse the bird and apply with full strength shampoo, the feathers should froth up on this second application. Do not bend feathers or force them into directions other than they were intended. Rinse the bird well as any soap left will prevent feather fluffing out to their maximum potential and causing skin irritation, running water is best but ensure the temperature is right and remains constant, to ensure this always have the water running over ones own exposed hand. It is not a good idea to use gloves because it will be too late to feel any temperature change by the time you feel it, if there is any.
After the final rinse is the time to dip the bird into the dilute, warm rickets blue, for white birds only. Be careful you don’t over do it otherwise it will have a blue tint and it is impossible to wash out. Do not apply to other coloured birds as it can ruin their sheen. This is also the time to dip the bird in the prepared solution of insecticide, do not rinse it out as it not only kills any lice the bird has but helps prevent picking up any other external parasites in the birds travels.
While inexperienced, only do one bird at a time. Once the bird is wrapped gently and firmly, but not tight as with all the weight of water breathing can be difficult in a towel, and put in a warm place then one can start the next. About 2 or 3 can be done like this, depending on how long you are taking. Never ever take your eyes off the bird you are washing and avoid distractions like the phone, cooking and young children. If one does have to leave the bird being washed ensure it is not in the water, cannot fall off the bench or get chilled, you may have to take the bird with you wrapped in a towel. The birds that are wrapped up will usually stay put.
Stage 3: - Drying a Pekin is the slowest process of all. The first towel will be quite sodden, open this out and use it for the bird to stand on. Any droppings should be covered or cleaned up to prevent soiling of feathers. The second towel is used to dry the feathers more by pressing it against the bird to soak up extra moisture. At this stage the feathers are stuck together and they won’t begin to fluff out until they start to dry. One can feel disheartened, as this bedraggled lump of feathers looks a far cry from the trusting fluffy bird one is used too. Some colours look yellowish when they shouldn’t, the colours look dull and the bird looks miserable. Be patient, gentle and don’t rush.
Blow-drying starts slowly. Care must be taken not to burn the bird. This is easily done with the blow dryer or the heater. Birds will often not move from a heat source even when physical damage is occurring. Watch out for singed feathers from birds too close too or touching heaters. Ensure birds do not jump onto heaters. Start blow-drying without moving or parting the feathers. Always have your hand in front of the blast of hot air so that you are aware of the output of heat. The temperature setting must be warm so that the bird does not chill but this doesn’t mean that the temperature will not burn. Adjust the distance of the dryer from the bird to adjust the temperature and constantly move the dryer so that it isn’t directed at one spot. Once the feathers begin to dry they start to lift and then gently stoke or manipulate them to get more movement, the dryer they get the more they start to lift. Blow-drying is best done in the opposite direction to the feathers.
Blow-drying cannot be hurried. One can move from bird to bird and back again but never leave the hot air blowing on the bird in close proximity and always check the heat or cold. It is no more difficult to wash 4 birds or one at this stage; in fact it is more interesting. During this time one can attend to manicuring beaks and toes and closer attention to face. The toothpicks are handy for removing any dirt from toenails; this should have been softened from the bathing. If the birds start panting it means the humidity is high and the drying is not as efficient as it could be. Ventilation like a door ajar or the bathroom ventilator can be turned on and off but ensure the birds are not getting chilled by cold drafts. Treats can be offered like whole grain, small parrot mix, bread and cheese. Laying hens will be especially hungry. Once birds start to take an interest in their surrounding supervision should be increased, as hens will start fighting hens and roosters fighting roosters. Separating them to different parts of the room help and by placing a hen between each rooster. Water should also be offered and ensure it is not knocked over. A constant check for droppings helps as otherwise they can mess up footings and lower feathers if birds are walking through them. Don’t forget your own needs and it is great if someone can supply sandwiches and drinks
Beaks and toenails may be given a light sanding to shape them. Toe nail clippers maybe needed to reduce excess length then finished with sand paper, ensuring they are not shortened too much – this may cause bleeding and in the case of the beak loss of aesthetics. A little sanding may help the upper and lower beak sit in place better. Spurs on roosters also need attention, do not do any major shortening at this stage but it is good to round them off and polish them up with the sandpaper. Wattles may look a little flakey and dull but these will be attended to on the morning of the show as it involves a light rubbing of oil and if done at this stage will get onto feathers reducing the fluffiness.
The scissors are to be used to trim the roosters’ eyebrows. I am told that this enhances their facial features. Basically it is the only modification one can do to a bird. Trim the feathers above the eye and against the comb so it is just stubble. If you are unsure of what to do, don’t do it until at the show and observe the other birds or don’t do it at all. White and blue birds can have the occasional black feather pulled out however it cannot be done if it is a flight feather. Feet feathers will bleed. If a black has white in under feathers try to hide them by arranging the upper black feathers to cover them but this is best done when you are penning them on show day.
Birds may not be totally dry until the next day, so it is important to dry them as much as possible before returning them to cages containing clean litter and fresh food and water. These cages may need to be covered with blankets to restrict drafts. If you are fortunate enough to have a sunny day the birds can be allowed to finish off in the sun. Shows can be in the winter and one can usually bet on washing day it will be cold and miserable. Spot cleaning maybe needed especially around the vent area and footings. To prevent moist droppings it is best to include plenty of grains in the diet and avoid high protein foods such as meat and lay mash and avoid fresh greens especially if they have not had them on a very regular basis prior to washing.
Stage 4:- show day is the culmination of all ones efforts. The box that you take your birds to the show in can be as simple as a cardboard box or a cat carry cage or an elaborate home made box. There should be plenty of shavings on the floor and it should be big enough to take one bird comfortably. Ensure that there are plenty of air holes and if it is not in the main car area with you, ensure that ventilation is good, it is secure in place, lids are closed properly and they are not exposed to inclement weather, fumes or heat. And the same care should be taken for the trip home, even if you didn’t win. Unless you know your birds very well do not put more than one in a box as what comes out of it may not be the same as went in.
It will be necessary to ask the steward which pen/s your birds will be in. Bring with you a little box with a little bottle of oil tightly shut, an old clean silk cloth, some bread and other food your birds are fond of, a little bit of sand paper, a wash cloth a little soap, cotton buds and if you have a hen that is laying ensure some shell grit. I also like to bring a photocopy of my original entry. These things vary from individual to individual. Some things are for an emergency clean up but time for drying maybe limited so do your best to avoid such a situation. The tiniest little bit of oil, (take care, some oils burn, eg. Olive oil will cause skin to peal a few days after show – not good if other shows coming up) can be rubbed into the red area of the face and the beak to brighten them up, especially if the skin is a little dry. Wipe the bird with a silk cloth from head to tail as this helps give the feathers a glossy sheen and sets them in shape. Give the birds a treat but keep them expectant enough to show interest in the judge. Always provide water but ensure it is not spilt and wash the container first to ensure there are no unknowns residing in it. Wood shavings are usually supplied, if birds are not familiar with them they will either try eating them or be reluctant to enter the cage and be uneasy with them, so prior experience with them is important. Do not put any thing in the pen that may identify the bird as yours. Everything should be supplied except food (this is supplied in shows that are more than one day). Ensure you record the number of your pen to prevent any confusion later. Leg bands are sometimes allowed.
Watch others and ask for advice. For every exhibitor there is a different technique for their show preparation. Be prepared to modify and change your technique. Observe the prize getters and their owners carefully. Compare Pekin bantams to Pekin bantams and remember there are not only different requirements for different breeds but also in different colours. Don’t accept anything said as gospel truth. Try new techniques with care and either on one bird or long before the show on a bird that is not a show hope, as mistakes are often difficult to undo. Some birds or lines show better at different ages and this also depends on colour as well as maturity. To quote W. F. Entwistle, page 38 in his classic book ”Bantams”, “Many splendid two-year-old birds were but narrow as cockerels, and short of cushion”.
Birds become more used to showing the more they get but they do get tired and will not be at their best if shown too much. Good diets and adequate water are very important to maintain the vigour of the birds during the show season, even at the risk of the bird getting a little fat. Birds are old hands by the next years show season. One can help by not making the experience stressful. Always treat your birds with the same care and respect after the show as before it, there is no excuse not to. Never expect birds to get on together once they return from shows, especially roosters. Many an owner has dumped their birds back into the main flock and come back to find a bloody mess. Don’t expect top fertility at first from birds returning from a busy show season. It is a good idea to quarantine birds for a week or two well away from your other birds, especially if they were at a show longer than a day. It is not uncommon for them to bring home some kind of flu being in contact with so many birds from so many different places. If this is a worry, don’t show them or sell them at the show thus they don’t come home, even if they win.
IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH MY BIRD?
Some birds look obviously sick and some need very careful observation that can be imperative to successful early treatment. However to a beginner a healthy behaviour may be diagnosed as abnormal or the sick bird may be overlooked and the death of a bird is a sudden unexplained phenomenon of a stiff lifeless pile of feathers at the bottom of the cage. Sometimes one knows the bird is not well but one is unable to describe the symptoms either through lack of knowledge of what to look for or how to describe them. Sometimes there is only a gut feeling that the bird is not right. The following chapter is not how to diagnose an illness or heal your bird but how to notice an abnormality and describe it so that you can consult a vet or book or someone who maybe able to give advice. Early detection is essential if a birds’ life or the flocks’ health is to be maintained.
The following are obvious symptoms that one can look for; they do not always go together, the bird may not be sick only cold or miserable, but it may be a sign that your bird is not feeling well. Always be alert for them and allow for time to sit and watch your birds. The birds should be observed in their normal environment first so that they are acting as natural as possible, then closer examination can follow after the bird is caught with the minimum of stress. A bird stressed by rough handling or changing the environment may not reveal its true symptoms. Night time maybe the best time to remove a bird when the whole flock has settled, flapping squawking birds is not conducive to trust and relaxation.
First look at the head. Pale face and wattles, maybe comb drooping when it does not usually droop or wattles very dark red, almost black, eyes dull or sunken or slightly wild looking. A discharge from the nostrils or bits of food or other things stuck around the nostril opening, lesions such as scabs, spots or dried blood on the face, eyes closed or the flicking of the head. Maybe the head appears to be enlarged and rounder or sunken and elongated, the feathers on the top of the head maybe standing up a little more than usual.
Watch the birds’ behaviour. A bird that stands off alone hunched up or remains on the perch should be regarded with suspicion. Watch to see if the bird is interested in food, pushing others around, which is healthy or being pushed around itself sifting uninterestedly through its food [bad], actively foraging or preening itself [good] or hunched up with ruffled feathers [bad]. Is it standing on one leg, are its eyes closed, has it tucked its head into its wing, is it sitting or standing? Is it panting or gasping or has rasping breathing? Is its behaviour in anyway different to usual? Watch to see if it is flicking its head, sneezing or coughing. Does the bird appear to be straining as if to pass an egg or has it been sitting on the nest for longer than it reasonably should and does not appear to be broody? How does the bird walk, does it drag a leg or limp? A lot of symptoms cannot be noticed with a quick look around the yard once a day when you change the feed and water, if they are then they may very well have been there for a lot longer. These symptoms may only be due to stress due to bullying and if not looked into will result in a sick bird.
Look around the pen and at the birds. Are their feathers littering the place, does it feel hot or cold and draughty, is it damp or wet and muddy, does the pen smell bad or musty or dusty? Is the water still clean when you come to change it or do you wait till it’s contaminated, the same with the feed? Is the feed clean and dry or damp and musty, are the birds eating it and if so do they like it? Are they laying, and are the eggs normal in shape and texture? Have they got enough room? Do you feel itchy after visiting the pen? Are there signs of rats or mice, do the wild birds come in? These are some of the things one should know about your pen, which may help explain problems that have or may occur and is helpful for diagnosis.
If a birds behaviour or appearance appears suspicious in any way check it more closely. In fact one should routinely physically check all your birds, at least once a week - randomly if you cannot check all of them. Handle the bird carefully and never upside-down by the legs. Hold the legs firmly with the hand that is under the breast and restrain the wings from flapping with the other hand. Wait until the bird has calmed, if possible, before proceeding further and if necessary stop regularly to calm it and talking gently to it seems to help. It is best to do this in a bright light with your glasses on if you need them. Check the feathers around the vent are clean and not stuck with faecal material. Feel the weight and develop an idea of what a normal weight should be. If necessary compare weights to what you regard as a healthy bird of the same age, sex, breed and cycle of laying. Check for mites and lice and lice eggs on the feathers and skin that can be especially found around the neck or vent feathers. Check the condition of the feathers; are they hard and dull or soft and glossy? Are there lots of pinfeathers, which will indicate the bird is moulting, check to see if the pen is littered with feathers, moulting can be an excuse for a bird to be off colour. Look for injuries cuts, scabs, growths or other unknown entities. Does the bird smell bad? Does it smell all over or worst around its beak? Is there any thing unusual inside its mouth? Look under the feet and check areas for swellings, scabs, inflammation, does one foot feel hotter than the other? Is the beak over grown, the face gaunt and narrow compared to other healthy birds? Check the nostrils, are they clean and open and no little mites running in and out.
The next decision is to isolate the bird from the others. If in any way one thinks the bird has an illness that could spread to the others isolate it in a cage well away from other birds, however if one feels the bird needs to be isolated for other reasons such as bullying or injury then the isolation cage can remain in the same pen. If the bird needs treating for lice or worms then it is pointless isolating it and treating it alone, as the whole pen needs to be done. Ensure there is clean food and water in the isolation pen at all times and it is of an even temperature, warm and free of draught however if a bird is suffering heat stroke it will need to be kept cool. By isolating the bird one can observe it further, even if one is not sure whether one has a problem or not or there is not time at the moment to give it a through examination.
Once the bird is in isolation one can be more observant of symptoms. If the bird takes an overwhelming dislike to its confinement then the cage will need to be covered. Ensure the birds’ environment is quiet and comfortable away from disturbing influences such as other pets, children, noise and activities that may cause fright.
A light bulb can supply heat but allow the bird the ability to move closer or away from the warmth. Otherwise one will have to judge if the bird is too hot or too cold. Newspaper is a good floor cover unless the bird has difficulty keeping its legs under it, otherwise a clean rag will be comfortable and enable the bird to grip and not slip causing its legs to splay out. Ensure food and water dishes are placed where the bird will not trample in them, foul them or wet itself or the cage, however ensure that the bird can reach them if necessary. If the bird is calm enough or cannot see, gently dip its beak into the water.
Obviously unwell birds should be brought inside where one can keep a constant vigilance, unless there are too many or there is other hospital type accommodation. Note whether the bird is frightened or calling for it’s mates {chickens will do this} or if it is uninterested in its surrounds. If the bird is wet and filthy one may need to quickly wash and dry it. It is very easy to see is whether it will eat or drink. Wet bread or a treat one knows the bird would normally find irresistible is a good test. Usually birds will start to eat and drink if they have been deprived of food or once they start to feel more comfortable, for example warm and dry and away from birds that are being aggressive. This does depend on how adaptable the bird is to its new circumstances, its nature and severity of illness. And just because it is eating and drinking does not mean it is on the road to recovery or it won’t be worse or dead next morning. For your own comfort and that of the bird if it is lice or mite infested it is best to delouse it, trying not to cause the bird any more stress and discomfort.
Another very important observation to make is the bird’s droppings. Because the bird is isolated one knows that they belong to that bird alone. Observe the colour; are they green, white, red, black or other? What is the consistency, are they white and minimal or pasty, are they runny or thick, lumpy, wormy, tarry. Does the bird produce a lot of droppings or barely any? Are they sticking to the feathers around the vent, in this case ensuring the vent area isn’t clogged and the bird is able to pass faeces freely. Is there something like an egg blocking the way of the vent? Is the bird straining?
There are other important points to consider when observing a bird. What is its age –2days, 2 weeks, 8 weeks, point of lay, 1year, 2 years, 8 years? Weight, age, breed and sex are also important. Where did the bird come from, was it vaccinated, what treatments has it had, has it had any treatments lately? What changes have there been for example; food, water, climate [heatwave or cold snap] visitors, pets, new birds brought in? Has anything been happening to neighbours birds, have you visited someone else’s birds recently and they don’t have to be poultry, has a bird been to a show or school “show and tell”, how is the health of the wild birds? Has there been any spraying around for example aerial or local? Has there been any rat baits used? Are you using a different batch of wood shavings? There are so many things to consider.
This chapter was not written to answer questions but to create them. It has been written to encourage observation of your poultry, to help eradicate ignorance, to put power in the hands of the poultry owner, to allay anxiety and to create it. Never take anything for granted like the health of your birds because you feel you have done every thing right. Do not take for granted your right to keep birds. Beware one day we may have restrictions due to the advent of so called new animal diseases and their cross over to humans or perceived contamination to our export industries. Our political leaders are only too quick to put limitations on our rights or order the eradication of whole areas of birds regardless of there rarity, there strain or our hurt. Ignorance is a dangerous state of mind leading to manipulation and control by those who may not be less ignorant.
SAVING A SICK BIRD:-
The first question; will I try to save it? If the answer is no it would probably be best to take it to a vet or animal carer or euthanasia it if it appears in too much misery and the prospects of its survival are slim. If the answer is yes there are a number of things you can do, again take it to a vet or animal carer, or make its life comfortable and do nothing and see if it lives by its own defence mechanisms or actively try and this can involve working with a vet or your own ability.
In some cases it may not be worth saving a bird. The cost and time are not the only factors. Some birds may end up with debilitating handicaps making them useless for breeding, vulnerable to other illness, the problem reoccurring or constant care and supervision, for example damaged hips, blindness, badly damaged beaks and so on.
So if we are going to try even if it requires that heart ach of loosing the battle here are a few tips. They are also useful if a vet trip has to wait a few days and if consulting a vet do it as early as possible as they don't need the handicap of starting behind the eight ball and they will probably charge you anyhow.
The first thing to do is assess the problem if possible. This can be categorized into illness or injury [one can cause the other]. Then the bird needs to be placed in a box or cage away from bright light, quiet and free from disturbances of other animals, pets and children. The cage/box needs to be dry, clean, warm and comfortable and ensure the animal does not injure itself by trying to escape, if it is energetic.
In many cases it is worth trying to save a bird, for example in the case of fowl pox. This is a virus that generally only strikes once in the lifetime of the bird after which the bird develops an immunity. If one bird has it you can expect all the birds, which have not had it to get it as biting insects, and the eating of infected material like scabs passes it. The typical symptoms are scabs covering the unfeathered parts of the bird and they are different to injury scabs in that when it is removed it looks very similar to a wart. Sometimes an out break can be mild, other times very severe with lesions covering the mouth, throat, beak, legs and eyes and the bird must be cared for through its illness.
Vaccinations can be obtained from local vets if one is fearful of infection of birds as it can quickly spread through a neighbourhood in vectors such as mosquitos and wild doves. For more information one can refer to one of the many books on poultry disease.
If the bird is wet and filthy it may need to be washed in warm soapy water in the sink. The job should be as quick and efficient as possible and in no way allowing the animal to chill. Towel dry and blow-dry with a normal hairdryer or blow heater or put beside a heat source under close supervision until dry. Watch that the bird is not scalded in any of this process and don't allow children to do it. Be careful not to aggravate any injury. While the feathers are wet injuries can be seen on the skin where otherwise a dry feather would cover it. Look for purplish or red tinges of the skin or other lesions or even ticks. Sometimes it is not advisable to use strong chemicals to remove parasites if a bird is very weak.
Ensure nostrils, eyes and face are cleared of any mucus with a wet cotton bud and vents are cleaned of all faecal material. Do not use the same cleaning tool on the vent area as the eyes or on wounds. Clean the healthy /unaffected/clean areas before the dirty or infected areas. Clean any wounds, if needed, with a clean cloth or cotton bud soaked in mildly salty water that has not been used on any other part of the bird. This prevents spread of infection or contamination. Oils and dirt should dissolve in a mild soap or shampoo. Keep soap out of eyes and rinse eyes well with cool water if it does get in them. Ensure the bird is rinsed well in warm water to remove all soap. The bathroom sink is the best place with the door closed and heating if possible. Do not allow the bird to flap and panic as this causes further injury and stress and decreases the likelihood of survival. See the chapter on show preparation for washing a bird.
Treatment of injury can be very difficult without expert help. Many things are involved in the decision to attempt the job yourself. Firstly if the animal has lost blood, broken a bone, had tissue damaged and exposed to the environment, how long it has been injured and so on. Infection is probably your worst enemy. Even if the animal appears to be responding to treatment infection can kill. Any break in the skin will allow germs in. On the other hand a bird can recover from seemingly terrible injuries. Often to get access to antibiotics a trip to the vet is necessary. If using antibiotics from around the house remember the issues of making diseases resistant to antibiotics through improper use and also certain antibiotics are designed for specific infections, for example some are more useful for respiratory disease rather than wound infection.
Whether the bird is being treated with antibiotics, splints, stitches, injuries or illness the basic care is straight foreword but not simple. Keep the bird calm- reduce stress to a minimum, ensure warmth as the ability to maintain normal body temperature is impaired, keeping up adequate fluids and nutrition is important to prevent dehydration and energy to repair and maintain body function.
The first hurdle is whether the bird survives the first night. The second hurdle is if the bird can drink, then eat, by itself. It is a matter of keeping the bird alive from one day to the next. Treatment must be consistent and constant. One cannot go away for 8 hours and come back and expect the patient to be recovering unless the bird is at least looking after most of its own needs like eating and drinking and receiving the right dose of antibiotics at the right time. Wound treatment at the right time may also be important. If you cannot supply the time then maybe it is an idea not to attempt to help the bird.
To keep a bird calm and warm it may be necessary to provide heating and low light. It is important that a sick bird can sleep. An electric light is ideal for keeping a bird warm but in this case it may need to shine on the outside of a box or such so that the heat can diffuse into it. Warm places, such as a cupboard that contains the hot water system, or a box beside the fireplace are useful. In all these cases ensure safety, which is you don't want the house to burn down or the bird to over heat, cook or suffocate. Chickens, especially the very young or small birds are very prone to heat loss.
Ensuring the bird is getting adequate nutrition and fluids is the next important hurdle. A bird maybe blind due to swelling, scabs or eye infection or just unwilling to feed and drink by itself hence force maybe necessary. The process of forcing a bird to do anything is going to cause stress and could cause more injury or choking. Treatment must be done efficiently, quickly and with care. It is a skill and like all skills it is learned with practice and there must always be a first time to start. Use common sense but the chances of failure are there. But again I stress if you don't try you won't learn and what you learn now adds to what you learn next time and last time and one day you may win more than you loose and it maybe a win on that certain bird that is special.
The most important thing a bird can do is drink. They will survive much longer without food but not without water. Dipping a bird's beak in a water dish may be all that is needed to get it to drink. Another trick, especially for little chicks is to dip your finger in water and allow the water droplet to run off onto the beak. If the bird responds by a moving its upper and lower beak together keep doing it until the bird rejects it. One may then also introduce the water dish to see if it will now drink. Encourage the bird to drink every half hour or so if the bird does not appear to be helping itself. Check the droppings. Bird urine is the white part of the droppings and water is expelled as fluid so if the bird is regularly expelling watery white droppings one can be relatively sure that it is taking adequate fluids. Although take care white pasty droppings is an illness in its self.
Do not introduce rich foods at first. The best food to start with is wet bread. The wetness not only provides fluids but also helps the bird swallow the food without it sticking in the throat. If you need to force feed the bird, and this is the case if it will not or cannot eat by itself, roll the wet bread into a small loose ball of suitable size to the bird size and by holding the birds head still with one hand and with the thumb of that hand or the other hand which should be holding the bread, force the beak open and pop the ball at the back of the throat on top of the tongue. If the bird swallows, offer a piece for it to eat itself, if it refuses continue force-feeding. If the bird 'spits' it out try again and push the ball right into the back of the throat. Ensure you do not squeeze the bird to hard or open its beak wider than it ought to go. Start with feeding a small amount, say two or three small balls of bread then wait half an hour and try again.
Useful tools are eyedroppers and syringes. They are available from a chemist in various sizes, from 1ml to 50 mls. Do not use the needle of the syringe and this is detachable. The plunger should move freely so as one does not squirt too much at a time at too high velocity, a drop of vegetable oil will free it up. This can be used to supply medications such as antibiotics and wormers, food in a paste form and water. Hold the bird firmly to reduce struggling, tilt the birds head back at about 45 degrees and apply the tip of the syringe from the side of the beak with the tip of the syringe to the back of the throat and above the tongue. Some syringes do not have small protrusions at the end, which makes this more difficult. Apply small amounts at a time and allow time for the bird to recover between doses. Wipe away excess especially around the nostrils. If the bird’s skin on its face suddenly goes dark then it is not getting enough oxygen and you will need to modify your technique. Ensure all implements are cleaned properly with warm soapy water between feeds and more lubrication may be needed to the plunger.
It is important to feel the crop to determine that the bird is getting fed. When the crop is empty you cannot feel it. When it is full it is a hard ball at the front of the bird just to one side below where the neck joins the body. When the crop is palpated [gently manipulated] with experience one can tell if it has grain in it, watery, impacted [will not empty] and so on. It is a skill that should be learned and used all the time to assess the general health of all your birds; it goes hand in hand with observing droppings. Depending on the time of day, one can assess whether the bird has been and how much it has been eating, and if it hasn't one should want to know why.
In the case of a sick bird do not fill the crop. It depends on the size, age and illness of a bird as to how much, how often and what you feed it. If the crop is empty some time after feeding then the bird can be fed again, especially if it appears to be hungry. By encouraging the bird to feed itself the bird will regulate its own intake. A bird can be fed every 2- 4 hours but if the crop is not emptying desist, it may not be well enough yet or you have another problem like an impacted crop or digestive system upset.
The usefulness of feeding wet bread has other benefits, for example vitamins and electrolytes [a special solution that can be provided by vets to help with loss of blood, stress or dehydration] dissolved in the water used to wet the bread can be administered. Antibiotic powder can be put into the centre of the ball and higher nutrient value food like mixtures to raise baby parrots can be added to it. Birds often favour bread over other foods and if only for the kilojoules and nothing else, the important thing is to get the bird to eat and then worry about nutrition.
Adding medications and vitamins to drinking water is not an accurate way of administering them. This is because a bird may be too ill to drink much, finds water elsewhere or is not thirsty enough to consume an adequate dose. An alternative method to the above is empty gelatine capsules that can be bought from chemists and health food stores, these can have the powdered medication inserted into them and dampened so they are slippery. Place it at the back of the throat and it slides down very simply.
Eventually it is important to get a bird to eat and drink by itself. By leaving food and water with it {ensuring it does not drown, wet itself or surrounds or foul it} which may encourage the bird to take them for itself. Even a blind bird will attempt to feed itself and in this case always use the same containers with the same feed or water and in the same place. Encourage the bird to eat and drink before forcing it even if the process is very slow.
Talking gently to the bird sweet nothing is also helpful. Talking can announce your presence without causing fright and the bird will usually cotton on that you are there to help, unless the experience is unpleasant. It is so important to develop trust and once developed it is so easy to loose. If you have to do something unpleasant try to reward the bird with some favourite food or something it likes.
When treating wounds or eyes ensure strict hygiene, for example treat the cleaner areas before the more infected or dirtier areas. When swabbing [washing] use disposable cotton buds throwing each one away after one swab. The best cleaning agent is slightly salty warm water and again never reusing the solution but making a fresh batch after each session of bathing. Bathing wounds or eyes maybe necessary every 2 hours at first reducing to 4 then as necessary.
Never let faecal material build up around vents. On very small chickens it maybe necessary to pull feathers out [with care so as not to tear the skin] so as to ensure free passage of faeces. Washing the feathers is often useless in this case especially if they are tiny. Some times birds get too weak to defecate properly or are very fluffy and the build up will cause blockage. Yes it maybe an unpleasant job but it maybe the difference between a survivor or a dead bird. On very fluffy birds it is best to cut away the feathers carefully and as close to the skin as possible, they'll grow back with the next moult.
I like to worm and remove external parasites of a bird I am going to try and save. This is because parasites are draining on the energy of the bird that is needed for recovery, and may very well be the cause of the problem. Also parasites can get out of control when a bird is handicapped by illness and external parasites can cause unpleasant irritation to both nurse and patient. It is best to single dose a bird with an oral wormer with the syringe technique I described before. If the bird has had to be washed then an appropriate solution should be used in the final dip. Be careful of powders, which will be inhaled, in a confined environment and sprays that wet the bird and could cause chilling. Remember the bird's condition is compromised so it will be very vulnerable to over dosing or anything else one would expect a normal healthy bird to cope with.
Remember the earlier the bird is recognized to be unwell, the earlier treatment can start. Early treatment means the bird does not loose energy that it will need to fight the illness, develop complications like other infections or spread the illness to others. It also may mean that other birds can be treated before symptoms start, for example worms and fowl pox (here vaccinations can be applied).
Moving house can be one of the most traumatic times of ones life, it is said to be second only to a death in the family. It can be a very occasional event or it can be as regular as clockwork. The stress of packing, cleaning and organizing meals and kids alone is traumatic enough, let alone organizing schooling, transport, power, phone, water, a home, a divorce, illness and all the unplanned not to mention planned events. Organizing ones pets let alone keeping and moving the chooks [which seem to come a long way down the importance scale to many people] is a whole entity in itself. The following is useful in transporting Pekins anywhere.
First one must decide the number of birds to come too. At times sacrifices have to be made, unless one is moving to somewhere where there are sufficient pens and the moving process can cater for the numbers. A nucleus breeding flock can expand to as many as you like once the move has been made. It is a good idea that spares are available from disposed stock in case an important bird such as your only rooster is lost or proves useless.
A breeding flock is useless without a rooster and if it is a line bred or a special strain, you need to keep a related rooster. So if the rooster/s has to come too here are some things to think about. A nucleus flock need not carry an adult rooster but a number of chicken roosters for lots of reasons; for example chickens are less obvious, one may have to get permission off a local council to keep them, roosters are noisy in caravan parks and hotel rooms, they draw unwanted attention, they can cause a nuisance if they are adolescent and need a separate pen and sometimes it is best to slowly adjust the new neighbours to a rooster in the neighbourhood. In some cases it is better to choose an older proven rooster rather than a cockerel, but if you feel the older rooster will not cope well to the stresses of the trip it maybe better to stick to the younger. The older may be satisfactory if he has had a few changes in his life like shows or school show and tell or previous owners, also if it is not too long a trip or he is just an easy-going fellow. Don’t put adult roosters together as they will not get on and the extra stress is not needed and could result in tragedy and or divorce.
Hens are just as necessary as roosters but in some cases not necessary if one thinks one can acquire new female stock at your destination. One rooster can cover many hens resulting in a greater increase in your flock than if you had just brought along a few hens and using a new rooster instead. But then again if one wants to keep a strain pure or not fiddle around with recreating a line it may be best to bring both sexes.
The broody hen and the hen with chickens can come along too. I prefer proven broodies. You may need to swap eggs to a more reliable hen, even if you don’t really want to have her too. Ensure she is settled into her transportable nest at least 3 days before the trip. It is best to move her at night but if not cover her box with a heavy cloth, allowing ventilation but minimum light. It is best to keep her in the car rather than be jiggled around in a trailer where the eggs will be ruined (also known as addled). If a trip is longer than 24 hours it may be necessary to allow the hen off the nest to eat drink and empty her bowels. Hopefully she is a tame hen otherwise everything becomes more difficult and one requires exceptional knowledge of poultry behaviour and patience if any hope of success is to be achieved. A Pekin or Silkie bantam hen can usually be allowed to have a scratch around in a break in the journey because of their placid natures, and then scooped up and put in her box after 15 minutes and covered up. A wilder hen will need a holding cage or not allowed relief at all. If you are not prepared to muck around with unfolding problems don’t do a long trip with a broody hen.
The greatest risk of a hen with chickens [and they must be her own hatched] is the probability of her accidentally crushing them. It may be best to keep the chicks separate say in a small box near to the mother so that they can hear each other, ensure they are comfortable and warm if necessary. Again if the trip is long they must have a chance to eat a drink and see their mother. Chickens should be checked regularly and if possible kept in the car with you so as one can hear by their cheeping or regularly checking that all is well. Chicks are more vulnerable than adult birds and the vehicle is a safer environment for reasons that it is dry, you are more inclined to be aware of the temperature and you can hear and check on them.
Be aware that hens can be just as obnoxious to each other as roosters are, even if they have appeared to tolerate each other before the trip. Older birds can make life unpleasant especially to younger birds even immature cockerels can get a hiding from an older hen. Some breeds are worse than others and Pekins can rank amongst them. Some birds can behave quite out of character when under stress. Try to ensure if possible that birds are relatively compatible It may be a good idea to take an extra cage in case an emergency separation is needed or keep them all separated to prevent the unpleasant event of a scalped bird or two. Darkness and nighttime travel helps prevent this but ensure adequate ventilation.
To move poultry one must plan at least a week before hand, if not longer, especially if one is reducing to a basic nucleus flock. It is helpful if thoughts are put down on paper so a plan can be developed. The birds that one chooses must be healthy. Sick birds will probably get worse with the stress of travel and changing homes and pass their disease to the others, also consider you maybe introducing a disease into a new area. Try and stipulate the minimum and maximum number one needs to take as for sure the list will grow. The distance to travel, the size of the new destination, the available facilities, cost and the type of transport, are all influential factors on the number of birds that can logically be moved.
Before culling the birds decide which birds are to be kept and categorize and separate them all into at least three groups; those that are definitely coming, those that I would like to take and those that I will have to get rid of. Note that I don’t say want to get rid of as like most of us when considering taking the chooks one wants to take the lot and these decisions can be extremely hard and stressful especially when other members of the family add their input. Organize this long before the sale as you maybe changing your mind from minute to minute, removing birds from one pen and putting them back in another. When selling birds remember the need is to get rid of them so asking what you regard as a realistic price may not be sensible. Do not in this case let buyers come in and ‘pick the eyes’ out of your stock, as you will be left with all the rubbish and the roosters. It is best to sell them as a group and be prepared to negotiate on price. Before the sale ensure all birds out of group one and two are well away from group three- the birds you are going to sell. Once they are all sold then one can look at what not to keep out of the next group, if any. These you may sell off in bits and pieces or give to friends and acquaintances, who may offer them back or send you some eggs at some time. Remember these special people are few and far between and it is often the most unlikely of them who will do this favour and you often wish you had given them a better bird. One of the tricks is do not rely on one or two people.
Organizing the cages is the next important thing. The longer the time travelled the less over crowded the birds should be. One must take into consideration food, water and cleanliness. The mode of transport also influences the type of cage one will use for example a home made wire cage will not do on a plane, a pet pack used for a cat, dog or puppy is desirable here but check first with the appropriate airline authorities as birds need exactly the same care as puppies and kittens. It would be a good idea to supply food in the cage, an empty water dish and simple care instructions visible through a water proof clear cover attached to the cage with emergency contact numbers as well as flight numbers and destination.
It is best to have the birds travel inside the car with you, not in the boot please unless you have a split seat that can be left down to ensure the environment of the car is the same as the boot. If birds are to travel in a trailer ensure they are not exposed to the elements or the draft. Ensure tarps are secure, do not leak, supply enough ventilation [not toxic exhaust fumes from your vehicle] and don’t flap. Netting such as old fish net secured over the tarp should prevent flapping. Make sure the birds do not over heat or suffer heat loss under the tarp and check regularly. It is important the cages are packed in such a way that inspection and access are easy otherwise it becomes too inconvenient or difficult to provide adequate care. It is not a good idea that the birds travel with the removalist unless one is sure they will be looked after.
The back of a container truck can get very hot and animals can die a very horrible death, it is best they travel in the cab and ensure the driver is aware of the animals needs, a list the same to that attached to an airline cage would be helpful.
Never leave animals in an unattended car unless all windows are down and you can be sure of the temperatures, as not only can a vehicle get extremely hot in a very short time so it can get cold. Always be sure animals will not be forgotten. It is best to park vehicles under shady trees or other cover on rest breaks and consider their needs before your own. Even on a short trip.
The longer the trip the more thought must go into the care and comfort of the birds. When weather is hot the birds will need to drink more but water slops and is easy to spill in a moving vehicle. This can end up with wet uncomfortable cages and no water to drink. It may be import to take more regular stops or to take longer stops to attend to their needs, consider this part of your own rest stops to reduce driver fatigue.
Some sort of cage floor covering will be needed. News paper is easy to change, wood shavings soak up wet droppings, keeps the bird cleaner, reduces smell and does not need changing very often but it can be thrown out of the cage very easily by a bird scratching and ending up everywhere or needing a top up. Beware when using hay as there maybe restrictions on its movement due to the spread of weed seeds. A cage with a wire floor could be useful to put on some grass during comfort stops but may not be suitable for the rigours of confinement over a long period of time.
Last and not least is the actual leaving the old place and arriving at the new. While all the other activities of moving are going on the chooks that are coming too should not be in a situation that they are stressed. If possible let them go about their usual activities until the time to be loaded. I like to leave them to the very last thing whether they are the last load or the last thing to be loaded for the journey [and because they are the last to be loaded they are first unloaded, easily accessed so the first to be attended to at each rest point or on arrival]. Make sure you have planned long before where and how they will be travelling and allocate space accordingly. It is not a good idea for them to travel on someone’s lap over long distances If possible put birds in their travel boxes/cages the night before if departing in the morning, the earlier the start the better, and load them at the last minute making sure not to forget them. They should be rested, watered and fed before commencement of the trip. Ensure you have adequate food and water in sealed containers, including dishes to put these in when attending the birds, loaded again in an easy and accessible and remembered place. Some food can be scattered in the cage but it is best to keep containers out of the cage until rest stops. Some times birds can get car sick but I have never seen a Pekin get as car sick as a pelican which will vomit every where.
On arrival it is not necessary to put birds in their new pens as long as they can be cared for and are comfortable as possible in their present quarters. Never ever assume anything. New pens must be checked for their suitability. The predator situation must be assessed. It maybe necessary to put birds back in their travel cages at night for a time. It is a good idea to have the birds within sight and hearing distance so that if there is any commotion it can quickly be investigated, some times it is just something harmless but unfamiliar.
Maybe one would be more relaxed if birds were kept inside at night or on verandas until the situation is made safe. Treat with suspicion dogs that wander around, dogs will often come back and destroy cages and birds right under your nose without a sound being made. Check for poisons, discarded rat baits and look at the lie of the land – have you just put them in a low lying area or potential drain where in a sudden down pour they will be flooded? Watch out for dead branches in trees that could fall on cages during a storm or for no reason at all The sun will move during the day and with the change in seasons so take account of this. Potential predators are about at night and day, for example birds like hawks, kookaburras and butcher birds to name a few are about in the day and can be very curious and may need training. Night time predators maybe around, some that one may never have heard about before let alone have experience with, for example pythons, quolls, owls, foxes, dogs and cats. Ask the neighbours what to expect and maybe they can suggest common protection methods used in the area. Be aware of the affects of a sudden climate change due to a change in locality, for example sever storms. It can take a year or more before one becomes familiar to the idiosyncrasies of a new place. The extremes in weather can be the simplicity of a downfall of rain like in the tropics where 200mls fall in an hour or over night. After all the struggle of bringing your birds with you it would be a shame to loose them now.
Each move has its own set of hurdles, always plan for the unknown and be prepare to adapt, improvise and make changes. Making everything as simple as possible helps this. Always remain calm and attend to the birds’ needs. Even the best made plans can go wrong so don’t forget a plan “B” and “C”. Having a box of chickens or a trio of your favourites that are happy and healthy are easier to look after on the trip and on arrival at the new home than a ute load of miserable chooks and an unhappy family wandering how everything could get so bad. It is no different than taking your cat or dog or cockatoo really and there is nothing like settling in to your new home than with your familiar pets and hobbies.
. CONCLUSION:-
This has been a very long but nowhere near complete book on Pekin bantams. A lot of it can be applied to other breeds but the Pekin does have a personality and needs all of its own and makes a wonderful pet for old and young alike. We when we were a family enjoyed our Pekins for a number of years with many memorable photos and characters. I have not touched on the showing of Pekins, as this has not been one of our success stories, perhaps because of our distractions with their irresistible personalities and their fascinating range of colours. I have avoided health and medication because treatments change over time and I feel every pet owner should have a basic book on health of their pets and I have recommended one. Many a time there have been over a hundred Pekins in the yard [acreage]. Roosters usually have their separate territories, which we often have to supervise otherwise they are relegated to individual cages but not too far from the activities of the others. Family groups roam around among the trees. Rogue young roosters may prowl around looking for hens unsupervised by their harem leader. Even if these little young devils are given wives of their own, they are still off causing trouble somewhere else, while another rooster is harassing his hens and I’m rushing out side to sort out the situation. But as they mature they become very sensible and faithful to their wives, most of the time – unless the hens are all broody – finding nests or titbits, guarding against predators or rogue roosters and helping in rearing of chickens – even if they aren’t the same breed or species.
I hope this book is only used as the beginning of a long and engaging affair with the Pekin bantam. Even if they are just kept as pets or you extend out to showing them. I’ve tried to illustrate it with lots of different photos because as the old saying goes a picture paints a thousand words. Most aren’t of show birds, perfect in stature and in colour and lots are not as good as their photo implies. I have tried to illustrated the book and write it for ordinary people with ordinary facilities and ordinary aspirations. There is still a lot more than this to find out but the basics are here. One begins learning by bringing the first bird home. Enjoy.
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