Our poultry expert Georg Welker not only takes care of the composition of our poultry feed program but has also been a passionate breeder of various poultry breeds for more than 30 years, such as Mechelner and Brabanter farm chickens, but also quails and runner ducks have been in his chicken coop. Below he gives advice on how to successfully breed purebred poultry and what to consider when choosing feed.
The exhibitions are over, and the breeder has selected his animals or flocks that he wants to use for further breeding. When it comes to the number of hens per rooster, it is essential to consider the experience with the respective breed. For bantams, this can be up to 1:10 (1 rooster + 10 hens), for heavy breeds 1:3 (1 rooster + 3 hens), or even for fighters sometimes only 1:1 (1 rooster + 1 hen). The breeding animals are put together, and one should observe whether they harmonize and also whether the rooster fulfills his duty.
Especially when a young rooster comes to older hens, this may not be so easy, and some hens will show dominant behavior and not allow him to mate. It has proven effective to isolate the hen and only let the rooster in, for example, in the early morning hours. In newly assembled groups, there are initially pecking order fights among the hens, which are usually bloodless and end after a few days.
Particular attention must now also be paid to the right feeding and the feed. Before the exhibitions, the animals may have been fed very richly and energetically to achieve additional weight or more shine in the plumage. This feeding may have led to excessive fat deposits in the selected breeding animals.
Now it is important to get the animals into breeding condition. If hens are too fat or even obese, this results in poor laying performance. Also, too heavy and too fat roosters may not fulfill their duty. There is a saying for a reason: "A good rooster rarely gets fat!"
These animals must first be conditioned. Feeding protein-rich food has proven effective here (e.g., Mifuma Layer Meal/Grain Premium and Fish Protein Plus). Protein-rich dairy products from the food sector, such as quark, yogurt, sour milk, etc., are also often used here to stimulate laying in hens. Once laying activity begins, it should be switched to so-called parent stock feed or hatching egg feed (e.g., Mifuma Breeding Premium Meal or Grain, Fruit and Vegetable Grain Premium). These types of feed contain increased vitamins and also partly undeclared additives such as linoleic and linolenic acids, i.e., essential fatty acids, which significantly improve the fertilization and hatching rate of the eggs. No savings should be made here! These feeds are usually designed as complete feeds and should not be diluted with grain feed.
What exactly distinguishes such breeding animal feed from normal complete feed? As an example, I would like to mention vitamin A: For pure reproduction, a content of 6,000 I.U. is sufficient. In good breeding animal feed, it is 18,000 I.U. - that is, three times the amount! Another example is linoleic acid: The hatchability without linoleic acid is 0%. With added linoleic acid of 20 mg, the hatchability of the chicks reaches 89%.
This feed should be fed about 4 – 6 weeks before collecting hatching eggs so that the animals' organisms can adjust to it. Of course, the health condition of the breeding animals is also important. Only healthy, vital animals are included in the breeding flock.
Furthermore, it must be noted in the keeping of the flock that the breeding animals must not be sent out into the cold at sub-zero temperatures. It is still winter! Even if the first rays of sunshine are very tempting for the animals, cold ground winds are still to be expected. This cold can disturb the fertility of both the hens and the rooster. In this weather, stable housing is appropriate for the breeding flock.
Of course, especially at sub-zero temperatures, it is important to collect the hatching eggs in time so that they do not cool down or even freeze. Storing the hatching eggs at 8 – 12 degrees Celsius with the blunt end up or sideways with daily turning has proven effective. A dry stable and freshly strewn, clean laying nests are prerequisites for collecting good hatching eggs. Light soiling and adhered bedding residues can be very well removed under running water with an old toothbrush without damaging the eggs! Heavily soiled eggs should not be incubated and should not be cleaned either, as otherwise the protective layer is attacked or the pores are clogged. These eggs also indicate incorrect feeding (too much supplementary feeding of lettuce, etc.) or bacterial infections. The collected hatching eggs are now stored for a maximum of 10 – 12 days. The incubator should have passed the test run and been cleaned again with a cleaning and disinfecting agent.
Now nothing stands in the way of a successful hatch!
Good breeding!
Georg Welker Mifuma Product Manager Poultry
If you have any questions about breeding, feel free to send us a message at info@mifuma.de
