The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: lord flynn on March 14, 2015, 06:58:56 pm
-
So bought a quite pricey Minorca cockerel at the National so had him since Jan. Last years bird (March). I haven't seen him tread a hen yet but they are round the back and I am at work all day. Hens all laying well. Just candled 10 Minorca eggs at 7 days-all empty.
Any ideas? everything else is doing it like its going out of fashion but I've not even seen this chap dance. anyone had this happen?
-
Yes I got cocks up from England twice from the same chap and both were firing blanks. Lost a whole years breeding very frustrating but that happens sometime. I would be asking for a replacement and hoping for the best.
-
hmm, there'll be no replacement from this guy this year unless I get south. I have a feeling that this chap has never been kept outside either. I am going to pay special attention to see if I can see him tread at least.
-
There is some big sales on ...I still think you could turn this around look round clitharo lankashire im in staford easter week etc scots corner
-
I have never seen my Minorcas treading and am doing 80% so far , just bear with him for now and hope he gets the hang of it , herd an old wife's tail that if u put another cock next to him or were he can see it it will gee him up a bit
-
thanks for the replies. It's still quite early I guess, still not very warm yet etc so will give hime some more time. Although he's got no other males in eyesight he is within earshot of three others ;D
-
it may be that he isn't the top bird in the flock Lord Flynn, rather than actually being infertile. Young cockerels can be shunned by an older flock of hens- a problem we've had in the past. The way round it is to remove the hens and re-introduce them one at a time, importantly starting with the lowest in the pecking order. He should tread each one as she is re-introduced and finally you bring in the top hen. She is now faced with what appears to be an established flock with a dominant cockerel and should submit. This approach has never failed us.
-
Sorry to be a kill joy but if he has not even filled one egg then I think his chances are very very slim. I would be replacing him sooner rather than later.
-
well, he's only in with two hens (18 month old, not pullets) and was introduced to them one at a time. There's no sign of the hens giving him a hard time and although penned, they have plenty of greens, perches and are on breeders pellets. He looks healthy enough and I wormed them all about a month ago.
I will maybe go back to the breeder of the hens, see if she has a different strain and can let me have an unrelated cock. It will be a shame if I can't breed them this year but not the end of the world.
-
Sorry to be a kill joy but if he has not even filled one egg then I think his chances are very very slim. I would be replacing him sooner rather than later.
Agreed. Assuming this is a mature cockerel then he should be treading the laying hens. It's Spring for heavens sake! So if he doesn't do it now, then I wouldn't give out much hope for allowing him more time.
Interesting BigChicken that you bought 2 cockerels from the same source and they were both firing blanks. :thinking: It can't exactly be an inherited fault though, can it? ???
-
It's just the luck of the draw landroverroy, bought in so don't know their medical history could have had a challenge in his flock rendering the cocks infertile it's anyone guess.
-
Did you introduce him to the top hen of the pair, or the bottom hen Lord Flynn? Is it worth trying to introduce him again?
-
I really don't think thats the problem Chis, I think he thinks he's a girl! I have been watching them, there's no sign of anyone picking on anyone. They have an exterior laying box-the girls go in and lay-then he goes in and sits and makes laying noises! Now he does crow and he does offer the girls food but there's no other cockerel type behaviour. He's nice to handle. He's also a year old-I'd have thought instinct would have kicked in by now even though he's had a bit of a climate change!
I actually wish I could free range him for a bit and see how he got on-if nothing else, if he showed he could look after his girls then I could perhaps rehome him to someone who didn't want to breed but would enjoy looking at him. I just can't do that right now though for various reasons (I have one group free-ranging because their pen got flattened in last storm and ground is too soft to do owt about it, another group is in a really big pen).
-
The behaviour like a hen is typical of a top hen subdued cockerel Lord Flynn- that's exactly what ours did. If possible can you separate him for a while to regain his confidence?
-
well, it's worth a try :) completely on his own? There are no other poultry round back (ducks). I have a very low ranking old hybrid I could put in with him?The Scots Greys tend to be quite feisty, as do the Marsh Daisies and they are too small for him anyway (should he decide to start!).
-
We left them on their own for a day, then introduced one hen Lord Flynn. Then when he had trodden her we introduced a second and so on. Perhaps the old hybrid will light his fire?
-
herd an old wife's tail that if u put another cock next to him or were he can see it it will gee him up a bit
That certainly works and is used on commercial breeding farms if the fertility starts dropping, its known as spiking.
They add a few younger males to the mix which bucks the older guys into action!! :thumbsup:
So bought a quite pricey Minorca cockerel at the National so had him since Jan.
Any ideas? everything else is doing it like its going out of fashion but I've not even seen this chap dance. anyone had this happen?
Has he been outside since you got him?
If he's been kept inside previously with low light levels it may take him a while to get into breeding condition, the light affects the males the same as it does the hens.
If you pick him up and sit him upright on your knee, then run your hand along his back quite firmly and give him a gentle squeeze as you get to the tail you should see the tail kick up and feel him flinch, this will tell you if he's in breeding mode, (its the first stage when doing AI) if he doesn't do it he's not ready or just infertile.
Try it with one of your known working males to see if you can spot the difference.
If he's ok it may be as Chris has said and the women are just making him feel inadequate ;D
I don't know if you remember but I had a SG cockerel do the same last year, wouldn't mate with a hen at all, zero interest in mating despite trying him with many different hens in different locations and trying AI on him.
He eventually got going in mid summer after being housed with a flock of small bantam hens.
-
thanks-lots to try :)
I kept them all in for about three weeks as I was worried about frostbite so they've been out for a month. I do think climate etc might be taking its toll-being kept in a shed in the home counties is not the same as an exposed South Lanarkshire hillside in Feb-although he is in the most sheltered position I can give him. It is still pretty cold-I got excited yesterday when it got to 4 degrees lol. The other cockerels are all last year but of course, been out all of the time-all the MD eggs bar 1 and the SG eggs bar one were fertile (9 of each).
I will give the squeeze a go and then try moving the hens about. Then I can certainly encourage one of the other males to come round the back as am usually chasing them away. I've nothing to lose at this point and being soft, want to give him a fair go. I wouldn't normally hatch this early tbh but was being impatient and wanting to see what I get off the new boys!
-
me too ;D
I have 12 SG about to hatch in the next few days and put another 14 eggs in last night :thumbsup:
-
my silkie cross is also broody so have decided to let her sit-moved her last night. will put some SG eggs under her. I don't want lots of small hatches again this year so this might be it unless Juan pulls his finger out (or something ;) )
-
well, an update of sorts. I tried everything recommended here although I put the hens back before I saw him tread (just don't have any housing free right now). And nothing, nada.
Saturday I walked round back and found him astride one of the hen's, with just her head/neck between his legs, every time she tried to move he clamped his legs together, it was kind of funny (hen was/is fine). I've still not seen him tread and haven't checked eggs for fertility (they are good, big eating eggs) but this morning he was doing the dance thing so am hopeful that he'll soon work it out :fc: He has really beefed up in the last few weeks, I hope he stays nice to deal with because he's a big lad!