50/50

[Nick Hall 193]

Hi folks,Weaned 31 cfw youngsters about 10 days ago, cleaning them out this morning and having a bit of an assesment to my amazement there looks to be 12 cock birds! last year from about the same total only 2 were cocks which meant the show bench saw 1 pair of breeders cfw.Lets hope they are good enough to show this year? still about the same number in the nest, hope they dont all turn out to be cocks............Regards,Nick

[Linford 4]

Those stats from last year seem impossible if it were not fact, 30 odd young and only 2 cocks, can anyone beat that!I have had 11 cfw so far 5 cocks and 6 hens, very sensible split.Mark

[mark1e 67]

Hi NickThat's good news after last years season for you i myself been not to bad 33 weaned 8 cocks but there is still 8 to fledge yet plus 4 more box's just gone up, I might even see you this year at the shows if all goes to plan,mark

[Martyn 1]

Hi NickHow are the birds shaping up, any showing promise. Nice position to be in, more hens, but as you say not good for the show bench.Martyn

[Nick Hall 193]

Hi Martyn,Some promising youngsters but they are starting to go through what I call the scruffy stage, I am very pleased with some of the later youngsters which have just started to leave the confines of the nest box. There are 9 young fawns which I have my fingers crossed will turn out ok as they are from my best hen who is now sitting more eggs paired with the cock which won at Scotter last year.I am overall pleased with this years proceedings so far and it is still early, I intend to switch a few pairings and continue breedng as long as the birds are willing, using foster/feeder's helps me maximise the better pairs.Regards,Nick.

[Martyn 1]

Hi NickHow many pairs to you use and how many chicks do you hope to get?Martyn

[Nick Hall 193]

Hi,This year I kept about 30 hens and 20 cocks plus nine pairs of feeders. I never approach the breeding season with the idea to pair X pairs and breed X amount of youngsters as It tends to go wrong with pairs fighting or the typical, losing the better birds. Our stud has been very close for a number of years and last year I managed to bring in a few birds which will be a bit of an experiment so I will move them around a bit. our own established line always produces the better young but as i said its about as close as i would like it, although the fertility on a whole has been very high.A small percentage of our stud are fawns which the cocks are a father, son and a cousin, these are the birds I really would like to breed from. We have 2 of our original fawn hens, 1 2009 bred which is a lovely hen has produced 9 youngsters with a Nigel Smith cock bird and is now down on eggs again, so far the fawn cocks have not filled eggs, they are huge buffy birds but I will persevere with them. It may sound a bit hap hazard but there is a plan and it sort of works for us. Pairing up at Christmas, I suppose we are at half way stage now with over youngsters, as there is a lot of stimulus in the shed we will continue to breed as long as the birds are in condition to do so.Regards,Nick.

[Martyn 1]

Hi NickSounds if it works for you. Hope everything goes well for the rest of the breeding season. May see you at some of the shows. Which ones do you go to, if any down this way? Im in Bristol area.Martyn

[Nick Hall 193]

Hi,My plan is to do a few shows this year birds permiting, The Welsh should be the first one. Regards,Nick