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Peta
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 Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2004 1:41 pm Post subject: Saddles for hens |
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Hi. My poor old Brahmas are already suffering welts and featherloss from
their magnificent partner>s spurs, even this early in the season. We need
the fertile eggs so separating them is not an option. I read here ages ago
that someone uses saddles - where can I buy them, or how do I make them? Or
is there something else I can do to lessen the effect of the cock>s spurs?
(Next year we will probably keep extra hens to one side and swap them
around, and we>ll just have to lump any drop in fertility I reckon. That
doesn>t help in the short term though!). What do other breeders
(particularly those of you with birds on show to the public, like us) do to
keep your birds looking (and more importantly in my opinion, feeling)
beautiful?
Any advice gratefully received.
Peta |
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nuele
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| Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2004 4:14 pm Post subject: Re: Saddles for hens |
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Peta <peta.morton@wanadoo.fr> wrote:
[quote]Hi. My poor old Brahmas are already suffering welts and featherloss from
their magnificent partner>s spurs, even this early in the season. We need
the fertile eggs so separating them is not an option. I read here ages ago
that someone uses saddles - where can I buy them, or how do I make them? Or
is there something else I can do to lessen the effect of the cock>s spurs?
(Next year we will probably keep extra hens to one side and swap them
around, and we>ll just have to lump any drop in fertility I reckon. That
doesn>t help in the short term though!). What do other breeders
(particularly those of you with birds on show to the public, like us) do to
keep your birds looking (and more importantly in my opinion, feeling)
beautiful?
Any advice gratefully received.
Peta
[/quote]
Hi Peta,
Hens feeling beautiful - I like that thought ;-)
My ideas would be:
- trim the cock>s spurs so the tip is rounded
- trim his nails a bit, too, but carefully! Be sure you can see the
little blood vessel inside so you don>t cause an injury. Using a torch
can help, a bit similar to kindling eggs ;-)
- and last but not least: maybe he needs more hens?
I have never seen saddles, nor know of anyone who has tried them, so I
can>t help you with these.
Nuele (D)
--
to mail me, replace the fowls in my address by sap to avoid the spam
trap |
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nuele
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2004 4:31 pm Post subject: Re: Saddles for hens |
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nuele <fowls@nuele-online.de> wrote:
[quote]Hi Peta,
Hens feeling beautiful - I like that thought ;-)
My ideas would be:
- trim the cock>s spurs so the tip is rounded
- trim his nails a bit, too, but carefully! Be sure you can see the
little blood vessel inside so you don>t cause an injury. Using a torch
can help, a bit similar to
[/quote]
CANDLING! I meant candling! Aargh - too many words in this English
language!
[quote]eggs ;-)
- and last but not least: maybe he needs more hens?
I have never seen saddles, nor know of anyone who has tried them, so I
can>t help you with these.
[/quote]
Nuele (D) |
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Blanche Nonken
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2004 8:21 pm Post subject: Re: Saddles for hens |
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fowls@nuele-online.de (nuele) wrote:
[quote]CANDLING! I meant candling! Aargh - too many words in this English
language!
[/quote]
Yah, you think that>s bad, you try saying it in Yiddish. Don>t have a
word? Make up something onomotopoetic. :-) |
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Jill
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2004 11:19 pm Post subject: Re: Saddles for hens |
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"Peta" <peta.morton@wanadoo.fr> wrote in message news:c2ek69$ I read here
ages ago
[quote]that someone uses saddles - where can I buy them, or how do I make them?
[/quote]
you could try googling groups to look in the archive
but yes there are folks
I fell across a site over the winter but I cannot find it now
Or
[quote]is there something else I can do to lessen the effect of the cock>s spurs?
[/quote]
More hens that lay a different coloured egg so you can set only the pure
ones but the hens get more relief
The other thing is to separate him and only let him at the hens once a day -
or every other day
Younger cockerels have smaller spurs
--
regards
Jill Bowis
Pure bred utility chickens and ducks; Housing; Books, Gifts
Herbaceous; Herb and Alpine nursery
Holidays in Scotland and Wales
http://www.kintaline.co.uk |
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