1 cock 2 hens

I have a situation! Can anyone help please.

I paired my 5 stock pairs up after letting the cocks choose their boxes.

Number 3 pair did not get on - the hen was trying to get out of the box ALL the time and she was not interested in the cock I put her with.

In box five, I had a yearling cock with a 6 year old hen and the hen didn't want to know the cock in box 5 at all.

After 4 days of trying to get the cocks settled with the hens I wanted to put them with - I decided to let just pairs 3 and 5 out of their boxes and let them fly around the loft for a bit.

Within 5 minutes the Blue Bar Hen from box 3 went to box 5 and started showing to the cock in box 5. Within 1 hour the B/B hen was squatted down in box five's bowl, cooing and generally very content. Last night, I saw cock 5 treading the B/B hen.

Great I thought - not what I really wanted but a good enough pairing for now. THEN - just now, I went into the loft just to have a look and caught number five cock, humping his original hen whilst the new blue bar hen (originally from box 3) was all snuggled down in number 5's nest bowl. So now cock number 5 has been at it with 2 hens - the hen I originally put him with, who originally didn't want to know him, and the new blue bar hen originally from box 3!

WHAT SHOULD I DO?

I am sure you guys will have some great answers and I look forward to reading them.

Phil from blueskylofts

i would now lock each pair in thier boxes with original partners

shippy wrote:

i would now lock each pair in thier boxes with original partners

Hi Shippy - how long for?

blueskylofts wrote:

shippy wrote:

i would now lock each pair in thier boxes with original partners

Hi Shippy - how long for?

till they are sitting then you know parentage is right

shippy wrote:

i would now lock each pair in thier boxes with original partners

I wouldn't Shippy I was brought up in the sixty's & free love had certain advantages so being Blue sky's first go at breeding for some time I would let be what would be as far better to have a happy/content loft than having 2 pair married to an ugly duckling type of thing or causing trouble for the rest of the loft there.
Now !!!      if the above fails     build a box on a fence I would suggest & seperate the worst of the worst to a life of a peasant, till they see who is master of the tribe & has the feed tin.

Knackered wrote:

shippy wrote:

i would now lock each pair in thier boxes with original partners

I wouldn't Shippy I was brought up in the sixty's & free love had certain advantages so being Blue sky's first go at breeding for some time I would let be what would be as far better to have a happy/content loft than having 2 pair married to an ugly duckling type of thing or causing trouble for the rest of the loft there.
Now !!!      if the above fails     build a box on a fence I would suggest & seperate the worst of the worst to a life of a peasant, till they see who is master of the tribe & has the feed tin.

you old romantic knackered

Knackered wrote:

shippy wrote:

i would now lock each pair in thier boxes with original partners

I wouldn't Shippy I was brought up in the sixty's & free love had certain advantages so being Blue sky's first go at breeding for some time I would let be what would be as far better to have a happy/content loft than having 2 pair married to an ugly duckling type of thing or causing trouble for the rest of the loft there.
Now !!!      if the above fails     build a box on a fence I would suggest & seperate the worst of the worst to a life of a peasant, till they see who is master of the tribe & has the feed tin.

nowt wrong with the flower power way of thinking

oldstrain wrote:

Knackered wrote:

shippy wrote:

i would now lock each pair in thier boxes with original partners

I wouldn't Shippy I was brought up in the sixty's & free love had certain advantages so being Blue sky's first go at breeding for some time I would let be what would be as far better to have a happy/content loft than having 2 pair married to an ugly duckling type of thing or causing trouble for the rest of the loft there.
Now !!!      if the above fails     build a box on a fence I would suggest & seperate the worst of the worst to a life of a peasant, till they see who is master of the tribe & has the feed tin.

nowt wrong with the flower power way of thinking

OK guys, for what it is worth - I have decided to let the hen that I originally put with the number 3 cock, go to the one she liked, that is the number 5 cock. And the hen that was originally with the #5 cock, I have locked up with the #3 cock. I am monitoring the goings on in that section of my loft 4 or 5 times a day. I am disabled now and have the time to work with my birds.

The blue bar hen that is now in box 5 seem very happy and the two birds in box 3 are not fighting at least.

What do we think?

Cheers
Phil from Blueskylofts

hi phil, sounds like you've got it sorted....but one thing I always do when locking birds in a nest box.....I place half a brick in one corner so the hen can get out of the cocks way if he is aggressive towards her, it might just save her getting hurt.

David wrote:

hi phil, sounds like you've got it sorted....but one thing I always do when locking birds in a nest box.....I place half a brick in one corner so the hen can get out of the cocks way if he is aggressive towards her, it might just save her getting hurt.

indeed or turn bowl upside down ...not all pairings work sometimes the odd cock and hen just don't seem to take i think you done the best thing you never know it may turn out your best pairing atb

oldstrain wrote:

David wrote:

hi phil, sounds like you've got it sorted....but one thing I always do when locking birds in a nest box.....I place half a brick in one corner so the hen can get out of the cocks way if he is aggressive towards her, it might just save her getting hurt.

indeed or turn bowl upside down ...not all pairings work sometimes the odd cock and hen just don't seem to take i think you done the best thing you never know it may turn out your best pairing atb

Hi Dave
I hope you are right.
At the moment there is no sign of the cock getting aggressive towards the hen.

Whilst I have peoples attention - does anyone know when I can get a couple of Emiel Deweerdt pigeons from? Either babies or Yearlings

Phil

sorry phil ive no idea, but im sure other members will know.......

oldstrain wrote:

David wrote:

hi phil, sounds like you've got it sorted....but one thing I always do when locking birds in a nest box.....I place half a brick in one corner so the hen can get out of the cocks way if he is aggressive towards her, it might just save her getting hurt.

indeed or turn bowl upside down ...not all pairings work sometimes the odd cock and hen just don't seem to take i think you done the best thing you never know it may turn out your best pairing atb

yes Darren, I do one or the other....I never leave them just locked in with no escape for the hen.....its not nice to see her getting hurt, as I does happen sometimes that the cock is very aggressive towards the hen.

as my boxes are the plastic widowhood type, I sometimes put another piece of widow front as a divider which helps them still see each other but stops any fighting while im not there.

hows it working out now blueskylofts

shippy wrote:

hows it working out now blueskylofts

How good of you to enquire how things are going.

Up-Date - things are much the same as they were 3 or 4 days ago. Simply because the birds can't do a great deal of mis-behaving.

Numbers 1, 2, 4 and 5 are happy now with their partners. Pairs 1,2 and 4 have the partners I put with the cocks originally. If you remember the hen from box 3 didn't want to know the cock I put her with and the hen from box 5 was NOT interested in the cock from box 5 for a long time.

So I let the hen out of box 3 and she went directly to box 5 and started showing to cock #5. So, I thought better a 'love' pairing than no pairing at all - but I still had the original hen from box 5 not interested in a cock at all. She should know the ropes as she is 6 years old.

One day I found the original hen from box 5 getting very friendly with cock 5, so I locked her away on one side of cock 3's box - so he can see her but she can not get into the loft and make problems.

Because it is getting a bit late, I am very keen to start breeding asap. Otherwise I might have persevered a bit more trying to get ALL hens with the cocks I have.

REMEMBER - at the moment ALL my birds are Stock Birds, none will be raced or let out of the loft. I am in the process of building an aviary, so at least the birds will have a bit of a chance to 'stretch their wings'.

Right now all my birds (except #3 hen - the troublesome one) are having a bath!

I am really looking forward to seeing some eggs in nests. More updates to follow.

Phil from Blueskylofts

stick with it phil

David wrote:

hi phil, sounds like you've got it sorted....but one thing I always do when locking birds in a nest box.....I place half a brick in one corner so the hen can get out of the cocks way if he is aggressive towards her, it might just save her getting hurt.

Half a brick that's what I call cost cutting David at least I give mine a whole brick for a perch etc to get them of the ground here.

shippy wrote:

Knackered wrote:

shippy wrote:

i would now lock each pair in thier boxes with original partners

I wouldn't Shippy I was brought up in the sixty's & free love had certain advantages so being Blue sky's first go at breeding for some time I would let be what would be as far better to have a happy/content loft than having 2 pair married to an ugly duckling type of thing or causing trouble for the rest of the loft there.
Now !!!      if the above fails     build a box on a fence I would suggest & seperate the worst of the worst to a life of a peasant, till they see who is master of the tribe & has the feed tin.

you old romantic knackered  

That's not what the missus tell's me shippy in her words etc the only thing that brings out the romantic side in me, has feathers.

but women have no romance when it comes to pigeons