Wotsit hits the fan

This morning I went into our stock loft, only to find the cock from box 5 in box 6, which belongs to our very best stock pair.

The eggs in box 6 were cold, the hen from box 6 was on the other side of the loft and the cock from box 6 clinging onto the nest box front.

WHY?

They have all been fine for days and now this.

The only up side is that the two eggs from box 6 that were cold this morning were only laid on the 4th and 6th January.

What I have done is to put the two eggs that were cold from box 6 (the best stock birds we have) under a pair of stock birds that we are only using as feeders/foster parents. The eggs from both pairs were laid within a day of each other. So I am trusting everything will be OK in the end.

What do members think?

Phil

I had the same problem breeding last. After a quick chat with darren he said if i catch the cock in the wrong box again lock him in with a small children teddy. I got to admit after a hour locked in with it he wont go back in there now lol

The eggs should still be ok.

damn scary them little teddys looks like the ck from box 6 was not up for the fight with the cock from box 5 ...it happens phil just one of those things if the eggs have been moved try the teddy trick if ya see box 5 cock playing up again but don't let box 6 pair see it in their ...can you move box 6 pair to a empty yb section for now let them go down in their ...are you sure the hen was sitting the eggs sounds like the cock was keen if he was clinging to his box ,sometimes the box can be too closed in for the host cock to evict the aggressor I allways take half the front off once they have bonded to the box and leave half the front on at the bowl end of the box then the cock usually sits in that open end and defends the box if necessary atb phil

Really sound advice everyone. I have used the teddy bear trick in the past. Our Geerinckx cock is/was very dominant and wanted almost everybody's box. I caught him in somebody else's box last year and frightened the bejabers out of him with a stuffed penguin! (a bit more bird like than a teddy)

I took the pair that should have had the box away momentarily as they had been pushed out of their box anyway, then locked the Geerinckx cock in the box he was trying to take over (not his box) and used the stuffed penguin to fight him, making grrrr noises at the same time. After a minute he was cowering in the corner and never went into anyone else's box.

I have been able to put the pair of our best birds into a small section on their own, with their nest bowl.

I was a bit concerned that the foster parents wouldn't sit on really cold eggs, but after a minute, the hen was snuggled down as if nothing had happened. I am just grateful that this didn't happen a week later, then I might not have been able to save the eggs. I am trusting everything will be OK with the two eggs that are now under the foster parents. And the best pair will lay again soon.

Does anyone know how long it takes a pair to lay again if you take their eggs away?

Thanks again and have a fab Sunday.

Phil

usually best to let them sit a week then they go lay again after 10 days certainly by 14....I think yer eggs will be fine phil

oldstrain wrote:

usually best to let them sit a week then they go lay again after 10 days certainly by 14....I think yer eggs will be fine phil

Thanks for the reassurance Darren.

Phil