A second tip for the breeding loft

When your youngsters are about 12 days old, put a half handful of food into the nest bowl with the youngsters, not in a pot like everyone says, but directly into the nest everyday, between the youngsters, because the parents are always hungry (I never hopper feed at all when breeding) they will go up and pick up the food, and so learning the youngsters to eat, you will notice the youngsters picking up straight away, and in a couple of days will be eating by themselves, the olden's will still pump them, but when you wean they wont go backwards as they have been eating for a fortnight, don't worry about putting the corn on the nesting material, some will fall thru but most will be eaten, also the nest is the cleanest place as the youngsters cock their bums out to crap. When you put a bowl in with peas or the like, nine times out of ten the parents will crap in it anyway, food for thought do you agree?


Please don't think I'm running down any one else's method's, each to his own, this is how I do it.

seems reasonable to me, they do crap in the pots, but not in the bowls where they sleep? I supose it would work. thanks

sounds right what your saying fred, wouldnt have thought along those lines myself as id be reluctant to put food into the nest normally, but ill bow to your superier knowlage and maybe give it a try but as normal ill still fill a pot as i dont normally get them s******g into them.

David by all means put a pot of food in, but my theory is when you do this the parents are eating it away from the youngsters, the youngsters because they are curious will have to get out of the nest to see what mum or dad is doing, my way its in front of them, and also it doesn't encourage lazy feeders, with grub in front of them all the time, it's a definate no no for me, also my babies learn to eat at a very early age, which can only be a good thing.

good idea fred going to try it

i put a pot in but in the other half of the box so that they do not crap on it,it still gets the youngsters curious to see what their parents are doing and most of the time they start eating early