previously N1546
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All wire cages with lift-off nest boxes. This makes for easy cleaning. Simply move chicks to an identical clean box on a regular basis. The hens don't even notice. Hamster or bunny drinkers are used. This prevents the water being fouled. The bottles are sterilized weekly with a proprietory sterilizing solution. Wood shavings are used on concaves at the base of the nest boxes. I am considering changing to plastic nest boxes - lighter and easier to clean. |
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I find that fertility improves when perches are kept low and stable. |
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Did you know that if you buy your seed separately, e.g., a bag of canary and a bag of millet, and mix them yourself then you don't pay VAT - so save yourself 17.5% on your seed bill! Here is a photo of our hopper made from scrap plywood and 2" x 1" and which is certainly an improvement on trying to store sacks of seed, and enables us to mix the seed as it goes in. We hang a jar with holes in the lid, full of mothballs to deal with mites, and the hopper is also sprayed with Malathion each time it is emptied. |
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Did you know that if you use a winnower then you can save another 25% on your seed bill. This is further enhanced if you put your feeders in trays to catch the seed that the birds thrown out. On the left is a photo of my winnower which was made by my husband from a 50's type Morphy Richards hair dryer, picked up at a car boot sale. The heating element has been removed and he made the winnower out of scrap plywood and clear plastic sheet. I have seen winnowers for sale at various bird shows and they are usually powered by a vacuum cleaner. I have also seen an electric one but do not know where they are obtainable. |
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Did you know that you can pick up a trolley at auction for quite a reasonable price. I have an old hospital type trolley on which I serve out the food each each morning. On the bottom of this trolley is fitted my baby cage and the chicks are transferred to this when they leave their parents. The movement as the trolley travels around the birdroom, helps to get them used to moving around and they stay there for 3-4 weeks before being transferred to a 6' x 3' flight until they are of an age to go in with the adults. |
I am trying out extra lighting in The Birdroom to see if fertility improves. Earlier this year I did have 2 - 4ft fluorescent fittings with a round one at the other end of the room by the flights. I have now increased that to 5 - 4ft fluorescent fittings in addition to the round one, and it will be interesting to see if it makes a difference.
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