The Official Forum of the Ameraucana Breeders Club > Housing, Health & Hatching

Conditioning housing for prospective show birds

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Mike Gilbert:
Susan, I believe you have the gist of what I said.   Keep in mind that pullets may not take quite as long as cockerels to finish out, so maybe spread the hatches a month apart.   You are asking good questions.

Susan Mouw:
Okay...next question, Mike :) (or anyone who would like to answer)

If I plan my hatches earlier - say between Jan-early March, then they should have all gone through that first molt by even the earliest shows.  Wouldn't that be better, as they will be showing a more "mature" feathering and coloration?

Although, in order for that to work, I would have to do a force molt as it would not be cool enough or enough night hours for a molt to occur naturally here in SC.  So..who can help me with how to and the pros/cons of a forced molt?

Russ:
Ok I finally have some free time  :D. I personally use individual pens with plywood sides and wire fronts for my conditioning pens. I sorta copied Johns breeding pens except I modified  them to use some wood I got off a job site (I love free). Plus I wrapped them with some left over ice guard (what goes on roof under the shingles) it is super sticky and sticks right on the plywood. So they measure 26inx34in inside and it consists of 6 holes, in the spring I use them for individual LF matings and/or a trio of bantams. Then they are turned into conditioning pens after the last hatch. As soon as I think a bird has prospect it goes into a proper pen. With bantams I can grow out 3 per pen with good results putting pullets with pullets and cockerels with cockerels. As they finish out I leave the best in the pen and remove the rest. This way helps me judge them with the others as they grow if they are in too big of a flock or in seperate pens I find it harder to judge them. I also built some wire pens but quit using them for conditioning pens after noticicing damage to feather edges. I feed a custom blended layer feed with 20% protein until last week before the show then switch them to grains (help harden/firm droppings). Mike is right timing your hatches is crucial and something I am still trying to figure out with my LF. I try to handle them daily key word is try, unfortunately life does not always allow me the time. Last but not least go to shows and watch and ask other fanciers what they do and have fun  ;D

John:

--- Quote ---Mike is right timing your hatches
--- End quote ---
This was one of the main reasons we changed the rule several years ago to place our annual National Meets by November 15th of the year before that meet...members can plan their hatches (the best they can) to be ready knowing the show/meet dates almost a year in advance.

Susan Mouw:
Ok, now I'm confused...again.

Reading up on the molts that a chicken goes through, there are two juvenile molts for young chicks - one at 6-8 days and the second one at 7-12 weeks (info courtesy of The Chicken Chick). Then adult molts will occur at 16-18 months old, if conditions are right.

So...it's really that second molt for the cocks and hens that I'm planning my hatches around..correct?  Any cockerels or pullets I'm showing in the fall will have already gone through their two juvenile molts and won't molt again until their second year.

Pretty much all my adult birds have completed their adult molt for this year by now, though I wish I had started marking dates down. So..if I were going to be showing anything this year, they would all be ready to go...right?  (Assuming all else is equal - health, training, conditioning).

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