Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 3:24 am Post subject: Hen has mated when will she lay??
Hi im new to breeding kaks and my hen has been mating for the last 10/11 days and yet no egs and they ar mating about 3/4 times a day possibly more sometimes when will she lay does anybody know how long before laying? any help really appreciated
Thank you in advance
:) :) :)
I suggest you use the quicksearch form on the left
if you look for keywords like for instance mating you might find posts with information about laying periods, etc...
it is quite variable, usually they start mating 1-2 weeks before laying but I have had a pair that has been mating for 2 months and never laid.
Cheers/ Pablo _________________ AD ASTRA PER ASPERA
If the hen starts laying eggs to soon there is a risk that u will end up with lots of infertile eggs.
I house my Kaks in flocks with no nestboxes. When a pair within the flock has been mating for 1month+ (and if they both are in top condition), then I take that pair out and put them in a separate cage with a nestbox. Now there has been enough time to fertilize eggs, and the nestbox in the new cage triggers the hen to start laying.
If u already have the pair in a seperate cage, u can wait untill u put the nestbox in.
U can also put a thin board (of soft wood with a small hole in it) over the entrance hole, when they chew to enlarge the hole to get in - it triggers them to start nesting and gives them extra time to fertilize eggs.
U can also put a thin board (of soft wood with a small hole in it) over the entrance hole, when they chew to enlarge the hole to get in - it triggers them to start nesting and gives them extra time to fertilize eggs.
I have heard that before...for African greys etc....never tried it as it would be difficuilt to see any gains as like you we group or pair in an established flock....add the nesting boxes , and only remove any pairs and nestting box if there are terroritial issues.
Have you tried the board? maybe for kakariki a heavy cardboard????
I worry about MDF /hardboard...artifical type boards and chemicals in them....thin 3 ply maybe. _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
I guess a thin piece of natural wood will make the job, and it's easy for them to chew it.
Cockatiels are not "chewers" but they also work the nextbox hole a little bit.
Cheers/ Pablo _________________ AD ASTRA PER ASPERA
The chewing thing I provide them by putting a small branch/twig (from a tree (Salix spp etc...) with soft wood) on the inside of the nestbox - this works both as a climbing help and the hen chews of the bark of and starts wearing down the wooden parts too - also the male enters the nestbox and while sitting on this branch/twig he feeds the hen when she still sits on the eggs, and later he feeds the youngsters from this possition too.
I have never needed to try the board-thing on kaks, but if I only had one pair and had troubles to get the hen to lay eggs - then I would try it (I know it works in other spp.)
On the inside of the nesting box I have a strip of mesh held out from the side with a twigg under it....a ladder basically. _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
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