pigeoncrazy
66 posts
Feb 19, 2009
7:49 AM
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I got my first rollers in the summer of 08 and am getting set to breed this Spring. I have several breeds mixed together in my loft, so I want to use breeding cages to make sure there are no "oops" babies.
I've never done this before so I have a couple of questions.
1. What is the minimum size that a breeding cage or pen should be?
2. I plan to open the cage doors to let the parents come & go, once all of the eggs are laid. Is this a bad idea? My theory is that the cages would become like additional nesting boxes in my open loft. Except while the birds are mating they'll be confined so I know the exact lineage of each baby and can keep accurate records.
Thanks in advance for your advice!
~Karen
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donnie james
254 posts
Feb 19, 2009
7:13 PM
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hay karen, i would go with 3feet by 3 feet individual pens and i let 2 pairs out at a time until they all get mated up and then you let them all loose at once ...................donny james
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brudahpete
442 posts
Feb 20, 2009
7:04 AM
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Karen, you are headed in the right direction. If you have no other location to put your other breeds, you will control the breeding by locking the pair up until both eggs are laid. I would agree that 3 X 3 is a good size.
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http://www.freewebs.com/brudahpete/
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pigeoncrazy
67 posts
Feb 20, 2009
9:42 AM
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Thanks Donnie & Brudahpete!
3x3 seems kind of large though. If I am letting them come & go once the eggs are laid, can the pens be any smaller? My whole loft is only 8x12.
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TT
GOLD MEMBER
378 posts
Feb 20, 2009
9:55 AM
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I would highly advise you, before you pair your birds up, allow the cock birds to pick there own nest boxes, then pair the hens up a week down the road, Thats if your going to let your birds out after they lay. Or your going to have a mess of cocks fighting for dominance and lose eggs.
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Tony...
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TheGame
510 posts
Feb 20, 2009
10:43 AM
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3ftx3ft for a breeding pen?? Thats almost the size of a kitbox...
My breeding pens are 24x18x16 and it is fine for my birds. But of course bigger the better.
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Windjammer Loft
710 posts
Feb 20, 2009
11:09 AM
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It depends on what age these birds are. If they are all 08 youngsters. Personelly, I wouldn't breed them. It's too soon. You haven't given them time enough time to nature to see how good they are. What's your hurry...?
They havn'e proven themselves yet. Don't be too impatient.
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Fly High and Roll On
Paul
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ezeedad
931 posts
Feb 20, 2009
12:34 PM
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Karen,
I just finished some stalls, and I found that if you make them 32 inches wide and 16 inches deep you can have good size stalls and get 3 of them in a 8 foot space. Further, if you rip the 4x8 sheet lengthwise into a 32 inch wide piece and a 16 inch piece, you will use all the piece of plywood with no waste. Also, I only made them 12 inches high. I think that is enough height for rollers.
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Hillsida
81 posts
Feb 20, 2009
3:52 PM
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Nice boxes ezeedad.
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brudahpete
443 posts
Feb 20, 2009
5:48 PM
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TT is right, you have to allow the birds to pick their nest, it's always good to have more nest boxes than you do pairs.
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http://www.freewebs.com/brudahpete/
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quality
180 posts
Feb 21, 2009
4:45 AM
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The norm for birds not released is 2 square feet per bird. For example your 8x12 coop is 96 square feet, so the most birds you should have in there is 48.
I have individual nest boxes, that the birds are locked into all the time, 4 ft by 3 ft.
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Yours in the Hobby
Don Lunau
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pigeoncrazy
68 posts
Feb 23, 2009
8:26 AM
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Thanks again everyone for your advice!
Paul - I only ended up with 5 '08 birds at end of last year, so need to breed at least few more. I am borrowing a couple of older pairs as well, from the same family.
Ezeedad - those are great stalls! Do you mind if I download the photo for future reference?
Last Edited by on Feb 23, 2009 8:27 AM
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