The
ratio of males to females flock
Very few or too many males in relation
to hens in the flock may cause fall in production. The approximate ratio for
best results during breeding under average conditions are Mediterranean breeds,
1 to 15 which is one male for 15 females or more up to a limit of 25; American
and English breeds, 1 to 10 or 15; as well as Asiatic breeds 1 to 10
respectively.
Care
giving to breeding males
For the breeding males, special care is
necessary to ensure that male receives sufficient food, for many males are so
absorbingly attentive to the hens that they do not eat enough even to maintain
themselves in a vigorous condition. It is well to feed the male properly apart
from the hens. Attention should be paid to the claws and spurn to see that they
are blunt on sides and points in order not to cause damage to the backs of
hens. The feet should be examined to ensure that there is no bumble foot as
well or any other trouble that would prevent satisfactory service. The males
should be kept free from lice, mites, flies and ticks by frequent application
of sodium fluoride and other insecticides in and around the poultry house.
The
right breeding age
When a good male has been discovered
through the means of progeny testing, it should be used as it gives reasonably
good fertility at that time. Otherwise preference should be given to the young
males. The first year is usually the best for any male, from the point of view
of fertility. Many are of little value after the second year of breeding. As
regards the females, it has been found that the yearling hens give somewhat
better results than the pullets in respect of both hatchability and the size of
the chicks when been hatched.
The
fertile eggs
It is very possible for a hen to lay a
fertile egg within 24 hours after mating, but a longer time must elapse before
the percentage of fertile eggs from a flock will be sufficiently high to
warrant saving them for hatching purposes. To get a high fertility rate of
fertile eggs, it is more advisable to save eggs for hatching after 7 to 10 days
of mating, depending on the breeds which are involved in the mating process.
Method
used for mating
In mating operation, there are several types
of them which are practiced for producing fertile eggs. These are types of
operations include;
Pen mating
Flock mating
Stud mating
Alternating males
Artificial
insemination
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