FEATURE
I currently place most of my breeding pairs in cages in mid to late November, with the cock birds usually allowed to settle in the cage for about an hour before adding the hens. The early chicks can be rung with NBFA closed rings which an official ring issue date of January 1st. Hay is placed in the nest boxes and some hay is also placed on the cage floor, it encourages them to enter the nest box.
As my main focus for breeding is the show bench, I like to start with to start with my oldest birds, trying to get one more season out of them before they are retired. Proven birds are often better at raising chicks than first time birds, so I find it better to pair use older birds with young birds. I like to check the nests daily if possible; this is no issue with Bengalese. I tap on the nest box to warn the birds before I open the top for inspection. I like the first egg to be laid ten days from pairing, before this there is an increased probability that eggs will be infertile. The hen is usually given three weeks to lay before being replaced. I allow eighteen days from the laying of the first egg to calculate the likely hatching date but allow a few extra days for fertile eggs to hatch. It is best not to handle eggs, but sometimes I move fertile eggs to another pair. I will also leave one or two un-hatched eggs until the chicks
24 BIRD SCENE
are about 5 days old, as it reduces the risk of chicks being squashed. I like pairs to raise 4 to 5 chicks. Bengalese are noted for being fantastic foster parents, so I often foster chicks between Bengalese pairs. I find that even the largest birds will feed chicks as well as their smaller relatives. Nest material is usually changed before a hen is about to lay again, unless it is a wet nest, in which case it is changed regularly. I usually leave the chicks with their parents until the first egg of the next clutch is laid, but I never remove them before they are 35 days old. When I do not want any more chicks, I usually remove the cock as soon as the chicks are clearly feeding themselves. When Bengalese chicks stop calling for food if a parent is nearby, it is a good indicator they are nearly independent.
If a pair has raised two good clutches they should be allowed to rest for several months before they are used again. If a pair produces outstanding chicks, a third round is allowed but these will be fostered if the pair has already raised more than ten chicks. Some Bengalese can get too fat which effects their ability to breed, so I often use them as fosters as raising a full clutch will often bring them into condition and they are successful themselves in the next round of breeding. P
art T wo in the ne xt issue
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