Long, sharp toenails can also cause infertility. If the cock has a habit of placing his foot on the side or back of the hen before copulation, he may irritate her with his pointed, pin sharp nails and she may not accept copulation at that time. A simple cut and file is all that it takes to prevent this problem. An infertility problem may also just be that the birds don’t get it right on the


30 BIRD SCENE


first attempt this is usually the case with a young maturing pair that is attempting to breed for the first or second time. Birds do not always reach sexual maturity at the same time. Some are very late developers, with either the males or females maturing faster. The hen may begin to lay eggs before the cock has come into breeding condition — both birds need to be sexually mature for


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