Breeding of Norwich By Alain Nottet

BREEDING OF NORWICH
Selection: It is essential that the selection of breeding stock takes place in December at the latest. The exhibition season ends, so I had time to assess the value of my future breeding.

Preparation of males: On 15 December, the males are placed in breeder. The time for clarity is 12 hours and the temperature 12 degrees.
On 30 December, I give vitamin E in water (for vitamin pigeon) to mating. From that moment, my male no longer receive pâtée, this is very important, in order not to be too bold birds.

Preparation of females: On 15 December, females are placed in cages flight (2 meters) and truss. The weather remains normal light and temperature between 5 degrees and 10 degrees (without heating), which allows me to offer them food more challenging as the pâtée, but also the seeds sprouted. A certain amount of fat is essential, what not to say that birds are to be obese!
For the continuation of artificial light, it is possible to put birds prematurely condition, one or two months earlier. The light is on hormones by the retina of the eye which themselves act on physical activity.
The second week of February is often the time when I start mating, this is when I cut the nails and feathers around the sex of birds.
Generally, I like to let the birds by couples except for my 3 or 4 best male, which I destine 2 females, which is a maximum, especially with a young male.
Throughout the breeding season, I filed a grid above my drawers that I covered with a sheet of paper to be regularly replaced.
This system allows me to receive a cage much cleaner, birds can no longer pecking at the remains of pâtée rotten. Attention, this grid will be withdrawn as soon as the young come out of the nest.
  The nests that are using clay and are perforated with small holes for good ventilation, the nest will be swinging in the cradle. The nests are Jo wooden crates painted, square-shaped (10 cm x 10cm), whose background is a mesh net and hanging from the front. In this way, the female has all the necessary space to build its nest under its own size.
The nest and cotton (Sisal) will be placed in the cage breeding with the male before introducing the female.
When the female is on its nest, it can in no way see the boom. The eggs of stone (fake) will be disinfected in water Déttol added.
Have a good humidity in the room breeding is very important. Between 70 and 80% humidity is ideal for outbreaks. But conversely, too much humidity can be dangerous for the weaning period.
When you have premises outside the house, a pilot of 8 watts at night, can save fertilized eggs and young. In the event waking inopportune, females can return to their nest without s'effrayer.
For the weaning period, I place my youth in a cage flight (no perch) and weaning is carried out solely by males.
Beware of pecking. This problem is the answer to farmers who surpeuplent their cages.

A lack of vitamins leads the pecking, especially the D and D3. Do not forget the grit, cuttlefish bones, stone pecking (preferably pink) and millet in clusters, they are very useful during weaning.

COLOR: Craindre colour is a false problem that frightens fans Norwich. It is not logical because with modern dyes, artificial coloring has become very simple. It is obvious that non-colored birds can also show their qualities.
It belongs to the amateur making his choice.
If you choose to dye:
   1) Please note in colouring as the plumage of birds too hard, you reinforce the shortcomings of plumage.
   2) You must be aware of the constraints that it causes each day to give the same amount of dye. If you go on vacation, the trainer of service will face an additional problem.
   3) During the exhibition season, we must continue to give the dye, a bird can make a "small-driven" and without any dye, new feathers repousseront yellow and your bird will bicolore.
I colour my youth when Norwich have six weeks. I think you get the best results by using a combination of intensive Bogena Carophyl and orange.
Method of preparation:
6 grams of intensive Bogena + 3 grams Carophyl orange mixed in a litre of boiled water. This water is kept chilled in the refrigerator. Mix one part of pâtée plus one share plus one share rusk dye. Make sure that the proportions remain constant to avoid an irregular coloration.
Method Jo Schifflers: last year, another method has been tried, it is a stain on drinking water only, using the same proportions indicated above. To avoid dirty cages with coloured water, I use a hamster bottles fitted with a small steel ball. The bird pushes the ball with nothing to drink splash. Young gradually and easily get used to this way of drinking. In addition, water remains to be shielded from the air and droppings.

COUPLES OF SUPPORT: For a beginner farmer, happen couples support is certainly take the risk of compromising its breeding season.
I noticed that my Norwich are more efficient to raise their young in the second round, so I automatically returns all my eggs in the first brood.
My method is to allow the female to lay her eggs then are the Lizards raising, the eggs they are hatched by females Norwich.
Establish a good foster family is very important, so I use the Lizard, very good breeder. Besides, I found that my young suffer no pecking.
But we must absolutely encourage young females to breed Norwich, otherwise, their instinct livestock could disappear.
Remember that the ultimate goal is to raise Norwich of good quality. By whom they have been bred, east of second importance.

BREEDING A HAND: Very few farmers talk about it ... and yet!
I am confident that feed the young in the nest (especially at night) can save a lot of young people, especially the first few days. To do so, I use a syringe and as food, I give "Energette" at Ravasi while Jo gives Prestige NutriBird A21 from Versele-Laga.

Alain NOTTET with the participation of Joseph SCHIFFLERS

2015 World Show

JANUARY 22-25  2015     

WORLD SHOW 

 ROSMALEN, HOLLAND               

http://mondialcom2015.com

   

Importing Norwich to the United States

This message is to my Canadian Friends in the hobby:

Can anyone please provide me with information on how to import birds into Canada from Europe and then to the United States. Many breeders here are looking for a way to get Show Stock from private individuals shipped thru Canada to avoid the quarantine conditions here in the United States.

If you have any information please contact me by psoting a message here on the blog.

Thank You,
Candy

GOING LIGHT SYNDROME

by Stephanie Burk

For years breeders have watched their birds waste away and die. The term going light has been used for decades to describe a bird that eats, but continues to lose weight, and eventually succumbs to the condition.

I use the term condition because it is not a disease, but a deficiency in vitamin D3. We know this because antibiotics have no effect on reversing the condition. Therefore, we can rule out bacterial infection or a virus.

However, a bird could be suffering from more than one problem at a time.

The vitamin deficiency could be secondary to another ailment lowering the bird’s immune system to infection. Always look at your bird’s droppings, the color will often tell you if your bird has a bacterial infection. Smell is also a good indicator for example; E. coli in a bird’s dropping will smell very foul.

Research has found that retarded growth and severe leg weakness are the first signs noted when chicks are deficient in vitamin D3. Beaks and claws become soft and pliable. Chicks may have trouble walking and will squat on their hocks. Feathering is usually poor and abnormal, lacking in calcium due to the vitamin D3 deficiency.  Rickets is a prime example of this condition.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in few foods. It is produced by ultraviolet rays from sunlight. Since our bird-rooms have artificial lights, the lack of sunlight creates the deficiency of vitamin D3 normally manufactured and absorbed by our birds.

In humans, vitamin D’s major biologic function is to maintain serum calcium and phosphorus concentrations within the normal range by enhancing the efficiency of the small intestine to absorb these minerals from the diet.

The liver also plays a role in metabolizing vitamins and minerals. Be careful of the dosage you administer to your bird. A little may help but too much may be counterproductive and cause toxicity in your bird’s liver.

   

 A bird that goes light shows signs of listless, poor feather quality, and muscle loss due to the fact they are deficient in vitamin D3.  This deficiency prevents the absorption of nutrients from their diet. They can eat all day, but if their intestines do not absorb the nutrients and minerals from the food, they are starving to death no matter how much they consume.

During my theoretical and practical research I have found that supplementing with a liquid vitamin D3 has reversed this condition.

Administer 1-2 drops of liquid vitamin D3 twice a day for 5 days, by dropper, into the bird’s beak. I have used this on birds going light and old birds. To my surprise most started acting like young chicks again.

Again, it’s important to note that not all vitamin companies and their products are the same. Buy the best you can obtain. I used a product called Fast Absorbing Liquid Vitamin D3 with concentration of 5000 IU manufactured by Trace Minerals. Their web site is www.traceminerals.com.

I believe every breeder should supplement their birds with vitamin D3 in their eggfood at least twice a week on a prophylactic course of treatment.

Our birds are living in an artificial environment that is not conducive to their basic needs and lacking in most of nature’s natural gifts of sun light, fresh air, fresh water, grasses, and insects to feed on.

This is for informational purposes only. Do your own research and consult a veterinarian, if your bird is sick. I have written this article from my own personal experience and hope you find it helpful in your aviary.

This article is copyrighted 2014

Please do not reprint without the author’s prior approval.

 

PLUMAGE IN A TIZZY by ALAIN NOTTET Champion Breeder and International Judge

BLINDNESS IN CANARIES

BLINDNESS IN CANARIES  Extracts from an article in the Hunter Bulletin.  Additional material from ‘Every bird’.

Over a period of about eighteen months I noticed a few of my birds were going blind. This occurred at first in a young cock bird and then later in a number of breeding hens who were losing young in the nest. The initial observation showed a grey speck occurring in the eye of the affected bird, first in one eye then sometimes in the other eventually leading to total blindness.

A local veterinarian was asked to help. The birds were initially treated using the usual antibiotic creams and ointments without any response. He then decided more specimens should be sent off to a research laboratory. After many months little progress had been made. A New Zealand expert was consulted and it eventuated that it was some form of protozoal infection. Finally a further examination of tissue indicated a protozoal infection of the eye, choroid/retina and lens. Electron microscopic examination of these organisms revealed they were of the apidomplesus type, i.e. toxoplasma-like. These results were followed up with blood tests of myself and my wife revealing that at some time we had contracted toxoplasmosis.

Toxoplasmosis is a relative common occurrence in humans and animals and it is estimated that in the United States more than one quarter of the population has been exposed to this infection. The infection can be caught by eating raw or undercooked beef, or through contact with cat excreta. It is particularly dangerous to pregnant women causing birth defects and blindness in unborn children, the parasite can also cause lesions in the eyes of cats.

The parasite was thought to have been contacted by our canaries after eating greens from our garden which had been in contact with either cat faeces or urine. Our family cats were also blood tested but at the time of writing no results had been received.

The parasite can travel through the body of the bird forming a cyst within the brain. This can initially cause loss of balance and sudden blindness. An autopsy of the brain would be hit and miss and may not even detect anything. Always were rubber gloves when handling a bird that has died from unknown causes.

Lead poisoning can also show similar signs as toxoplasmosis. Loss of balance, diarrhoea, and sudden death. Canaries are very sensitive to even low levels of lead, and if you have a bird with the above symptoms, then it is more likely to be lead poisoning than toxoplasmosis. Paints produced several years ago contained lead and parts of their cage may be painted with this old paint. Lead is also contained in solder which is used in the manufacture of a lot of equipment such as cage fronts, seed hoppers, hang-on baths to name a few.

 Canaries are curious creatures, and to avoid boredom, they will often resort to chewing on the broken edge of a cage divider or something similar and so pick up lead.

If you are having problems check your cages, sanding and repainting the item using a modern non-toxic paint. Soldered joints should be cleaned of any loose material and painted over with the same non-toxic paint.

Common sense is the main requirement and all greens from the garden must be washed, especially if you or the neighbours have cats. Greens can be rinsed in a 1:100 solution of common bleach and water (10ml to 1ltr of water) for 10 minutes. This will prevent many nasties on green food being transferred to your birds.

ALAIN NOTTE WINS BEST IN SHOW

ALAIN NOTTET WINS BEST IN SHOW
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