LIST OF ALL QUESTIONS

This is a growing list of questions - the answers are from our own experience; learnt from other keepers and from a increasing library of books and magazines and online resources. No one is an expert - we can all learn daily. Constructive contributions are welcomed.

WHICH BIRDS SHOULD I GET?

1. What breed of bird should I buy?
2. Where should I buy birds from?
3. What age birds should I get?
4. What is the difference between utility / exhibition / other strains of birds?
5. When to buy birds?
6. Should I buy ex battery hens?
7. Should I buy pure breeds or hybrids?
8. How do I find birds?
9. I want to have a mixture but only breed from one - what is the best way?
10. What breeds of birds lay the most eggs?
11. Which breeds lay different coloured eggs?
12. Which breeds are native to the United Kingdom?
13. Which breeds are genetically important in the United Kingdom?
14. How many birds should I have?
15. Can I keep just one bird?
16. Keeping a house duck

EGGS AND EGG LAYING

1. When will my hens / ducks / geese start laying?
2. How many eggs should my chickens / ducks / geese lay?
3. Why don't my birds lay very much?
4. What is the point of recording egg numbers?
5. How do I record egg numbers?
6. Who is interested in the numbers of eggs my birds lay?
7. How does a chicken / duck / goose lay eggs?
8. What is the nutritional content of an egg?
9. Is there any difference between breeds?
10. Do Araucanas eggs have less cholestrol?
11. Do I need a cockerel / drake / gander for my birds to lay?
12. Why do my birds only lay in the spring and in the summer?
13. What does a good laying bird look like?
14. Why do some eggs taste "fishy" - other unusual flavours?
15. Why does the colour of the yolks vary?
16. What is an egg made of?
17. What is the difference between chicken duck and goose eggs?
18. How can you tell whether a hen is laying?
19. My hen has a very pale comb - why?
20. How do I get more eggs in the winter?
21. Which breeds lay white eggs?
22. Which breeds lay dark brown eggs?
23. Which breeds lay mid brown eggs?
24. Which breeds lay pale brown eggs?
25. Which breeds lay blue eggs?
26. Which breeds lay other coloured eggs?
27. Do the different coloured eggs taste different?

EGG PROBLEMS

1. My hens are laying eggs with soft shells?
2. What is egg peritonitis?
3. My hens have stopped laying - why?
4. My hens should lay dark eggs but they don't - why?
5. How do I stop my birds eating their eggs?
6. My hens will not lay in their nest box
7. My ducks will not lay in their nest box

SEXING BIRDS

1. How do you tell which ducks are boys and girls?
2. How do you tell which chickens are boys and girls?
3. How do you tell which geese are boys and girls?
4. What is feather sexing?
5. What is auto-sexing?
6. What is vent sexing?
7. How old can you tell the sex of yound birds?
8. What old methods have been used to sex young birds?

HEALTH PROBLEMS

1. My birds sound wheezy
2. My hen has lost feathers on her back
3. My Call duck has lost her voice
4. My Cayuga is going white
5. My Leghorn cockerels comb has turned black
6. My duck is lame - help When should I worm my birds?

FEEDING QUESTIONS

1. What should I feed my chickens?
2. What should I feed my geese?
3. What should I feed my ducks? Why can't I feed grains only?
4. Can I feed scraps from the house?
5. When should I feed my birds?
6. What should I feed chicks?
7. What should I feed ducklings?
8. What should I feed goslings?
9. What should I feed growing birds?
10. When should I change to adult feed?
11. How much should I feed my birds?
12. What else do they need?
13. What is the difference between meal ; mash and pellets?
14. Do my birds need treats?

FEATHER QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS

1. Why is my bird loosing all its feathers? When should my birds moult?
2. What are feather mites?
3. Why does my new duck sink?
4. My drake has lost all his colouring- why?

BROODY BIRDS

1. What is broodiness in hens / ducks / geese?
2. Why doesn't my hen / duck / goose go broody?
3. When will my hen / duck / goose go broody?
4. I have a broody sitting on eggs what does she need?
5. How long does it take to incubate the eggs?
6. When can I put eggs under a broody bird?
7. How long can / will my bird be broody?
8. Which breeds are the best broodies?
9. My hen started to be broody but then stopped - why?
10. When can I put chicks under a broody?
11. I don't have a cockerel but I would like to breed more birds and I have a broody?
12. I don't have a cockerel but I would like to breed more birds but I don't have a broody?
13. Can I move my broody hen / duck /goose?
14. I have a broody but I don't want her to sit - what do I do?

ARTIFICAL INCUBATION

1. Why do you use an incubator?
2. What are the right conditions for incubation?
3. What do you do with eggs before incubating them?
4. What do you need to incubate eggs?

GEOGRAPHICAL DIFFERENCES

1. What affect does the climate and location have on the birds?
2. How can I keep my birds water from freezing?

GENERAL CARE

1. Do chickens / ducks / geese need heat in the winter?
2. what are the basic requirements for keeping chickens?
3. What are the basic requirements for keeping ducks?
4. What are the basic requirements for keeping geese?

SPECIFIC BREED QUESTIONS

1. Why do my birds not lay the right colour egg for their breed?
2. Why do my Welsummers not lay dark eggs?
3. I thought Rhode Island Reds laid lots of eggs - mine don't - why?
4. Why do my Araucanas not lay blue eggs?
5. Why do my Marans not lay dark eggs?

MISCELLANOUS QUESTIONS

1. What is dubbing and why is it done?

PREDATORS

1. What are the main predators in the United Kingdom?
2. How do I protect my hens - we have daytime foxes in the garden
3. Something has killed a bird - what is it?
4. How do domestic pets and chickens; ducks and geese get on?

SPECIFIC BREED QUESTIONS

Tim and Jill Bowis
Kintaline Mill Farm, Benderloch, OBAN Argyll PA37 1QS Scotland
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