[ceri green]

...if I can remember them all!

1. How long does a hen need to be with a new cockerel before you can be sure that any babies will be his and not her previous husbands?

2. Is the red spot you find in eggs always potentially an embryo or is this a myth?

3. If an egg is fertile, does the shell colour vary from the norm, and does the father's genes affect the colour?

4.I found small light goldeny brown passengers on a couple of the hens when I was giving them a checkover...I'm sure they were NOT red mites, so are they likely to be eughhhhhhhhhhhh LICE? (I thought lice were grey but can't think what else they could be, they were running not jumping around in the feathers so I don't think they were fleas either).Any ideas?

5. If I am correct re Q4, will the red mite powder control/get rid of them or should I get something else as well? (kiddies nit lotion?)

I know there were other questions but I cant think of them now :roll:

Any answers will be much appreciated,
ta,
Ceri  

[Vember]

Hi Ceri

1 - they say that a cockerels "stuff" can stay in the hen for 3 weeks - so best wait 4 weeks to be certain the new boy if doing the job

2 - The red spot is just a blood spot a little bit of the hens inside that got in before the shell was made. I think this normally happens if they've had a fright or so I've heard :?

3 - Not sure on genetics & egg mixes sorry  :oops:

4 - There's a section here all about external parasites, I use frontline BUT it's NOT REGISTERED FOR POULTRY USE But it'll do the trick with lice. Failing that Johnsons do a anti mite & insect sprat which kills lice but not the eggs so a repeat spray 7 days later does the trick. You can buy this at most pet shops for use on budgies etc...


Hope that helps

Sarah

[nnbreeder]

On the egg shell color the rooster's genes will not affect the hen that he is being mated to, only the offspring of the two once mated. The general rule for brown eggs is that they are layed by hens with red ear lobes and white eggs by hens with white earlobes.

Some genes like the gene for blue/green eggs are often dominant over the other genes for egg color.

Hope this helps.