PRODUCTION RECORDING
A few poultry breeders in the United Kingdom are interested in setting up some sort of production recording for chickens and ducks.
In the 1960's there were very scientific trials done around the country - the Daily Mail sponsored Milford centre; and others sponsored by feed companies.
As far as I understand things there were several sorts of trials -
1: all caged
2:12 bird houses that were split down the middle to create 2 6 bird houses each with a separate run; each had the feed measured daily; and each bird was identified and trap nested so each egg that each bird laid was recorded.
3:24 chicks were reared on site all details were recorded - growth rates etc and 12 were selected to go into the laying trials.
Dual purpose birds were also included with weight gains measured.
The trials were either over a certain number of days or a 12 month laying period. The trials started once the birds had got to 5% production.
This is obviously not going to be repeated in this day and age - there are no facilities that are going to set this up nor sponsors with the pennies to finance it.
So the idea is to set up a much more low key but hopefully helpful system that any poultry and waterfowl keeper can join however many or few birds they keep.
A record sheet will be filled in with as much detail as possible - obviously few people will be able to trap nest but even numbers of eggs per group daily gives an idea. If one has a mixed group of say Rhode Islands; welsumers and Leghorns then it will be pretty easy to distinguish the numbers of eggs from each breed by egg colour.
Participants can include as much or as little information as they wish or are able
Records will be collated on a computor database (run by one of our number with big computor system) but in reports keepers only identified with a number code. If we can it would be good to make the database so that it can be read by microsoft access or the results in microsoft excell - or lotus / works so people can have their results at home
Records suggested so far: - go to records page
It would be good to include as many poultry keepers as possible - from breed clubs; national associations; local smallholders clubs; through the various magazines; and internet groups.