Hello MAWBA webmaster,
I am sending you the following information in hopes that you may have a way to reach your Delmarva based members and other interested parties Thank you very much.
sue dupont
On September 14, 2006, there will be a briefing for poultry and wild bird stakeholders on avian influenza at the University of Delaware's Carvel Research and Education Center, 16483 County Seat Highway (Route 9 east of Route 20) near Georgetown, Delaware. The briefing will start at 9 a.m. and will end at noon.
The purpose of this briefing is to educate and update the poultry and wild bird communities in Delmarva about high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) and the steps being taken at the Federal, State and Local levels to address the disease should it be discovered in domestic and/or wild bird populations. Stakeholders invited to attend include:
State, county and local agriculture and wildlife officials
Extension office representatives
Farm Bureau representatives
Poultry association members
Backyard poultry owners
Pet bird owners
Feed store owners
Hatchery owners
Birding organizations
Local veterinarians
The briefing is also open to the media
There is no charge to attend this briefing. To register or to find out more, visit www.aiaware.org/delmar
This briefing is being organized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in conjunction with the Delaware State Department of Agriculture and the Maryland State Department of Agriculture.
Date: April 20, 2006 4:07:24 PM EDT
To: webmaster@mawba.com
Subject: Breeding of mute swan
Hi and Good day,
I am Brig khalid Chughtai, veterinary consultant at Ayub National Park Zoo Rawalpindi Pakistan. We have a pair of mute swan. They are inhabited in a large pond of water along with other water birds. Today, the pen had hatched 4 cygnets and further 2 eggs are still under her. Someone told me that it is a rare occurance of breeding mute swan in captivity. Is it so? Please let me know if there are other occurances of this event.
Regards Khalid
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Hello Khalid,
Actually they do very well in captivity.
They have become a problem in the USA as they escape from breeders and many states will not allow their ownership now. Some of our group joined a rescue effort but could not prevent many from being destroyed. Very sad!
Are you vaccinating birds at the Ayub National Park Zoo? Many of our zoos plan to bring their birds indoors when it arrives here.
I have added a new page to the site
http://www.mawba.com/zoos.htm
Hope things get under control very soon, this is a real worry for all.
Stay well!
Kindest Regards,
Nancy
Date: April 18, 2006 9:28:52 PM EDT
To: Mid-Atlantic Wildfowl Breeders Assoc <mawba@adelphia.net>
Subject: Re: May we provide a link to your site?
Hello
Yes, you may link to our site. Below is a text add you can use if you like.
Also you have a great site!
Thank you
Date: April 26, 2006 9:21:36 AM EDT
To: <webmaster@mawba.com>
Subject: Egg Identification
What type of wildfowl lays light brown eggs that are the size and shape of chicken eggs? These eggs were found in Michigan and were already hatched and young gone by late April. Nest was built on the ground in the middle of a flower bed, actually on the grounds of an elementary school. Thank you.
Donald Dew
Schavey Road Elementary School
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Date: April 27, 2006 1:51:14 PM EDT
Hello, Nancy,
Thanks for your help. There were no feathers lining the nest. The nest was just a depression in the weeds and dried leaves. Shells did not feel waxy. There is a small pond about a block and a half from the nest with nothing but grass between the two. The pheasant population is very low in this area. I counted 7 eggs all of which appeared to have hatched as opposed to being destroyed by predators. We are just curious as to what it might have been since noone ever once spotted mother or young, which is kind of surprising since the nest is only about 30 feet from the building. Thanks again for your help.
Don
Sent: Saturday, April 29, 2006 6:15 AM
Subject: How are you doing with the bird flu?
Hope things are well with you.
How are you doing with the bird flu? A real mess isn't it.
All our club swaps are cancelled for now.
Stay well!
Nancy
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Date: May 5, 2006 8:39:05 AM EDT
Hi Nancy
I am quite well thank you. I have lost track of the bird flu situation. As far as I know, South Africa is still OK but apparently wild birds with the flu had been found in other African countries not so far away. Of course, the bird breeders are hard hit because they can not export to Europe and the USA. Apparently exports may still continue to Singapore but on a small scale and under strict control.
I sold and swopped all my ducks for a pair of black swans about this time last year, so I did not have any eggs or ducklings to take care of this year. The swans are still young, not completely in adult plumage yet.
Regards
Francois
Date: May 2, 2006 8:08:33 AM EDT
To: <webmaster@mawba.com>
Subject: Quails
Hello Sir or Madam,
I have two Chinese painted quails and I would like to get other quail, for example Californian Quails. Would they breed around other quails or do I have to have them in separate avairies??
Who can I get more knowledge from??
Thank you
Melanie - Durban, South Africa
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From: Nancy
Date: May 4, 2006 5:01:45 AM EDT
Subject: Re: Quails
Hello Melanie,
Here are a few web links that may help you.
Due to size and best kept characteristics it would be best to house them in separate aviaries.
Thanks for contacting MAWBA and Good Bird Rearing for 2006!
Regards,
Nancy
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http://www.quailsfromwales.org.uk/Californian.html
Latin name - Callipepla Californica
Approximate size - 9? - 10? inches
Incubation length - 22 - 23 days
Main characteristics:-
* These are popular quail to keep
* Easy to sex when mature
* Male has white and black mask, bright blue / grey chest
* Female - dull in colour and has streaks under the chin
* Male has a call that shouldn't offend
* Best kept in pairs
* Much steadier than Gambels
Colours available (click on the thumbnail/s below to view photo/s)Mutations available: Albino, White and Fawn - very rare
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http://www.quailsfromwales.org.uk/Chinese_Painted.html
Latin name - Excalfactoria Chinensis
Approximate size- 4? - 5 inches
Incubation length - 16 days
Main characteristics:-
* Easy to sex (except the whites and pieds)
* Males have a white face mask - females don't have a face mask
* Can be aggressive - new birds cannot be added if the colony is already established
* Best kept in trios or colonies
* Relatively quiet birds
* White and pied mutations need to be sexed visually and by body shape and actions
* Chicks are extremely small and it takes a while to get used to rearing them
Colours available (click on the thumbnail below to view photographs
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http://www.pheasant.org.uk/pheasants_quail_beginners.htm
Quail
Quail are generally very small birds compared with pheasants, also not so brightly coloured from a distance, close-up they are very attractive, especially the Chinese Painted Quail. With quail there are three distinct groups available to the Aviculturist. The Chinese Painted, with its various colour mutations. The Coturnix which is a domesticated version of the wild Japanese Quail, bred for the table and its egg production, this has resulted in different colours and sizes being produced over many years. Then you have the ornamental quail, such as the Californian, Scaled and Bobwhite Quail that are quite common and very successfully bred in captivity from those originating from the wild.
Purchase of stock
As with pheasants always try and purchased unrelated stock, perhaps by a pair from two different breeders and swap the males when you arrive home. Individual breeders and Pet Shops often advertise quail in papers, such as Cage & Aviary Birds, Bird Keeper, etc. As a matter of practice it is always better to visit the seller and select your requirements wherever possible, that will ensure the birds are well feathered and fit. At the same time most breeders will be only too pleased to talk about their methods of keeping and breeding their birds, which gives you an opportunity to start learning. For the more specialist ornamental species, it is possible to contact WPA or Aviornis for the names of breeders, which might be known to them.
Quail accommodation
Quail are often purchased to fill up the bottom of a finch or small bird aviary, with the basic idea to clean up the seed wasted from the finch feeders. However, the Ornamental species are normally not run in flocks, only as individual pairs per aviary to restrict fighting. These will also tend to fly up and perch to roost at night. Many people keep their ornamentals in only what can be described as large rabbit hutches, a covered area off the ground, a minimum area of 1.3 x 1.3 meters will house a pair and allow them to breed. Cover the floor with 50mm of sharp sand, with some rocks and logs for them to perch. Place sheets of timber along one or other of the sides so the hens are able to hide and build their nests. Some leaves or clumps of grass also provide suitable cover.
Chinese Painted and Coturnix quail can be housed in similar accommodation. Quail, all have the trait that they are all good flyers, and often fly vertically should they be disturbed, therefore it is important to have a soft netting roof or a padded roof. Unlike pheasants, quail can not stand wind or damp, and if kept on the ground outside, are susceptible to worm infection, thus the reason for keeping them on sand.
Diets for Quail
The basic diet for Chinese Painted Quail is a mixture of mixed millets and chick crumbs, at the ratio of 50/50 in a dish or hopper, which will prevent them from emptying the contents on to the aviary floor. Green food can be given in the form of grounsel or chopped lettuce. Fine grit should be available. A few mini mealworms can be given daily but not too many.
For the larger species a similar diet can be supplied, but with some groats, buckwheat or milo added. Green food is always enjoyed. Fine grit and clean water must be available at all times.
Breeding Quail
All quail produce large clutches of eggs and if possible allow them to make their own nest and sit their own eggs. However with some of the domesticated species they are inclined to lay their eggs anywhere in the aviary and will not sit on them. In this case, the eggs can be collected and placed under a small broody bantam or placed in a small incubator. An average clutch of eggs laid can be between 10-22 eggs. Incubation times: Chinese Painted =16, Coturnix =18, Californian = 22-23,Scaled = 23, Bobwhite = 22-23 days.
If placed under a small bantam, the hen will normally incubate and successfully hatch all the fertile eggs placed under her, she will help feed the chicks and brood them after they are hatched. A small incubator set at 37.5°C with the humidity at 55%RH will normally be required for most quail eggs. Once the chicks are hatched and dry, they can be placed in a cardboard box to act as a brooder, using a 60 watt red electric light bulb to provide heat, hung approx 100mm above the floor. The lamp must be adjustable up and down to provide the correct brooding temperature. The chicks will huddle together if they are cold or will move to the corners, if too hot. Corrugated cardboard is useful to place on the floor to prevent the chicks slipping, and will hold a some finely ground chick crumbs and maw seed if sprinkled on the floor to persuade the chicks to feed. A water dish with some pebbles is a useful way to prevent day- old chicks from drowning. Remember quail chicks can soon fly after they hatch, so cover the brooder with fine netting to prevent escapes.
Rearing Quail
After a few days of hatching, the chicks should be moved into a more permanent heated cage. At around 2 weeks normal size chick crumbs can be added mixed with small millets and at 6 weeks they should be on normal diet. (In the case of Coturnix, they are mature at six weeks and can start to breed.) As the chicks grow after hatching, the heat can be reduced each week, until approx 4weeks, when they will be fully feathered and not needing warmth.
Once the young quail have matured, you need to keep a close watch on them, as the males will start to fight over the females, and feather pecking could breakout. So split the males from the females to reduce conflict. Select the best birds for the following years stock, and your surplus can be sold on other interested breeders.
Once you have learned to keep and breed these birds, you will be hooked for life. All success for the future.
Further information
Books on the subject from: The World Pheasant Association (see publications)
Equipment from: A.B.Incubators, Unit 1, Church Farm, Chelmondiston, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP9 1HS. Tel. 01473 780050, e-mail: richard@abincubators.fsnet.co.uk
Closed Rings from: Aviornis -UK, C/o Cold Arbor Wildfowl, Tythington Lane, Bollington, Cheshire SK10 5AA. Tel/Fax 01625 573287 e-mail: Laurie@coldarbor.demon.co.uk