Quaker

[coolbreeze]

Ok guys I have a quaker question ,I purchased what I thought was a male quaker " Jessie" to put with my Dna'd female "Sweety" , this last saturday my son called me at work and informed me that Jessie my male laid an egg , so guess what I have another female . My question is since Jessie is laying eggs should I get a male to breed with her or should I wait and if I should wait how long shouldI wait?????

[FrendlyFids]

It depends on how old she is really. If she is under about 2.5 years i wouldnt sugest trying to breed her just yet. in saying that you can still get another male and either not put them together or not give them a nest box or anything you think they might nest in. If you breed a bird that is too young you can cause severe damage to it not to mention probably undue as well as the eggs are likely to be infertile. I breed quakers (although i am still new to it) but thats just basic good practice to wait until the bird is truely mature. On the other hand if she is a mature hen and you are prepared to intervien if the need arises to rear the young yourself and time, space, $$$ (vet bills can increase 10 fold when breeding as opposed to owning a single or even a pair of birds), knowledge permits then go for it! It can be a truely rewarding experiance but also at times it can be quite upsetting and distressing as well.
All that said, do as much research as you possibly can. Ask everything.....twice! talk to breeders and your local avian vet and you should be fine!

Good Luck !! :)