The fun is getting started soon!  At this time if you're using full spectrum light you should be at 12 hours.  It is recommended to use PHILIPS 32W T8 FLUORESCENT 5000K 98CRI (F32T8/TL950) light bulb because it's closest to the sun's natural light. Their life is 20,000 hours; they come in length of 48 inches.  I've been using it for a long time and they are worth every penny.

With 12 hours of light my birds are more and more active day after day.  Every morning when I watch them I see some difference.  Hens would be making more noise and flying left to right in the flight cages.  I just put a little piece of nylon string and they are all over picking and pulling on it. They will get few nests in first week of March and that will give me an idea how ready they really are for breeding.

In mean time my males are already in separate breeding cages with dividers pulled out.  They are singing happily and exercising all day long.  When hens are ready I'll just introduce them to males that are already familiar with territory.  Keep in mind males are very territorial. Food should be increased like in nature.  With spring coming there is much more food out there for wild birds and that would get them properly conditioned for breeding.  Of course temperature is a big factor in breeding.

 I don't heat my aviary but do have a heater with thermostat that is setup for critical temperature just in case it gets very cold my heater would come up.  I always pair my best birds for quality not quantity!

My birds will get seeds daily and also greens, fruits one day and veggies the other day, sprouted seeds every third day, egg food once a week and also I give them whole egg cut in half every other day. Change foods like you change your food.  Don’t give them the same food every day. I don’t eat the same food every day so why would they. Cuttlebone is available at all the time and spectrum light helps as well for calcium needs.  I give vitamins mixed with water daily separate from regular water.  Calcium is very important for hens in order to lay eggs properly.

My birds take a bath whenever they are up for it.  This keeps them clean and healthy.  Keeping cages clean all the time is very important.  It’s not easy with busy schedules but it’s doable.

Next month we'll have full hands :).