Indian / Cornish Game breeding pen

When candling the eggs set as a test hatch last week I was very surprised to discover all the eggs from the Indian Game flock were clear.

The cockerel is still very young, last year was his first year of breeding and fertility was close to 100%.

He has spent the winter free ranging a large area and is very fit and active. The reasons for his lack of fertility could be one or more of many. It is still very early in the season and he is running with quite a large number of hens.

To rule out the more obvious factors I have now housed him in the stable with just four hens - 2 Speckled Sussex, an Australorp and an Ixworth. The whole flock has also been wormed, as a precaution.

He's not very impressed with the arrangements, I have to say. The stable is plenty large enough to house 5 birds, it has a thick covering of straw on the floor for them to scratch about in. There are greens hanging for them to peck at, a large, old apple branch for them to climb on and investigate, a dust bath and ad lib food and of course water but it is not freedom.

It is only a temporary arrangement, in the next couple of weeks I'll set a few more eggs which will hopefully show more promise.