My Hunting Dog Training Blog

The chukar chicks arrived around noon on Wednesday of last week. I had some great help in preparing for their arrival from my friend Russ Peterson at Rooster Valley Pheasants gamebird farm. I was not prepared for how small the day-old chukar chicks were. The first night or two were a little tricky as there was a bit of a cold spell in our valley. I had to use a propane camp stove to keep the temperatures up in my brooder rooms.

The 250 watt heat lamps were providing great heat in the center of the brooder but the edge temps were a little low. I added a fourth heat lamp on the edge of each circle to help with the problem. The pine shavings seem to work well for a ground covering and an insulator. I used some paper plates for feeders to double my feeding space for the first few days.

I was very impressed with my low pressure nipple waterers that I purchased from Natures Way. It took a little bit of adjusting to get them leveled and working properly. The chicks didn't take long to figure out how to get water from the nipples.

So far I have only lost about 8 chicks since they arrived 5 days ago. The ones that seem to die are either weak or runts. I wonder if I could set-up a quarantine area and try to save some of the birds that look like they are struggling. They are starting to consume huge amounts of feed now. Luckily I have a neighbor who mixes high protien feeds and he delivers it right to my barn.

Posted by Big Bad Jon at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I have been working with Abby using a spring loaded pinch collar I got from my friend Kent Forbush at Snow Canyon Outfitters. It is a studded leather training collar with a length of metal banding sown in to help the collar spring back to the open position. I have been impressed with the effectiveness of the design. The dog only feels pressure when you pull against the collar. When she does what she is supposed to the collar springs open and Abby feels nothing. It has worked great for training heal and whoa commands. I have also been using it to reinforce the come command, especially when there are distractions. Abby is coming along nicely despite spending another 21 days in lock-down after her heat cycle returned a few months too early.

Posted by Big Bad Jon at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Through all of my reading and learning about dog training I have found it impossible to train a bird dog without access to plenty of birds. This week I finished construction on a small pigeon coop in the corner of my existing chicken coop. I framed in a 4x8 area with a raised wire floor next to a window. It should work well for 6-8 breeding pairs of pigeons.

In the rear of the pigeon coop is a small window that opens to an outside aviary where they can perch and get some fresh air. When my little flock of pigeons gets larger I will fly my younger birds and train them to home back to the aviary. The two pigeons in the pictures are common barn pigeons that I trapped.

The nesting boxes were built above the window to the aviary. There is room for 6 breeding pairs of pigeons with the current setup. I placed some grit on the floor with clean water, food and straw for nesting materials. Next week I will purchase a few breeding pairs of roller pigeons from a neighbor. These are basically his culls that don't fly/roll as well as he would like. Should be perfect for bird dog training.

Posted by Big Bad Jon at 2:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)