Using Vitamin E

Vitamin E reduces the affects of aging and increases sexual activity. In humans it can help prevent wrinkles, enhance healing of wounds and increase libido. In birds it is used to promote fertility and enhance breeding behavior. When properly administered you will have fertile birds that have a heightened sense of urgency to breed and successfully produce more chicks.

As with many things in life timing is everything. Timing the use of Vitamin E will greatly affect the end results. Begin giving the pairs Vitamin E approximately two weeks before breeding season, or two weeks before putting pairs together. This two-week period allows the Vitamin E to build up in their systems and condition them for breeding. Discontinue adding any multi-vitamins during this time to avoid a vitamin overdose. Continue administering the Vitamin E until the hen lays the first egg. Once she lays eggs stop giving the Vitamin E and go back to using a multivitamin. The idea is that at this point you want them to concentrate on rearing young rather than to continue breeding.

Quiko produces Vitamin E in both liquid and powdered form. Both forms are equally effective. It’s a matter of personal preference as to which form works best for your situation. The powder is water soluble so either one can be added to the drinking water or the soft food. My personal preference is to add vitamins (any vitamins) to the soft food because that assures that the birds are actually getting the vitamins. Our experience is that the birds flock (pardon the pun) to the egg food as soon as it is placed in the cage.

There are two ways to administer the vitamins in the egg-food. When using the powdered form either mix the vitamin powder with the dry egg-food and add moistened Rusk or Carrots to the egg-food or mix the powder with the water that you soak the Rusk or Carrots in. When using liquid Vitamin E add the vitamin to the water before soaking the Rusk or Carrots in it.

If you prefer to add vitamins to drinking water please be sure to scrub drinkers or water dishes with hot soapy water and replenish with fresh vitamin enriched water daily. Vitamins are in reality a food source. Vitamin enriched water can be a phenomenal breeding ground for bacteria. Most people tend to automatically empty food dishes and replenish with fresh food so bacterial growth on vitamins in the food is less of an issue.

Happy breeding and good luck this season.