Age to sell bonded button quail chicks?

[jaybme]

I was all set to sell some of my babies but now feel bad for the parents who are doing such a great job taking care of them. Crazy I know!

I have a great new home for them and no worries about their care. The parents are not tame, so it isn't like I am betraying their love, but I feel like it is.

ANyone else have a hard time with "empty nest" syndrome?

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
I'm going to when I start selling buttons hopefully next spring, and these coturnix quails here in 6 weeks when they're ready knowing full well some will be going for meat. *pouts* I feel like thier mama, but I myself am going to put some in the freezer and am going to feel bad about it buuut try very hard not to think about it as i'm enjoying them for din.

I am so glad I actually was misfortunate to only have one button quail egg hatch the first time, because I've fallen so inlove with "Pippin" im sure i would have with all 10 of the eggs I had..and It would have been hard tho I only intended to keep a pair LOL! So having only one hatch makes it simple im keeping him.

I've sold many baby rabbits i've raised, and horses i've raised and trained and owned for years...it all still hurts the same but gets easier.

Did your pair set the eggs naturally? The breeder I got my eggs (and pair) from locally tried telling me it's so rare that BQs set their own eggs that they'd go extinct if there was no incubators. But I am reading more and more of people having sucess with natural incubation. Id ont care if i always have to incubate my eggs, however I jsut find it weird she'd say that with all the obvious proof that peoples birds ARE brooding for them.

 

[jaybme]

You know, I heard the same thing, but both of mine are sitting on their eggs. However, my sisters quail ( clutch-mate) acts like the eggs are poo, and just steps over them on the way to food.

I wonder if it has to do with handling, living area, lighting, a bunch of stuff that might affect it. We have ours outside and in a secluded area, with some hiding spots ( not too many though .

My sisters is inside, with a bunch of kids, cats and now guinea chicks in there too.

One of mine is a nervous nellie, and booted her mate yesterday- I had to take him out as she spent her day attacking him, not sitting the eggs. Of course, today they are calling each other, but I do not dare put him back in.

I LOVE the little family dynamics, but you are right, they will have more and I can't keep them all! Thanks

 

[monarc23]

haha! awh, I have a pair of mine outside, I'm hoping with some precautions they will do okay in our PA winters, next year I hope to get some fertile eggs from them if they make it. If they do I might make them a natural run for the late spring/summer months and see if that natural type thing (like you explain) will get the hen to go broody, however I'll have to worry about predators so that could be a challenge in itself.

The breeder i got pippin and the other eggs and pair from, has hers in this collony type set up in basically the "wind tunnel" part of their house, that's more like an enclosed back porch. It's a really nice set up but she has like 20 birds per 2ft by 3ft, I have no clue how she keeps them all sane in there LOL! that's probably why she personally can't get any natural broodies. She's a nice girl and really knows her genetics, but i think im realizing more than her just off this group.