California - Northern

[CowgirlJules]

Amy, I bought my quail for eating, but then I discovered that Coturnix dont taste much like wild quail. I don't care for the meat all that much. We eat the eggs; they're pretty good layers, but they're more of a novelty. I'll be getting rid of mine soon, as I have enough to feed without added pets. I never did get a permit done to raise Valleys or Mountain Quail, and I doubt that I will at this point.

 

[Mac14]

I'm in Northern California!

 

[Happy Chooks]

I'm in Northern California!

Welcome!

 

[ronott1]

I'm in Northern California!

Where do live?

It is great to hear from you.

Ron

 

[Mac14]

Where do live?

It is great to hear from you.

Ron

In Nevada County.

 

[ronott1]

Amy, I bought my quail for eating, but then I discovered that Coturnix dont taste much like wild quail. I don't care for the meat all that much. We eat the eggs; they're pretty good layers, but they're more of a novelty. I'll be getting rid of mine soon, as I have enough to feed without added pets. I never did get a permit done to raise Valleys or Mountain Quail, and I doubt that I will at this point.

Thank You Jules!

The only quail I have eaten is Valley Quail. I did buy quail eggs from an Hispanic store once. They were kind of fun.

My daughters want me to hatch some but now I don't think I want to.

What about Pheasants?

Ron

 

[CALI CHICK]

Hi Everyone, I don't think I've been on here for almost a week....but I have been catching posts here and there!

I have 2questions that I've been wondering about for a while and then I have some pictures from the fair....none of my birds. BTW-We went on Friday before the judging so no ribbons will be attached. OK, the questions...

1. What kind of grass seed (or grain) should we plant in the back yard for our free range chickens? And, is there a place to buy bulk? I picked up a small, cheap bag at Home Depot and seeded a section for my silkie enclosure, but they finished it off in about 5 days. I would like to seed sections of the yard and allow access to it after it is a couple inches high. Then section off and seed a new area(s), etc...Any knowledgable ideas would be appreciated.

2. Should I worm my chickens just as a precaution or are the meds really bad for them/us? All my (11) birds look and act healthy and poop is normal. Sometimes I'm just afraid "what if they have worms?". Am I just being paranoid? Oh, and if it IS a good idea to worm them periodically, what do you suggest?

Now for some pictures from the Fur and Feathers Building at the CA State Fair. I was bummed that I didn't get to meet any of you, but the chickens were great.
My son has decided he wants to get a few of these Belgian d'Anvers...it'sa good thing they're small!

I think this was Deb's Polish. Gorgeous and Classy!

Deb's

Deb's

Oops, I guess this isn't a chicken!

 

[ronott1]

Hi Everyone, I don't think I've been on here for almost a week....but I have been catching posts here and there!

I have 2questions that I've been wondering about for a while and then I have some pictures from the fair....none of my birds. BTW-We went on Friday before the judging so no ribbons will be attached. OK, the questions...

1. What kind of grass seed (or grain) should we plant in the back yard for our free range chickens? And, is there a place to buy bulk? I picked up a small, cheap bag at Home Depot and seeded a section for my silkie enclosure, but they finished it off in about 5 days. I would like to seed sections of the yard and allow access to it after it is a couple inches high. Then section off and seed a new area(s), etc...Any knowledgable ideas would be appreciated.

2. Should I worm my chickens just as a precaution or are the meds really bad for them/us? All my (11) birds look and act healthy and poop is normal. Sometimes I'm just afraid "what if they have worms?". Am I just being paranoid? Oh, and if it IS a good idea to worm them periodically, what do you suggest?

Now for some pictures from the Fur and Feathers Building at the CA State Fair. I was bummed that I didn't get to meet any of you, but the chickens were great.
My son has decided he wants to get a few of these Belgian d'Anvers...it'sa good thing they're small!

I think this was Deb's Polish. Gorgeous and Classy!

Deb's

Deb's

Oops, I guess this isn't a chicken!

I did some reading on the grass for chickens. Sadly, there is no grass that they will not destroy. The section idea is great. You can put a different type of grass in each section. You can plant rye in one, oats in another for example. One idea was to build a coop with four doors. Each door would lead to a different section with a different type grass. You would rotate which sections the chickens went to based on the condition of the grass.

Ok, that would be a lot of work....

You could use a chicken tractor and move it every couple of days. You would have to have a big one for 11 chickens. I am working on setting up a system. I am going to plant Bermuda Grass and rotate my three groups of chickens to the grass for a couple hours each day. After the Bermuda Grass is established, I will over seed with Rye grass next fall.

These are my thoughts on worming. I don't think it is the only way or maybe even the best way but it works so far. I think chickens are a bit like cats and dogs. They should be wormed before they start laying(when young). We adopted a dog recently and the Humane Society wormed her before we got her. After the first worming, you can either worm a couple of times a year or you can take a poo sample to the vet for a float test. Any vet should be able to do this. It is a misconception that you will see the worms in the poo. If you do see worms in the poo, you have a real bad problem.

Look up instructions for Ivermecton or one of the generic versions. I use injectable, 4 ccs per gallon for two days and then repeat 10 days later. There is no with drawl for eggs for your own consumption. The stuff is the same as what is prescribed for human worm infestations, so even if it got into the egg(the claim is that in doesn't) It would not hurt you.

I have read that there is no organic wormer that gets rid of worms. Ivermectin does not seem to harm the chickens at all. I usually start getting more eggs though.

I hope this helps,

Ron

 

[ronott1]

Ohhhh I get it! You make the curd using the yolks and then use the leftover whites for the cake! *smacks head* I can't wait to make this!!! ahhhh Hurry up Thursday!

Yes! Use the yolks to make lemon curd. You can put the lemon curd on the Angel Food Cake slices instead of raspberries or straw Berries..

Save the rest of the yolks. you can add them to french toast batter and etc.

Have a fun baking day!

Ron

 

[Meg2000000]

HI Megan,

I attached two pdf files in this post. If you can't get them, I will send them to you as attachments. let me know if a text file would work better.

Ron

Sorry Ron, I was too slow to realize that you put them in the post already! I think I need more sleep!

It's starting to look like live popcorn in my incubator. There was no way I could count the chicks, but so far I see 21 empty quail eggs and quite a few more still pipped/zipping. I originally set 39 eggs. Hopefully they'll finish up hatching this morning.

Now, where to put the little bumblebees.................

Deb

Ahhhh congrats!!!!

I can't go outside and eat anymore food without having 9 pairs of eyes staring at me.

LOL You're telling me. Our chickens stick their heads between the wooden slats of their run and just stare at us. Haha I never feel alone outside anymore!