Comparing quail sizes

[Reedgirl20]

It sounds like we all agree about culling the extra boys early. It doesn't pay off to feed them longer when they start fighting.
I assume both the JMF and CL people are talking about at least 12 week old birds when they compare weights, not the same numbers we will be getting when we process at 6-8 weeks of age for the best meat.

I agree. This is why I wanted to do some public comparisons of weights done in a consistent manner to see what reasonable weight expectations we could have but still do a six or seven week slaughter. I don't want to have to wait to 12+ weeks to have a large enough bird for the table just to be able to say I have a 14-16 oz bird that is too tough to enjoy. It is nice to see I could raise two batches of 10oz birds in roughly the same time frame and it is an improvement over my prior 7oz birds.

 

[Momhunter]

Reedgirl20 what were you selling your standard chicks for and have you decided what you are going to sell the jumbos for? I have two customers that are waiting on me to have the jumbos to sell them instead of buying some of my standards now. I have been getting $1.50 each until a week old then going up 0.50 a week and really selling about as many chicks as I want to hatch out.

 

[Reedgirl20]

I sell my standard chicks for $1 a chick under a week old and up a dollar a week for older chicks. $3 a chick for sexed chicks between two and three week old. I also have two or three people waiting for jumbos but I haven't advertised them yet. I haven't decided if I will sell the jumbos for more, probably not. I sell as many as I want too at that price and they easily pay for their feed without the selling taking too much effort or time.

 

[Reedgirl20]

I finally got the standard quail butchered this week. They were a couple of days past seven weeks old and average weight was 228g or 8oz. You could feel a definate weight and girth difference when processing them versus the jumbos. I am now down to just the two lines of jumbos left. I have three cages full of each line, so six total pens with six birds per pen. All the hens are in full egg production, gathered 28 eggs from 30 hens tonight and there was one hen sitting in the sandbox that I suspect was in the process of laying her egg quota today, lol.

As far as fertility I was a little disappointed in the boys. In my test batch I set 55 eggs, even sampling from each pen from a three day gathering. I candled at one week and so far only the roo from my JMF pen #3seems to be doing his stuff. All eggs from this pen were fertile and developing and only one other egg from JMF pen #2. I have set a second test batch into my other incubator and am hoping some of the other roos are getting with the program. I have seen more mating going on so have higher expectations.

 

[Reedgirl20]

Update: I was right! My hen produced an egg, putting today's total up to 29 eggs for 30 hens, their best day so far.

 

[VickieB57]

I have a question about the size of the eggs...I am building my quail layers' cages, and I want to make them so that the eggs can roll out of the front. I have the Jumbo browns (Pharaoh) from JMF. (I did originally buy the eggs, but didn't think at the time to measure them for the cages) I was told to bring the front an inch lower so that the eggs can roll out. The wire itself is 1x2, so I'm wondering if I slanted the floor, raising it in the back by 2 1/2 inches and attaching it to the bottom of the front of the cage, would they roll out anyway... I'm afraid that by putting the floor an inch below the front, the part of the cage that catches the eggs will take a beating by the tray as it's being taken in and out for cleaning. How high a clearing does the egg need? Remember, these are the JMF Pharaoh so they will be larger than the Tex A&:M.

 

[Reedgirl20]

I would think an angle of 2 1/2 inches would be more then enough. I measured the largest egg I got tonight and it was about 1 1/8th inches wide by about 1 1/4 long so I would probably make your gap a bit more then that.

 

[Momhunter]

Didn't get as many chicks as wanted to hatch. Set 207 line c JMF eggs, culled 52 when candled at 14 days and put in hatching tray. Only had 122 hatch and culled 3 of those do to severe splayed leg. So have 119 in two brooders. Haven't decided how many to keep through the winter for breeders.

 

[Reedgirl20]

Didn't get as many chicks as wanted to hatch. Set 207 line c JMF eggs, culled 52 when candled at 14 days and put in hatching tray. Only had 122 hatch and culled 3 of those do to severe splayed leg. So have 119 in two brooders. Haven't decided how many to keep through the winter for breeders.

That's not too bad though...better then 50% expected for shipped eggs. I know what you mean about trying to decide how many to keep for breeders. The 30 I have are burying me in eggs but fertility still not the greatest so don't want to start selling them yet. Not much of a market here to sell for just eating. I will be doing some more culling soon of the JMF hens. One hen in cage 1 is producing a porous, poorly colored eggs and in pen three am only getting three eggs out of 5 hens. Soon as I figure out the culprits I will begin to thin down the flock.

I didn't get the 8 week weights done for the CL birds this week, two vets gone this week on vacation so having to work extra hours and simply havnt had time. Hopefully get some new weights done this weekend.

 

[Momhunter]

...

That's not too bad though...better then 50% expected for shipped eggs. I know what you mean about trying to decide how many to keep for breeders. The 30 I have are burying me in eggs but fertility still not the greatest so don't want to start selling them yet. Not much of a market here to sell for just eating. I will be doing some more culling soon of the JMF hens. One hen in cage 1 is producing a porous, poorly colored eggs and in pen three am only getting three eggs out of 5 hens. Soon as I figure out the culprits I will begin to thin down the flock.

I didn't get the 8 week weights done for the CL birds this week, two vets gone this week on vacation so having to work extra hours and simply havnt had time. Hopefully get some new weights done this weekend.[/quote
I get overrun with eggs to, no one wants to pay for eating quail eggs here. So I end up using them myself or pickling then. Sometimes just end up thrashing them when they get to old and I've been busy. I have a egg frig that is a large wine frig set at 60 degrees where I keep hatching eggs for up to 10 days then have to wash them and try to sell or eat ourselves. I can't keep my chicken egg customers satisfied but no one wants the quail eggs.