- Nov 5, 2017
- 26
- 116
- 119
Just sharing some of my triumphs, failures, joys and sorrows while starting up my first batch of quail! Equal parts jubilance and some disturbing descriptions of chick injuries and non-hatches.
So, my friend and I ordered some quail hatching eggs about 2 months back off of Etsy. They were Jubmo Coturnix Quail and I went halfsies with her on the order. A few weeks later we went in together on another order of quail eggs with the blue shell variant.
I excitedly, and sometimes impatiently, waited for my first batch to hatch. The glee I experienced is hard to capture with words when the first tiny little Quail hatched! I have raised bantam size chickens for most of my life so small birds are kind of run-of-the-mill for me, but this baby was absolutely tiny! I had started researching colors while the eggs were hatching so I was pretty sure that she would be a pharaoh coloration when she grew into her feathers. I now know she's a girl because she's big enough to have her beautiful white speckled chest now. 3 days later a second baby popped its shell, tuxedo pharaoh coloration. No idea about its gender. I put them in a little brooder and handled them every day (the first born, Squirt, still loves me!) No other eggs even pipped from that batch.
About two weeks after the first set hatched I had much better luck with the blue shelled eggs and ended up with five babies. 2 tuxedos, one that might be a silver, and to whites. I was confused by the two chicks that pipped but whose eggs look like they were too wet inside. they both died and it seemed as if they were trying to hatch too soon. These eggs were sitting right next to chicks who were perfectly able to hatch without complications so I guess it was mother nature culling as she saw fit. All of the new cuties have their own brooder. My room is very warm from the heat lamps
The two larger quails had been hanging out from infancy some of my Serama chicks (hatched at about the same time) and they all seem to get along very well.
I moved them all to a larger brooder pen preparing them for their outdoor excursions with another set of chickens that had been hatched by one of my hens.
I was checking on them every hour or so to make sure everybody was doing well.
After a completely quiet day, my daughter came yelling in the house that someone had picked the head feathers off of one of the babies. I ran out and sure enough my tuxedo quail was having its scalp removed by the hen raised chicks. I know this is graphic, but I was able to see the top of its little skull!
As horrified as I was, I got it back up into the house with its sister and put Cut Heal all over the wound. Did all of the veterinary check-ups. They said we just have to wait and see if it will pull through. 3 days later and it is still alive, eating and drinking, but sometimes walking backwards... Hoping it will be a successful survival story for the poor little bean. If Quail are enough like chickens for me to do a comparison, I did have a young hen get scalped buy larger birds while it was inside a smaller cage to do its integration over 14 years ago. She never grew feathers back on her head, but the skin slowly covered back over the skull and I named her Baldy Bean. She ended up having a nice long life even with her traumatic start.
To to end with uplifting news, the rest of my little Quail are doing really well! I am feeding game bird starter, ground down with my small mortar and pestle, chick grit, and daily fresh water with a touch of apple cider vinegar mixed in.
And and excitedly building an outdoor rat proof hutch and run for them using framed 1/2 inch hardware cloth for the walls/roof and door, and brushed concrete for the floor. Fingers crossed for mostly hens that way I don't have to find homes for excess roosters.
Squeeeeeee!
So, my friend and I ordered some quail hatching eggs about 2 months back off of Etsy. They were Jubmo Coturnix Quail and I went halfsies with her on the order. A few weeks later we went in together on another order of quail eggs with the blue shell variant.
I excitedly, and sometimes impatiently, waited for my first batch to hatch. The glee I experienced is hard to capture with words when the first tiny little Quail hatched! I have raised bantam size chickens for most of my life so small birds are kind of run-of-the-mill for me, but this baby was absolutely tiny! I had started researching colors while the eggs were hatching so I was pretty sure that she would be a pharaoh coloration when she grew into her feathers. I now know she's a girl because she's big enough to have her beautiful white speckled chest now. 3 days later a second baby popped its shell, tuxedo pharaoh coloration. No idea about its gender. I put them in a little brooder and handled them every day (the first born, Squirt, still loves me!) No other eggs even pipped from that batch.
About two weeks after the first set hatched I had much better luck with the blue shelled eggs and ended up with five babies. 2 tuxedos, one that might be a silver, and to whites. I was confused by the two chicks that pipped but whose eggs look like they were too wet inside. they both died and it seemed as if they were trying to hatch too soon. These eggs were sitting right next to chicks who were perfectly able to hatch without complications so I guess it was mother nature culling as she saw fit. All of the new cuties have their own brooder. My room is very warm from the heat lamps
The two larger quails had been hanging out from infancy some of my Serama chicks (hatched at about the same time) and they all seem to get along very well.
I moved them all to a larger brooder pen preparing them for their outdoor excursions with another set of chickens that had been hatched by one of my hens.
I was checking on them every hour or so to make sure everybody was doing well.
After a completely quiet day, my daughter came yelling in the house that someone had picked the head feathers off of one of the babies. I ran out and sure enough my tuxedo quail was having its scalp removed by the hen raised chicks. I know this is graphic, but I was able to see the top of its little skull!
As horrified as I was, I got it back up into the house with its sister and put Cut Heal all over the wound. Did all of the veterinary check-ups. They said we just have to wait and see if it will pull through. 3 days later and it is still alive, eating and drinking, but sometimes walking backwards... Hoping it will be a successful survival story for the poor little bean. If Quail are enough like chickens for me to do a comparison, I did have a young hen get scalped buy larger birds while it was inside a smaller cage to do its integration over 14 years ago. She never grew feathers back on her head, but the skin slowly covered back over the skull and I named her Baldy Bean. She ended up having a nice long life even with her traumatic start.
To to end with uplifting news, the rest of my little Quail are doing really well! I am feeding game bird starter, ground down with my small mortar and pestle, chick grit, and daily fresh water with a touch of apple cider vinegar mixed in.
And and excitedly building an outdoor rat proof hutch and run for them using framed 1/2 inch hardware cloth for the walls/roof and door, and brushed concrete for the floor. Fingers crossed for mostly hens that way I don't have to find homes for excess roosters.
Squeeeeeee!
