Prepping my Quail breeding groups before collecting eggs for hatching.

[Huntmaster]

I was going to mention that turkeys require higher % protein, than other gamebirds but figured you knew that, anyway.
The reason for most people thinking they have to start quail out on 28 or 30% protein, is a result of those raising them for the meat or market birds. In those cases, they only care about the feed conversion rate....faster growth rate for a shorter period of time, not the longevity or health of the birds in the long run.

Speaking of heritage turkeys, do you raise Black Spanish?

Not at this time, right now I have Bronze, Red Bronze, Sweetgrass, Fall Fire, (just added last spring Red Sweetgrass), Royal Palm, Penciled Palm, Tri Colored Penciled Palm, RED Penciled Palm, Blue Penciled Palm, Red palm, Blue Palm. Will be working on a Penciled Fall Fire this spring.

 

[007Sean]

Not at this time, right now I have Bronze, Red Bronze, Sweetgrass, Fall Fire, (just added last spring Red Sweetgrass), Royal Palm, Penciled Palm, Tri Colored Penciled Palm, RED Penciled Palm, Blue Penciled Palm, Red palm, Blue Palm. Will be working on a Penciled Fall Fire this spring.

Ok, I was thinking about getting into raising Black Spanish.
You certainly have you're hands full with that mess of birds!

 

[Huntmaster]

Ok, I was thinking about getting into raising Black Spanish.
You certainly have you're hands full with that mess of birds!

A little off topic but yes, can't seem to help myself always saying I'm going to reduce and limit my varieties but always seem to be adding. Just love crossing and getting the new varieties and always very selectively breeding to improve each variety. A few pics.

 

[007Sean]

A little off topic but yes, can't seem to help myself always saying I'm going to reduce and limit my varieties but always seem to be adding. Just love crossing and getting the new varieties and always very selectively breeding to improve each variety. A few pics.View attachment 3363880View attachment 3363881View attachment 3363884View attachment 3363887

Good grief!!!! And I thought I had it bad with pheasants!!!
There's a woman over in Azerbaijan, that raises all the different varieties. She has auctions on eBay for all the different feathers she collects from molting or from processing the birds. Just type in Turkey feathers in the search bar and her site will come up! She has a video, you're pics reminded me of her video.

 

[Huntmaster]

Good grief!!!! And I thought I had it bad with pheasants!!!

Ya have ducks and now the quail. Have always loved raising birds.

 

[007Sean]

Ya have ducks and now the quail. Have always loved raising birds.

At one time or another, I've raised just about every bird there is!!! But pheasants have been my 1st love for 55 years.

 

[QuailQueen3]

How does your MyShire birds compare to your JMF line? @QuailQueen3

I am raising Jumbo Brown Coturnix with bloodlines from MyShire Farms(MF) and JMF-Southwest Gamebirds (JMF-SWGB) from an initial round of shipped eggs, and now from my own hatched eggs.

Both lines are strong, healthy, beautiful quail with overall great disposition and personality. (I have had excess males that were grouped together become aggressive after about 6-8 weeks old. I just saw a new video by Zach on some things to try to remedy that.)

Both bloodlines are true “Jumbos” in that they weigh at least 10 ounces at 10 weeks, and their eggs are at least 12-16 grams. Most of mine are actually weighing more than 10 ounces at 8 weeks. I am feeding them only organic non-gmo feed and bottled reverse osmosis water. About 20-30% of my eggs from both bloodlines are larger than 16 grams with 20-30% of JMF-SWGB weighing 17-18 grams, and 20-30% of MF weighing 17-22 grams.

Both bloodlines started laying their own eggs at 6 weeks of age. They are garage-kept in an awesome Wynola Ranch three-tier cage with 1/2”x 1” PVC-coated wire floor, with temps 55-65 F during the fall/winter, 16 hours of daylight with amazing LED lighting that mimics full spectrum morning sun all day! They have an abundance of organic non-gmo feed in very generous feed troughs, and new Wynola Ranch open water troughs that are on the exterior of the cage. My quail never caught on to pecking the little yellow bobber on those little bowls. Papa builder at MF reported that their quail are less anxious when they have open troughs of water instead of pecking at nipples or bobbers. I think Zach and Papa Builder collaborated with Dave at Wynola to design the new water troughs. I love them and so do my quail!

The MF bloodline are slightly larger birds than the JMF-SWGB. The JMF-SWGB bloodline have stronger legs and are able to successfully take flight and fly out of my Dale’s Quails brooder and land on the floor at 10 days old (while I had the cage open for cleaning and refilling food/water). The MF quail don’t attempt to fly out nearly as often: typically fly straight up and back down into the brooder, and only twice have they flown out of the brooder at about 14+ days old with a less controlled landing.

The MF quail plumage looks more like a Pharaoh (more black on the heads, and more black and cream speckle on the chest than the muted/diluted true Jumbo Brown plumage. (SWGB has great side by side plumage pics to learn more about the subtle plumage coloration differences). I am planning to sell quail skins for fly fishermen to tie flies so the plumage coloration differences are interesting to me.

 

[Huntmaster]

Good grief!!!! And I thought I had it bad with pheasants!!!

The turkeys have it pretty good around here as all my birds. Many separate breeding pens all netted tops. The turkeys need lots of room Some of my holding/grow out pens are 50'x 100' all netted also + a few acre pasture to range in The ducks just free range. No pics of Quail yet.

 

[Huntmaster]

I am raising Jumbo Brown Coturnix with bloodlines from MyShire Farms(MF) and JMF-Southwest Gamebirds (JMF-SWGB) from an initial round of shipped eggs, and now from my own hatched eggs.

Both lines are strong, healthy, beautiful quail with overall great disposition and personality. (I have had excess males that were grouped together become aggressive after about 6-8 weeks old. I just saw a new video by Zach on some things to try to remedy that.)

Both bloodlines are true “Jumbos” in that they weigh at least 10 ounces at 10 weeks, and their eggs are at least 12-16 grams. Most of mine are actually weighing more than 10 ounces at 8 weeks. I am feeding them only organic non-gmo feed and bottled reverse osmosis water. About 20-30% of my eggs from both bloodlines are larger than 16 grams with 20-30% of JMF-SWGB weighing 17-18 grams, and 20-30% of MF weighing 17-22 grams.

Both bloodlines started laying their own eggs at 6 weeks of age. They are garage-kept in an awesome Wynola Ranch three-tier cage with 1/2”x 1” PVC-coated wire floor, with temps 55-65 F during the fall/winter, 16 hours of daylight with amazing LED lighting that mimics full spectrum morning sun all day! They have an abundance of organic non-gmo feed in very generous feed troughs, and new Wynola Ranch open water troughs that are on the exterior of the cage. My quail never caught on to pecking the little yellow bobber on those little bowls. Papa builder at MF reported that their quail are less anxious when they have open troughs of water instead of pecking at nipples or bobbers. I think Zach and Papa Builder collaborated with Dave at Wynola to design the new water troughs. I love them and so do my quail!

The MF bloodline are slightly larger birds than the JMF-SWGB. The JMF-SWGB bloodline have stronger legs and are able to successfully take flight and fly out of my Dale’s Quails brooder and land on the floor at 10 days old (while I had the cage open for cleaning and refilling food/water). The MF quail don’t attempt to fly out nearly as often: typically fly straight up and back down into the brooder, and only twice have they flown out of the brooder at about 14+ days old with a less controlled landing.

The MF quail plumage looks more like a Pharaoh (more black on the heads, and more black and cream speckle on the chest than the muted/diluted true Jumbo Brown plumage. (SWGB has great side by side plumage pics to learn more about the subtle plumage coloration differences). I am planning to sell quail skins for fly fishermen to tie flies so the plumage coloration differences are interesting to me.

Thank you for all your info.

 

[007Sean]

The turkeys have it pretty good around here as all my birds. Many separate breeding pens all netted tops. The turkeys need lots of room Some of my holding/grow out pens are 50'x 100' all netted also + a few acre pasture to range in The ducks just free range. No pics of Quail yet.View attachment 3363930View attachment 3363932View attachment 3363933View attachment 3363936View attachment 3363937

You've got some really nice enclosures!