The 8th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!!!!

[draye]

 So, you are having a pretty good hatch with your eggs now?  

Oh yes good fertility. Should be even better now we're having warmer weather.

The babies are selling pretty good too. Down to 58 now and another 15 are supposed tone picked up a little later today.

 

[Lozuufy]

Hatch is complete, I have 17 mini dinosaurs now

 

[Wickedchicken6]

That's awesome draye!!

Lozuufy! What an amazing array of colors and patterns you've got going on there!

I don't think I've seen patterns like that on chicks, even my EEs.

 

[chickendreams24]

Sorry, I don't have blues... Temperaments are perfect... sweet hens, great roos... I cull for temperament as well as type and faults... you can see pics here... https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/754060/the-new-crazy-24hr-auction-thread/13230#post_18075302

They're stunning what do you charge for the pure colors? Do you ever sell outside of the auctions?

I'm so happy your hatching some coturnix for the first time, they are a very good breed I'll keep my finger crossed for you! As for keeping them with your chickens I never done it before but I do keep some Texas a&M with my Pekin ducks and their fine. But I still wouldn't recommend it because quail feed is very different from duck and chicken feed. And quail are a lot smaller and cannot fly away all that well if a hen is bullying it. Best of luck and hope your eggs hatch!

Whoopsie there was a misunderstanding there somewhere While we are hatching the quail eggs and bantam eggs in the bator together they will be separated before hatch as well as brooded separately. Our quail run is a completely enclosed elevated platform in a corner of our coop. We have previously had bad experiences when a few quail chicks escaped and were eaten whole by the chickens. We know that it will not work to house the quail with the flock. We have also now fixed the previous issue that allowed the chicks to get out with wire all the way to the ceiling. During the first couple weeks we didn't believe they could escape by jumping 5+ feet. On top of this we also free range our chickens and know that the quail would not stick around. They will be pastured in tractors this summer after we build them. So far we very much love the quail and can't wait to add more! They're funny little birds and very curious. Ours are actually much more friendly than I thought they would be. They are also very easy to process the extra males and although we haven't eaten any yet I've heard they're quite tasty. Sorry if this comment upset anyone after seeing the males attack and scalp each other and the single female it becomes easier to think about processing them. For those that have had quail a while will the males always rough each other up even if they aren't around any females, or not? What are the ideal numbers do you all find?

Hatch is complete, I have 17 mini dinosaurs now

What are those spotted ones?

 

[CuzChickens]

Oh yes good fertility. Should be even better now we're having warmer weather.

The babies are selling pretty good too. Down to 58 now and another 15 are supposed tone picked up a little later today.

58 chicks?! I have 55 all together! Lol, and 5 getting sold this weekend, so I'll be down to 50, 23 of those being chicks.

 

[Ravynscroft]

They're stunning what do you charge for the pure colors? Do you ever sell outside of the auctions?

Thanks, been working hard on them... I don't sell pure for colors yet, gotta get some test mating done and see how the next generation comes out first... and I only offer eggs when I have extras, which isn't often so far... have to see how the season goes...

 

[Cynthia12]

Have some bantam cochin eggs going into lock down tomorrow. Was marking them tonight and got a cute silhouette. I will have some pretty silkies and little cochins out there this summer. Ravyn's babies are getting so pretty. A lot of dark blue, and splash going on.
Here is the photo from tonight. Head and beak.







Is that cute or what? I've been seeing legs and toes too. And, you can actually tell that there is feathering going with those legs! These eggs were out for 7 days! Finally got them..the gal kept in touch with me while they were out. Very very good to communicate, and still is. She had gathered the eggs the very day that she shipped. So, fertile eggs, and great packing..I have 8 out of 12 going into lock down. There are some pretty scary air sacs..but, they are alive for now. This lock down is going to make me real nervous.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Fabulous pics Cynthia

Good luck with them and I can wait to see the pics when they hatch

 

[Lozuufy]

That's awesome draye!!

Lozuufy! What an amazing array of colors and patterns you've got going on there!

I don't think I've seen patterns like that on chicks, even my EEs.

Those are GP Hamburgs for my "Pinecomb" project, I wanted a tan/brown chick down color for blendy-iny ness. My goal is to add genes like chocolate, a small crest and probably blue + brown egg gene so they lay light olive eggs. So in the future the chicks will be that pattern but with chocolate spots on their face instead of black and maybe little crests.

They're stunning what do you charge for the pure colors? Do you ever sell outside of the auctions?
Whoopsie there was a misunderstanding there somewhere

While we are hatching the quail eggs and bantam eggs in the bator together they will be separated before hatch as well as brooded separately.

Our quail run is a completely enclosed elevated platform in a corner of our coop. We have previously had bad experiences when a few quail chicks escaped and were eaten whole by the chickens. We know that it will not work to house the quail with the flock. We have also now fixed the previous issue that allowed the chicks to get out with wire all the way to the ceiling. During the first couple weeks we didn't believe they could escape by jumping 5+ feet.

On top of this we also free range our chickens and know that the quail would not stick around. They will be pastured in tractors this summer after we build them.

So far we very much love the quail and can't wait to add more! They're funny little birds and very curious. Ours are actually much more friendly than I thought they would be. They are also very easy to process the extra males and although we haven't eaten any yet I've heard they're quite tasty. Sorry if this comment upset anyone after seeing the males attack and scalp each other and the single female it becomes easier to think about processing them.

For those that have had quail a while will the males always rough each other up even if they aren't around any females, or not? What are the ideal numbers do you all find?
What are those spotted ones?

Golden Penciled Hamburgs.

Oh and as for eating extra male quail, they get VERY tough in my experience as they get older. Like too chewy to eat, probably would make good soup though.

With my quail it depends, there are (*were*

) some that would fight no matter what, a few didn't fight as often and I kept those so now all my males get along. They do like chasing the pigeons around but leave each-other alone (only have 3 or 4 males tho). If I could only get my females to lay more than 2 months a year that would be great...

 

[Lozuufy]

Cynthia they are very cute chick creatures

Great pics also