Recent content by PatientType

  1. PatientType

    Help talk me into quail (for meat)

    Quail are easy to keep and require very little space. A revamped rabbit hutches would work well for a small flock. Basically, leave 1/2 the cage floored 1/2" wire mesh insert a wood box or board floor in the other half and create a sandbox. That provides an ongoing supply of fertile eggs. Then...
  2. PatientType

    Introductions went wrong, how do I make it work?

    It doesn't sound as if cage size is a problem. My quail are in cages that are 30 inches deep and 4 feet long. That's smaller than yours. My flock sizes vary from 7 to 9 with one or two roosters. There has been peace, love, and understanding in the flocks for the last several months. I've NEVER...
  3. PatientType

    Quail and supplemental calcium

    I was having problems with eggs cracking and hens laying eggs with no shell. The problem was inadequate calcium. The solution was making oyster shell flour - not crushed oyster shell - available to the flock. No more cracked eggs, and only very rarely to I find a shell-free egg. The birds love...
  4. PatientType

    What should i do to stop an aggressive female without culling.

    When I had this problem I culled the hen. I hated to do it as she was a good layer. I'm not sure if any other approaches can be effective but I'll watch this thread for ideas. On a humorous note, I did see that miniature protective helmets are now being sold for chickens & quail on one of the...
  5. PatientType

    quail chicks or chicks in general what to do if power outage

    I'd likely go with a solar battery solution. Run the extension cord to a 600 to 1,000w solar battery. The battery will have additional plugs for other devices. Should there be a power interruption, a battery in that size range should run a small heater for a few hours. You could also install a...
  6. PatientType

    Quitting quail.

    I don't see backyard quail raising as a very profitable investment. There are lots of easier ways to earn money. We raise quail because we like eating our own fresh eggs. We're in a suburb with a strict HOA and picky neighbors. We could legally keep 3 chickens but, if we did that, our...
  7. PatientType

    Quail egg peeler

    There are two common versions of the quail egg peeler. The essential difference is that one is manual and the other electric. The manual version can usually be found on Amazon for under $40. The electric type costs about double that or even more. I bought a manual peeler and it works well IF...
  8. PatientType

    "Real eggs"

    We hard boil our quail eggs all the time. It's a very convenient way to eat them. I often eat a half dozen with a piece of toasted homemade sourdough toast for breakfast. I purchased one of those manual quail egg peelers and it works great. This week my wife was making Chinese-style tea eggs...
  9. PatientType

    When should I take heat away from my chicks?

    Ditto what Nabiki said. In warm summer months where nighttime temps are still in the 70s, I may move them out as early as 3 weeks. Winter months 4-5 weeks ... but where I am, a cold winter night may be 40 degrees.
  10. PatientType

    my thieving otter eggs are in the incubator- need photos of setups please

    I had the no shell egg problem & way too many cracked shells. I solved the problem by getting some cups designed for parrots that attach to the cage wire mesh. I purchase oyster shell ground into a flour and the hens eat it out of the cups. They really seem to like it. I no longer have any...
  11. PatientType

    my thieving otter eggs are in the incubator- need photos of setups please

    I tried the vinegar & water spray. In addition I made changes in the cage to try to disorient the birds and reduce their territoriality. It didn't work. The carnage was so bad that I had to "process" two birds that were seriously injured. I then separated the two sets of birds so there'd be no...
  12. PatientType

    Oil Absorbent Pads for Brooder Boxes

    The texture is akin to the fabric of a wool shirt & the sheets have dimpling.
  13. PatientType

    Oil Absorbent Pads for Brooder Boxes

    When I picked up some day-old quail chicks from one of the larger local breeders I asked them if they use wood shavings for brooding chicks. They said, "No. We tried wood shavings. However, some of the very young chicks tried to eat the shavings and died. We also found the shavings are messy and...
  14. PatientType

    Rant about Blood Thirsty Quail

    Before I got Coturnix quail, I thought quail were lovely, shy, harmless little birds. With a year of quail husbandry under my belt, I know better. Quail are vicious, mean, heartless, and stupid creatures. A good number of the quail I've processed for meat met their end because they'd been...
  15. PatientType

    Quail Dust Bath

    Quail seem to love a sand box. They sit in it, they toss sand over themselves, they peck at it as a grit to better digest their food. If you're putting in an outdoor aviary-type pen, my suggestion would be to get the biggest cat litter box you can find - one that has fairly high sides. Keep the...
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