Recent content by zaylinda

Hi All, Is anyone with Chanteclers willing to sell some hatching eggs in the next few months? My brother lives in Northern Idaho and is building himself an incubator, and wants to try the breed. I promised him I would poke around on BYC to see if there were any breeders willing to sell to him...

Plecostrum, I usually use whatever I have around to make my pickling brine. I use about 1/2 cup (of 5% acidity) vinegar per pint, a clove of garlic, some dillweed or seed, and that's all you really need. You can add peppercorns, bay leaves, mustard seeds, beets (for color), onion, or anything...

The plot thickens! I might just have to do a stealth-poultry pigeon-egg-laying project... for SCIENCE! the key things, it looks like, would be to supplement with calcium, keep a very close eye on the hen's condition, and experiement with quick-turnaround breeds. Thanks folks!

Thanks guys! I don't actually have any pigeons. the pigeons-for-eggs thought was just an idle idea I had laying around and wanted to get feedback on. The 10 day wait between batches of eggs would be a bit of a dealbreaker... seems like I should stick with egg-laying specific species/breeds...

So this might be a bit of a strange topic, but I enjoy mind games like this... Premise: -Pigeons can be quite low-maintenance. My father's homer-mixes have grain, water, and shelter available to them. They fly where they will and multiply like crazy, culminating in a twice-yearly squab feast...

Thanks for the great answers again! Let's try not to get too sidetracked with the carbs vs meat argument, ok? Does anyone else have some numbers on why (or why not) quail work for them? Also, I think RunnerDucks brings up a good point - those with a larger family would have to kill more for...

Quote: WRONG!! on the avg. they lay 200 eggs per year. so 200/ 364 = 0.55 eggs per day avg. which would only leave you with 53 or so eggs every 14 days. #2 assume hatch rate of approx 75% = 18-20 quail every 18-20 days max production 4 quail per 2 person meal = 4-5 meal every 20 days. or...

Sounds like it's time to thin out your males! Monarch's sticky at the top of the forum has info on vent sexing so you can tell which your boys and girls are.

"are quail worth it" seems to be a frequently requested topic, so I thought maybe we could all do a little quail math - post it on this thread - have it added to the sticky - and be able to refer people to it from time to time. Sound good to anyone else? I'll start. This first bit I already...

I tend to boil very fresh eggs (of both quail and chicken) frequently. I have found that if you crack the eggs with the back of a spoon after you take them off the stove, pour the cold water in, let them sit for a few minutes, and the shell peels off beautifully. -Zay

Those look really good! I'm going to have to hatch some more so I can do that too! -Z

Congratulations! That marinade sounds awesome, very similar to what I use for chicken wings. I did quail once with just salt, honey, and lime and they were really good too. I would definitely be interested in how yours turned out! -Z

I used a white heat lamp 24/7 for my quail from hatch on. I don't know if its the 'right' thing to do, but I know that it worked for me. -Z

Quote: Those eggs are adorable!!! Are they hard to peel? Chicken eggs are difficult to peel when they are newly laid and I was wondering if it's the same for quail eggs. They aren't too bad... but it did take me a week to get that many so it could just be that the few difficult ones were the...

There are disagreements, but most people on here seem to agree that game bird starter is the best for the entire life span. Chicken foods just don't have the protein that Coturnix need.