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  1. Birdinhand

    How deep to bury hardware cloth in a run?

    I used a shovel. If the roof is low, it has to be a short handled shovel. Depending on headroom, you might now have to dig down if you have room to put about 6-8” of deep litter over the hardware cloth… which back on the farm we called “rat wire”, it might as well be called chicken wire, the...
  2. Birdinhand

    How deep to bury hardware cloth in a run?

    I dug out the floor, added hardware cloth across the whole thing, used heavy duty zip ties to mend the seams added deepnlitter back and that completely eliminated the rat problem. I dug down two feed with a perimeter of hardware cloth all the way around, at the suggest 45 degree angle and still...
  3. Birdinhand

    Indecisive about coop

    my preference has been to make my own from scratch so i can frame it and then add hardware cloth wall to wall, ceiling and floors with no more than a half inch gap so no rats or other vermin can get in. This may feel like an expensive route but the truth is keeping chickens isn’t cheap and an...
  4. Birdinhand

    Why is this chick growing so fast???

    The irony with CX is that they are some of the sweetest birds I’ve raised. Sure they get frantic about eating and drinking but they can also get quite zen and have an undeniable presence to them if you take the time to get to know them.
  5. Birdinhand

    Why is this chick growing so fast???

    Maybe it’s looking especially good because it’s the only one. They tend to get pretty soiled when grown in groups. In any case, I’ve heard of people keeping them alive for prolonged periods. I don’t recommend it per se but that’s not to say if you are seeing a reasonably decent quality of...
  6. Birdinhand

    Why is this chick growing so fast???

    I’ve raised hundreds of CX and for that bird to be doing this well at 3 months makes me wonder, maybe it’s not a true CX, or maybe you got lucky. Now that you’ve bonded with it, you could just see how it goes. I personally would not limit its food, they are miserable when they can’t fulfill...
  7. Birdinhand

    Why is this chick growing so fast???

    None of the current breeds of farmed chickens are found in the wild. Humans have been selectively breeding them and crossing them for thousands of years. I don’t know of a single breed that would last more than minutes on its own if placed in the wild.
  8. Birdinhand

    Trials And Tribulations Of Suburban Meat Bird Production

    Ok, as promised I’m reporting back. I have gone further down the rabbit hole of quail since my last big post and have some new insights to share. The popularity of quail seems to be on the rise, in particular, the development of jumbo quail or even what some folks are calling super jumbo...
  9. Birdinhand

    Trials And Tribulations Of Suburban Meat Bird Production

    In this case, a chicken is maybe a better match for your needs… as they say with car choices, choose the right tool for the right job :-)
  10. Birdinhand

    Jumbo quail

    What incubator did you use for the 85% hatch rate? Does it have an automated turner specific to quail eggs?
  11. Birdinhand

    Best incubator for quail

    Hello all, I’ve been dipping my toes in the realm of quail… I just have to say, I had no idea there were so many types and that there is a super jumbo version that people breed for meat that tops out at about 1 lb! This is a game changer for me. The only viable source of Cornish cross that...
  12. Birdinhand

    Jumbo quail

    I bought jumbo cortunix via e-bay. It was my first time hatching them, the hatch rate was terrible, 5 out of 29 eggs. The shipping was surely the main reason but my incubator might not be calibrated properly, and it is designed for chicken eggs. I was lucky that I got one mail out to the...
  13. Birdinhand

    Should I free range?

    100%, That is putting it in the most straight forward terms. Everyone I know who has gone free range eventually has losses, might take years but often adds up quick when the predators finally get the hankering. I’ve decided not to and instead use deep litter, maybe 8” deep, giving them plenty...
  14. Birdinhand

    Best way to ensure good hatch rate on shipped quail eggs?

    I have ordered jumbo quail hatching eggs and they just arrive yesterday. They originated in Ohio and were shipped to Seattle wa, a fairly long journey, so I’m concerned about hatch rate, since I’ve had bad luck with shipped chicken eggs. I’m letting them rest but I’ve read they need to be...
  15. Birdinhand

    Anyone else worried about microplastics in their chickens?

    Trying to quantify the effect of micro plastics is very very difficult, there are so many uncertainties. I feed only organic feed to avoid bio-accumulation of toxins. I eat mostly grass fed, free range and or organic meat because most of our exposure comes from meat and dairy. Seems to me...
  16. Birdinhand

    Jumbo Coturnix quail for Meat?

    Nabiki, how do I contact you for ordering hatching eggs?
  17. Birdinhand

    Trials And Tribulations Of Suburban Meat Bird Production

    Ridgrunner, I’ve cooked CX without resting and the meat was not as tender as a 3-5 day rest close to freezing. With quail, maybe it’s that it’s smaller and more of a game bird, maybe I expect it to be more chewy, not sure but with the ease of prep, how much cleaner they are, dispatching as a...
  18. Birdinhand

    Trials And Tribulations Of Suburban Meat Bird Production

    Well, this year, much to my chagrin, Jenks hatchery no longer carries Cornish cross. I did give a decent look for a new source that was still close enough to allow a quick overnight shipment with low mortality and just have not been successful. This, combined with how my wife and daughter no...
  19. Birdinhand

    Jumbo Coturnix quail for Meat?

    Thanks for the response. I’m interested in purchasing some of the jumbo hatching eggs. I’ll shoot you a message and we can take it from there.
  20. Birdinhand

    Jumbo Coturnix quail for Meat?

    Hello folks. A friend keeps “crowing” about his coturnix quail for eggs and meat. I’ve had such a hard time finding Cornish cross close to me in Seattle WA that it’s made me rethink how I’m going about meat. The recession, economic turmoil and fanatical run on chicks at local co-op has made...
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