➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

[CoturnixComplex]

So happy you are back!!!! I was sooo close to “hunting you down” I’ve got soo many cool colors from “homegrown” hatches that you will appreciate! Hoping to get pics soon! I’m starting to agree with you on “shipped” eggs....I never dreamed that “heat” could be worse than “cold” with eggs! My celadon produced zero due to incubator malfunction but myshire has agreed to replace even though technically my fault.

Yeah this is lame. JMF is going to send a new box too, which is lovely of Robbie to do in the middle of juggling all the issues caused by the storm. We will all get celadon yet!!!

I'm super super proud of my homegrown eggs I think it is probably time to retire a bunch of breeders and hone in on a few strains. I am going to turn my 4x4 berry bin into a bigger cage for ~10 I'd like to keep just as layers. My best trio is producing the biggest eggs that have passed through my birdroom, with the biggest chicks and body size creeping up on jumbos too. And they are charcoal/sandy/pearl-fee! I am becoming addicted to constant improvement as opposed to constant collecting, which is probably a good thing.

 

[BantyChooks]

Do you know if its the same amount of time for chickens?

Probably. It seemed a little more like 15 seconds on average for quail and 20 seconds on average for chooks, but there's a lot of variation both ways, and I haven't butchered many quail. Or chickens, for that matter. Less than two dozen done personally. Maybe more like 3 doz. including those I only watched.

 

[BantyChooks]

Too long for me. Maybe a minute...if that.

A minute! 60 whole seconds? Really? Never had any bird twitch for that long.

 

[BantyChooks]

I use kitchen shears, sharpened a bit. The ones so far fit in one hand for the deed, then clothes pinned to the wire fence. Once all completed, start cleaning.

Thrashing last 10 seconds. Over quick.

Ever tried using string or something to hang them? It's hard to position the pipe cutters I use with only one hand.

 

[muddy75]

Oh that's not too bad. I remember my dad killing a rattlesnake that thrashed for a disturbingly long time.

The “twitch” time seems like “forever” no matter the exact time.....but in reality, once head is removed from body there is no “pain” or “suffering”

 

[BantyChooks]

The “twitch” time seems like “forever” no matter the exact time.....but in reality, once head is removed from body there is no “pain” or “suffering”

Agreed. I ignore the body and focus on the head to determine the speed of various methods. Most times once either decapitation or CD is performed I see no corneal reflexes even when I check as soon as 2 seconds after initial time of impact.

 

[Kiki]

A minute! 60 whole seconds? Really? Never had any bird twitch for that long.

I probably over exaggerated.
I'll time it next time.

 

[BantyChooks]

I probably over exaggerated.
I'll time it next time.

I keep meaning to time it too but it's hard to get it started accurately without another person on hand.

 

[room onthebroom]

Most times

Most times? Does that mean occasionally you have? I only ask because I think its good to know all the possible shock factors ahead of time.

Is anybody else thinking about Mary Antoinette?

 

[BantyChooks]

Most times? Does that mean occasionally you have? I only ask because I think its good to know all the possible shock factors ahead of time.

Is anybody else thinking about Mary Antoinette?

Once an older Leghorn showed brief corneal reflexes about 1.5 seconds after, but in another two seconds they were gone. I suspect the break was between C2 and C3 rather than base of skull and C1.