➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

[sarabeth485]

Looks fantastic! Nice work!

Yeah, I like burrito-ing them tightly with rag or paper towel better.

Thanks. I felt a little guilty posting that pic after all the photos of your beautiful babies.

 

[muddy75]

@muddy75 you are so right, egg storage has been like my #1 issue. I hate wasting them but GOOD GOD they add up. A dedicated fridge may be in order for serious sales @el dorado quail !

Also, it was a crap hatch! And look at my wildly varying hatch rates and try to make heads or tales from it for me. I think my older pair is having fertility issues, I think the celadon were having fertility issues, I think shipping trauma/age affected the shipped eggs, and I also definitely think it was just going to be middling no matter what from something I did to the incubator also, none of the celadon from the top row hatched, they were all from the bottom row, even though all the other eggs on the top to start (my eggs, research) did have some pop. I'm confused.

I know it was at least half me because there was a higher % of middle and late quitters than I am used to. 3 pipped and died (I feel like I usually have 1 per hatch) and there were quite a few off-putting proto-quails I couldn't tell had quit at lockdown because it was too dark to see veins either way.

But I know it was also partially not me cuz my "control quail" hatches still averaged significantly higher.

At least since we split blame she gets more eggs from both of us whenever she wants though

Final stats @Texas Kiki

7/19/2019 total of 15 chicks hatched (surviving)

My younger trio 5/8 hatched (62%). Could not be more pleased with them. 3 charcoal, a pearl, and a sandy (at least, that's what I'm calling them now since I can't find their color).
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My older trio 1/7 hatched, a little pharoah (12%). Last time I hatched eggs from both of these hens, in february, they both had 100% hatch rates! They're actually 3/4 of the parents of the above trio. But they were in pairs (which I generally have great luck with except with a few of my males who'll overbreed) Now that they're in a trio it's caput.
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Shipped JMF "research" eggs 4/20 hatched (20%)
One splayed case that corrected easily.
I have no idea what these will turn out as! I love spot-wings, though.
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Shipped JMF celadon eggs 6/100 hatched but lost one funky one (6%).
1 also with curled feet that corrected and 1 splayed leg that corrected after intensive help. I bruised his poor feetsies but he seems to be on the mend anyways. They were definitely the majority of my problem babies.
(Robbie literally just culled this entire batch as they were creeping up in age so I don't want anyone to think that'll be indicative of their experience with him, and the only celadon available from him going forward will be the new and improved line, is my understanding.)
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Also, I forgot to show off these guys! 4 hatched 7/6
Her foot isn't curled, she's just pretending. Also @Sara L I totally did call it early I have at least two boys. Why?! It's always all boys or half boys, never all girls....
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Gorgeous babies as always!!!! And I understand the hatch frustration as my incubator thermostat chose day 17 of celadon hatch to malfunction!!!! I have a “dedicated” egg fridge and it’s basically overflowing with eggs that I still have to clean and carton! I’ve run about 3 dozen through the bator, took about 12+ dozen to grandma and we eat/bake with about 4 dozen per week!!!! I made my first post today for eggs/live bird sales (local pick-up) to see if any interest. It’s hatch day for mystery batch #1. #2 and #3 due next week and week after. On “wait list” for button eggs......so I’m hoping I can stay strong and take a hatching break for a bit.......

 

[el dorado quail]

I had thought you had planned that out!!!! I just wanted to reiterate some of the challenges I have been facing with the aviary just in case!!!! It all looks great on paper! Hahaha
my “bare” aviary is 600+ square feet and running about 50ish quail on the ground.....looks pretty full! Hoping to add the shade sail I ordered this afternoon and currently have the fan running on them in our “Texas heat”

Well I'm starting off with 10?...plus whatever hatches next batch. And I may or may not build some smaller breeding pens off the side in the future. How many feeders/waterers do you have out?

 

[muddy75]

Well I'm starting off with 10?...plus whatever hatches next batch. And I may or may not build some smaller breeding pens off the side in the future. How many feeders/waterers do you have out?

Currently running 4 of the long skinny feeders in the aviary and 2 waterers approximately 1 gal each. I typically feed/water 2x daily + treats. Each feeder holds up to 1lb feed per fill. (I use big coffee mate containers for feed transport) collecting 30 eggs per day average

 

[muddy75]

Even though it’s still hot (borderline tolerable) I’ve been outside most of the afternoon! I moved 10 of the biggest babies to grow-out, 2 remaining “littles” that were bullying to “chicken area”, cleaned shed brooder for 12 remaining babies! 1 egg is zipping and first pips still “chillin” will finish resetting indoor brooder tonight! Hubby has not wanted to be outside today so he handled “flea baths” on all 3 dogs today while oldest has been working on Sunday dinner (some recipe from you-tube binging with babbish most likely) he just reminded me it’s tikka masala.
giving our “garden” a few more weeks for the tomatoes and peppers and then plans to “redistribute” dirt and transform into deck/dustbath/playground for the birds!!! Hubby will move next year’s garden to different area of the yard.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Are these Coturnix??

https://nh.craigslist.org/grd/d/haverhill-quail-house/6939081839.html

Also thoughts on these? Obviously probably too dirty and nasty and not worth it? Plus kind of far. But maybe I could build something like it?

https://nh.craigslist.org/grd/d/londonderry-rabbit-cages/6935018513.html

 

[muddy75]

Wow, quail chicks get big so fast! My little guys aren’t even a week old and they’re already starting to get some interesting colors to them. Here are some pictures of the oddballs, anyone want to guess what they’ll look like when they’re older? They’re from a mixed batch including pharaoh (some jumbo), texas a&m (some jumbo), tuxedos, tibetans, and a bunch of red-colored birds.
#1 The little dude who looks like he’s wearing a vest. Maybe a lighter tuxedo?
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#2 Mr. Angry Eyebrows
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#3 Pale Fellow
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#4 Silvery guy
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Bonus #5 What do you guys think the color of my mutt roo named Munchkin is? He has a little white spot on the top of his head.
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I can post some updates as the little guys feather out if anyone’s interested!

I would call “munchkin” a roux dilute. The baby with vest could be silver or “charcoal” tux as yellow can turn to silvers or white. The same with the other baby in that pic....yellow could turn silver or white! Gorgeous assortment for sure!!!! Definitely interested to see how they feather out!!!! What source were eggs?

 

[muddy75]

Are these Coturnix??

https://nh.craigslist.org/grd/d/haverhill-quail-house/6939081839.html

Also thoughts on these? Obviously probably too dirty and nasty and not worth it? Plus kind of far. But maybe I could build something like it?

https://nh.craigslist.org/grd/d/londonderry-rabbit-cages/6935018513.html

Yes the one pictured is a pharaoh....the coop is a basic pre-fab available on amazon. You could build something similar or buy off Amazon for around 125 new.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Yes the one pictured is a pharaoh....the coop is a basic pre-fab available on amazon. You could build something similar or buy off Amazon for around 125 new.

Thanks! That makes sense! What about about the rabbit hutches? Is it fairly easy to build something like that? We have tons of HC already but I’ve never built anything before. My dad did most of the building of the chicken coop and all the wood cutting and everything. I just sometimes (barely) helped nail some stuff haha

Do you think it’s worth it to buy some adult quail locally, either those or others, or should I just wait and get some eggs? I bought an incubator in March but haven’t hatched anything yet. Was gonna use it in the Easter HAL but never got around to it.

 

[el dorado quail]

Currently running 4 of the long skinny feeders in the aviary and 2 waterers approximately 1 gal each. I typically feed/water 2x daily + treats. Each feeder holds up to 1lb feed per fill. (I use big coffee mate containers for feed transport) collecting 30 eggs per day average

Do you think it would be overkill for me to have two 5gal waterers and two 5gal auto feeders?