➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

[ShrekDawg]

 

[RUNuts]

Finally sat down & candled. Out of 45 eggs, 21 are fertile. Most from Set 3, the white Lucky hens with Jumbo roo.
Set 1 jumbos just aren’t laying.
Set 2 jumbos don’t have an excuse.
Day 11 today. Wednesday for lock down.

 

[Maiahr]

@Texas Kiki what do you do with your fakers because I have one that’s a whole lot smaller than the rest

I am not Kiki, but I will respond if I may. I keep them. I currently have one hen that is half the size of the rest and she lays just as big eggs as the others

 

[Matieus27]

I am not Kiki, but I will respond if I may. I keep them. I currently have one hen that is half the size of the rest and she lays just as big eggs as the others

But aren’t you worried about ultimately breeding smaller quail or do you just eat those eggs

 

[Maiahr]

But aren’t you worried about ultimately breeding smaller quail or do you just eat those eggs

Yes, I mainly keep quail for eggs (to eat), not for meet. Plus if she is laying large eggs it's possible that the hatched chicks are large as well.

 

[Kiki]

@Cedar Creek Farm Lady
Welcome to BYC.
Feel free to join us here too.

 

[RUNuts]

Finally sat down & candled. Out of 45 eggs, 21 are fertile. Most from Set 3, the white Lucky hens with Jumbo roo.
Set 1 jumbos just aren’t laying.
Set 2 jumbos don’t have an excuse.
Day 11 today. Wednesday for lock down.

When I first attempted to candle at day 4, I wasn't seeing any blood vessels. The first row was infertile. I thought I was just missing it. If in doubt, wait another week.

This leads to the next issue. If they stop laying, my plans are for naught. If they do lay and are infertile, my plans are for naught. Back to the light bulb issue. They have light from 3AM to sunset. Should be enough.

The automatic watering system is working great. And by great, I mean wonderfully. Cuts down on morning chores. Time to set this up on the other coops. I put a 2 gallon bucket on top of the coops and all 3 breeder sets get water from same source. Refill once a week. The cups stay cleaner than the jug waterers since they are up on the side of the coops. I'm tickled with the set up.

 

[Kiki]

When I first attempted to candle at day 4, I wasn't seeing any blood vessels. The first row was infertile. I thought I was just missing it. If in doubt, wait another week.

This leads to the next issue. If they stop laying, my plans are for naught. If they do lay and are infertile, my plans are for naught. Back to the light bulb issue. They have light from 3AM to sunset. Should be enough.

The automatic watering system is working great. And by great, I mean wonderfully. Cuts down on morning chores. Time to set this up on the other coops. I put a 2 gallon bucket on top of the coops and all 3 breeder sets get water from same source. Refill once a week. The cups stay cleaner than the jug waterers since they are up on the side of the coops. I'm tickled with the set up.

I think I'm ready for an automatic water.
Send pics of what you made.

I'm about done with cleaning waterers multiple times a day.

 

[ShrekDawg]

An auto waterer sure does sound nice.

Although with my chickens I have a 5 gallon bucket with a bunch of horizontal nipples on it out in the run and that seems to work well.

Don’t have to fill it very often at all and it doesn’t get dirty with the lid on it.

But I think if I got quail or other caged animals a 5 gallon bucket would be a bit too big and an auto waterer sounds nice.

Although I wonder if a bucket could work in an aviary? Can they push the nipples down or are they too small??

Although I wouldn’t be able to have very quail in an aviary right? Or was it just not very many males?

Course this is all still a long way off but constantly researching hah

 

[RUNuts]

I think I'm ready for an automatic water.
Send pics of what you made.

I'm about done with cleaning waterers multiple times a day.

I figured that once grown, a quail butt wouldn't poop in the water tray. Bigger so therefore harder to position. WRONG!

The name of the game is to put said quail butt in whatever position needed to make the giant with the food wonder what is going on. The best one so far, was have poop forcefully smooshed through the 1/4" hardware cloth ABOVE the protective cardboard 2" up the wall. Talent. I have talented quail. Devious, conniving, and bored quail.

Pictures this evening of water system. This was a first pass, so keep in mind this is a work in progress.

I'm trying a new no mess feeder out of the 1 quart sour creme/cottage cheese tubs. They haven't knocked it over yet. I put bricks on the old ones to keep them upright. The quail are feeding the chickens with their messiness using the chicken feeders. Glad I put the quail coops in the chicken run.

And another thing, the quail still like flying out a couple times a week as I'm opening the doors. This business with running after quail is getting old.

The cardboard trays for poop boxes is wonderful. Take them out and dump them. If nasty (and I have spares) replace with new tray. I missed my chance to get more trays this week. Time to go shopping again.