➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

[BantyChooks]

Thankyou!

Yes that’s correct they’re Bobwhites! Aw no what’s stopping you getting them? I’m sure the right time will come where you decide to go ahead with getting some!

I’ve wanted a pair for ages but never had the space until I had this pen free up then I managed to get some.

I have far too many other birds; all my pens are full and I need to build more quite badly. I don't even have space to assemble breeding pens at the moment, which I will have to do very soon if I want to get an early enough start to show the offspring this summer. On the top of my list right now is building some compact indoor housing for my Chinese painted quail. They are taking up far too much valuable floor space at the moment. Plus, I need to put together a temporary pen for my guinea pig because I need her nice and secure main pen as a brooder this spring.

My goals for this year were to start streamlining and simplifying my flock down to just a few species and not many varieties of each. Unfortunately, it's only February, and I have already nearly gotten peafowl, ordered far too many quail eggs, and made some plans to acquire Call ducks and even more OEGBs. That's not counting all the stuff I want to hatch from my own birds. Needless to say, I have decided I'll worry about simplifying next year.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I have far too many other birds; all my pens are full and I need to build more quite badly. I don't even have space to assemble breeding pens at the moment, which I will have to do very soon if I want to get an early enough start to show the offspring this summer. On the top of my list right now is building some compact indoor housing for my Chinese painted quail. They are taking up far too much valuable floor space at the moment. Plus, I need to put together a temporary pen for my guinea pig because I need her nice and secure main pen as a brooder this spring.

My goals for this year were to start streamlining and simplifying my flock down to just a few species and not many varieties of each. Unfortunately, it's only February, and I have already nearly gotten peafowl, ordered far too many quail eggs, and made some plans to acquire Call ducks and even more OEGBs. That's not counting all the stuff I want to hatch from my own birds. Needless to say, I have decided I'll worry about simplifying next year.

OMG! You’ve got it bad.

 

[BantyChooks]

OMG! You’ve got it bad.

You are absolutely correct in that assessment. I do this every spring and then curse my decisions when I'm outside in a swarm of black flies, building pens for my growouts. I do have plans for a hoop coop specifically for juvenile birds, which should reduce the "chicken tetris" I have to play every year.

Last year I ended up with 70--80 birds in peak season. It shouldn't be as bad this year since I am not doing meat birds. Well, I'm not planning on it.

 

[ShrekDawg]

You are absolutely correct in that assessment. I do this every spring and then curse my decisions when I'm outside in a swarm of black flies, building pens for my growouts. I do have plans for a hoop coop specifically for juvenile birds, which should reduce the "chicken tetris" I have to play every year.

Last year I ended up with 70--80 birds in peak season. It shouldn't be as bad this year since I am not doing meat birds. Well, I'm not planning on it.

Oh wow that sounds miserable!!! Haha you don’t have permanent grow out pens?? Hoop coops seem like a good idea! Fast. Easy. Allows for tons of birds. Lol I wanted to do that but my dad wanted to go all out haha

And oh wow that’s a ton of birds!! I thought my 20-30 was bad haha

 

[BantyChooks]

The issue I have right now is not that I have too many birds—rather, I have only about thirty chickens, a few ducks, a couple quail, and some guineas—but that too many of them cannot be housed together. My buff chanteclers are not allowed to live with the main flock; neither are the quail or ducks.

 

[BantyChooks]

Oh wow that sounds miserable!!! Haha you don’t have permanent grow out pens?? Hoop coops seem like a good idea! Fast. East. Allows for tons of birds. Lol I wanted to do that but my dad wanted to go all out haha

And oh wow that’s a ton of birds!! I thought my 20-30 was bad haha

No, I use what I have as growout pens in summer and then convert them to housing for quail/ducks/chanteclers over the winter. Free ranging takes a lot of the pressure off; if I had to keep them penned in summer the way they are penned in winter, I wouldn't have the setup or numbers that I do.

 

[ShrekDawg]

The issue I have right now is not that I have too many birds—rather, I have only about thirty chickens, a few ducks, a couple quail, and some guineas—but that too many of them cannot be housed together. My buff chanteclers are not allowed to live with the main flock; neither are the quail or ducks.

Ah that does indeed complicate things!! Any particular reason why they can’t be with the main flock? Or why you couldn’t build a separate pen inside the main area? I guess that would take up their room??

 

[ShrekDawg]

No, I use what I have as growout pens in summer and then convert them to housing for quail/ducks/chanteclers over the winter. Free ranging takes a lot of the pressure off; if I had to keep them penned in summer the way they are penned in winter, I wouldn't have the setup or numbers that I do.

Ahh okay that makes sense then I think hahah I want to start letting mine free range more. I have been lately but I’m nervous to let the little ones do so haha

 

[BantyChooks]

Ah that does indeed complicate things!! Any particular reason why they can’t be with the main flock? Or why you couldn’t build a separate pen inside the main area? I guess that would take up their room??

I need the space in their main coop for birds that can be together. No reason for me to take it up with walls. Which birds are you referring to? The ducks stay with chickens in summer, but not in winter. They dirty up the water and force me to keep it outside, even when it's bitterly cold and the chickens really should be closed up inside, away from drafts. The quail would simply run away if they were allowed to free range with the chickens. The buffs are valuable breeding stock that I don't want exposed to predators, and they also have terrible chicken social skills and would get beaten to death by my dominant roosters.

 

[BantyChooks]

Ahh okay that makes sense then I think hahah I want to start letting mine free range more. I have been lately but I’m nervous to let the little ones do so haha

My birds start free ranging at a month or two old. It's how I integrate them in with the main flock. I open the door to their housing and let them mingle with the adults during the day, but they have their own space to return to at night.