➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

[muddy75]

Are the hens Melanistic? Are they first year layers?

i only have the 1 pair of standard ringnecks and they are right at 1 y.o. (all others escaped never to be seen again). all 9 of the batch in the incubator were fertile 1 has probable bloodring others still show good movement

 

[muddy75]

That’s awesome!! I never thought of mixing it with scratch haha might try that! And maybe they would like them now that I have more birds. I think they were pretty young when I tried it last. I never would have thought of giving them to the fish either haha good idea!! I’m moving mine outside soon so maybe I’ll try that.

i use the 5 grain premium scratch with dried booneworms mixed with the mealworms.....all the birds seem to do well with it vs standard scratch....typically 1-1 1/2 c 1-2x daily for 60 birds DH does a lot of handfeeding with it (almost every day) but I only handfeed it a couple times per week. he now has the cayuga taking treats from us and today she was expecting them from me and was totally confused .

 

[RUNuts]

Did you open them?

no. Not a fan of eggtopsies anymore. One was oozing. Does that satisfy you?

Checked my notes and I did add eggs after I started. So the last 2 surprise (to me) hatches were day 18 for the last 3 eggs added. Been a rough month so I wasn't as focused on this hatch as others.

QB#15 started with 33 eggs and will add the next 2 days from Set3 hens. Still fertile from the Rosetta brothers.

 

[Nabiki]

I just candled my 15 button eggs. 4 were clear, 1 looks like an early quitter. 5 are too dark to see into, and 5 look good.

 

[RUNuts]

1986?!? I thought this one was older. Something about free milk and a cow. Did you see the chicken? They had a chicken in the video.

First time I saw the video. No seat belts AND standing up in the bed of a moving pick up truck. Think some mothers would be having a cow right now??? Ah, fond memories of childhood. That and riding in the back windshield laying down. The coveted spot.

 

[007Sean]

i only have the 1 pair of standard ringnecks and they are right at 1 y.o. (all others escaped never to be seen again). all 9 of the batch in the incubator were fertile 1 has probable bloodring others still show good movement

The reason I asked is because I have never had a melanistic hen set. They also have a higher percentage rate of peritonitis after the first breeding season.
My Chinese ring necked's and a couple of my Zarundi hens have been the only ones I've had set, hatch and brood. As I've mentioned before, I've only had ~10 hens do this in 50+ years of having raised them. Some would set for about half way through, then leave the clutch. Some would actually set until hatch, then abandon the chicks. Only 1 has ever set, hatched and then brooded her clutch.

You'll know if she is setting if she doesn't get off the nest when your in the pen...they will actually 'fluff up' just like chicken hens do on a clutch.

The blood ring in that egg is most likely due to bacteria getting in that egg. You'll see blood rings in shipped eggs but that's from shipping damage. If there from your birds than it's bacteria or the germinal disc didn't form correctly in the first few hours of development. I had 1 the other day, broke it open only to find bacteria had gotten into the egg.

 

[mdees88]

Hatch day....

 

[007Sean]

1986?!? I thought this one was older. Something about free milk and a cow. Did you see the chicken? They had a chicken in the video.

First time I saw the video. No seat belts AND standing up in the bed of a moving pick up truck. Think some mothers would be having a cow right now??? Ah, fond memories of child hood. That and riding in the back windshield laying down. The coveted spot.

For country folks, that was completely normal...also stuffing all 5 of us in the cab...when we saw a cop we'd all duck down below the dash! it's amazing how 'we', my generation, managed to make it to adulthood! no seat belts, helmets, no tetanus shots, etc..etc!

 

[ShrekDawg]

i use the 5 grain premium scratch with dried booneworms mixed with the mealworms.....all the birds seem to do well with it vs standard scratch....typically 1-1 1/2 c 1-2x daily for 60 birds DH does a lot of handfeeding with it (almost every day) but I only handfeed it a couple times per week. he now has the cayuga taking treats from us and today she was expecting them from me and was totally confused .

Wait what are boon worms? but that sounds amazing!! I always way overfed when I fed scratch then I stopped but maybe a much smaller amount would be okay. Although I don’t think I even have any anymore anyway. I do try to let them free range most days now though.

 

[FortCluck]

@FortCluck i wasn’t sure if you had gotten an answer on your colors or not as I had a lot of catching up to do.....but #1 looks snowie (silver and white vs black and white) #2 looks like pharaoh or wild type, #3 looks like a dotted white

What's a dotted white?

Funny thing is I don't think the last 2 were even colors I ordered