➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

[Kiki]

Got my first quail chick! Went out a couple hours this morning, seeing only whole eggs when I left, and came back to the chick tripping around and pecking at the other eggs. Looks like at least one more has pipped.

How many eggs did you set?

 

[Kiki]

Hi all,

I'll get caught up here shortly but we processed a bunch of birds yesterday and I've seen the male mount 2 of the females in there. This morning I found 2 eggs instead of just 1 like I've been getting the last few weeks.

It's much quieter out there too, I've only heard the male crow once. I'm giving him a couple of weeks to get himself together, then checking fertility.

I think my butcher date is set for March 1st.
Which means I can set eggs again around Feb 12th-ish?

 

[igorsMistress]

I think my butcher date is set for March 1st.
Which means I can set eggs again around Feb 12th-ish?

Sounds good to me. Are you butchering at 9 weeks?

I'm planning to set some by the end of the month if I see good fertility. I'm pretty sure the 2 that are laying are the jumbo brown and the Golden. I'm still unsure of the sex of 2 of the birds out there though.

 

[Kiki]

Sounds good to me. Are you butchering at 9 weeks?

I'm planning to set some by the end of the month if I see good fertility. I'm pretty sure the 2 that are laying are the jumbo brown and the Golden. I'm still unsure of the sex of 2 of the birds out there though.

I think we butchered the first ones at 8 weeks so for some reason I am thinking that I can do it at 6 weeks this time.


I don't really know what I am doing.
But my triplets are like huge already and they are only 4 weeks old.
I am thinking they can't possible grow much more after these next two weeks.

 

[igorsMistress]

I think we butchered the first ones at 8 weeks so for some reason I am thinking that I can do it at 6 weeks this time.


I don't really know what I am doing.
But my triplets are like huge already and they are only 4 weeks old.
I am thinking they can't possible grow much more after these next two weeks.

I don't know, I'm planning on keeping them 9 weeks. I'd really like to get some hens from the jumbo brown girl out there. She is noticeably larger than the rest. I'm going that route for less lives cost per meal but I need some to harvest so we can compare.

ETA I've read somewhere 12 to 14 weeks can make a difference but I don't remember where.

 

[BantyChooks]

I hope you have triple digit bath numbers!!

I almost died laughing.

 

[muddy75]

We took out the 2 silkie cockerels, the BA cockerel from halloween hatch, 1 EE, and 1 RIR today. only the RIR was one laying or about to soon. Big Red (silkie cockerel) had gotten very aggressive toward me in the past week and today he actually managed to draw blood on each leg!!! Looks like I still have 1 black/blue silkie cockerel, my welsummer cockerel and 12 pullets rir, ba,ee,bo and 5 silkie pullets. moved baby quail to outside hutch today too since not supposed to drop below freezing again until friday.

 

[Kullas]

But my triplets are like huge already and they are only 4 weeks old.
I am thinking they can't possible grow much more after these next two weeks.

How much do they weigh at 4 weeks?

 

[Kiki]

How much do they weigh at 4 weeks?

Good question.
I'll see what I can do tomorrow.

 

[CoturnixComplex]

The consensus on butchering seems to be:

6 wks - most efficient
8wks - a little more meat, not much
10-12 wks - more fat only basically

So totally depends on your needs for the carcass! Everyone has a different preference. My theoretical butcher point is 8 weeks but I have a few roos I am playing dread pirate roberts with.