➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

[Kiki]

Wanna send some of that snow to my house? My kids would LOVE to have serious snow like that. We freeze our buns off all winter, but don’t get much snow. Silly mountain microclimates. My parents 20 miles away get a foot for every 2” we get.
Grass is always greener, right?

The only incubation app I found that works on iPhone isn’t very good, alas. They call the setting day “1” instead of “0”, and it says today is hatch day-but that should be tomorrow! I about had a heart attack when I opened it this evening and saw that.
All is quiet in the incubator today. Humidity still hovering around 55ish. I’m so nervous!!!

I hope I don't sound like a broken record but for me...I find that mine don't start hatching until about 24 hours after I noticed the first external pip.

 

[Kiki]

This is good to know. I used the Purina Turkey Startena (Game bird) since it was all my local guy had unmedicated. Mixing with the chicken feed at 8 weeks. Half n half gets close to 24%. No complaints so far. No eggs yet either.

$32 a 50# bag is shocking compared to the $13 a 50# for the chicken feed.

Quail pens in the chicken yard. Chicken feed usage dropped. I'm not surprised. Messy little buggers.

I got two eggs form my babies today.

Your oldest ones are a week younger than my 19? I lost track.

 

[RUNuts]

I got two eggs form my babies today.

Your oldest ones are a week younger than my 19? I lost track.

Seems like it. Hatched on Valentine's Day. I think you set eggs and then saved me some.

 

[Kiki]

Seems like it. Hatched on Valentine's Day. I think you set eggs and then saved me some.

I am so dumb.
The dates are on the poll.
My 19ers hatched January 20th and I have at least 2 layers now.

 

[CoturnixComplex]

This is good to know. I used the Purina Turkey Startena (Game bird) since it was all my local guy had unmedicated. Mixing with the chicken feed at 8 weeks. Half n half gets close to 24%. No complaints so far. No eggs yet either.

$32 a 50# bag is shocking compared to the $13 a 50# for the chicken feed.

Quail pens in the chicken yard. Chicken feed usage dropped. I'm not surprised. Messy little buggers.

That sucks! The gamebird feed is all $21/bag where I am.

They grow a LOT faster on the 30% protein, but extended use of it can damage their GI tract, so it's kind of a balancing act. Some people keep them on it indefinitely but I wean them down to 25% fully by 6 weeks max to try and reap the rewards without the downsides.

 

[CoturnixComplex]

Do I see black?

I don't know why I want a black-ish one so bad.

They're not quite black. Muddy charcoal colors. They look kind of like what I call my charcoal rosettas but I have NO idea if the genotypes are at all similar.

One of my solid charcoal babies came out extra dark. You have inspired me to try and keep it trending that direction.

Wish I knew where to find recessive blacks. Germany, probably. They have all the good horses and the good birds!

 

[Kiki]

That sucks! The gamebird feed is all $21/bag where I am.

They grow a LOT faster on the 30% protein, but extended use of it can damage their GI tract, so it's kind of a balancing act. Some people keep them on it indefinitely but I wean them down to 25% fully by 6 weeks max to try and reap the rewards without the downsides.

My adult quail have been on chicken layer feed (MG) for a few months already but up until then I had them on the game bird feed.

My babies are still on the game bird feed and will stay on it for a while.
I did add oyster shell in each of the babies cages last week.

 

[Kiki]

They're not quite black. Muddy charcoal colors. They look kind of like what I call my charcoal rosettas but I have NO idea if the genotypes are at all similar.

One of my solid charcoal babies came out extra dark. You have inspired me to try and keep it trending that direction.

Wish I knew where to find recessive blacks. Germany, probably. They have all the good horses and the good birds!

MAKE ME A BLACK QUAIL!
Mostly black, please!

 

[CayugaJana]

Oh! It ferments better than others I have tried, too.

I’ve been trying to ferment my quail feed also. It cuts down a lot of the poop smell when you have over 100.

 

[CoturnixComplex]

I’ve been trying to ferment my quail feed also. It cuts down a lot of the poop smell when you have over 100.

Or they're indoors I need to get them into at least the garage, but bears will be back any day and the snow hasn't melted enough to turn the fence back on. I'm a little terrified. I have to at least replace the locks on the garage door before anything goes down there. They have been even jankier since the attack. My beautiful sturdy metal cages will never be the same again, either.

I can't wait to unload 15 birds next weekend and butcher another dozen the week after.