➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

[Shortchick]

No she is the second of her siblings to start laying.

Okay. You prolly mentioned the first layer before. My brain has more holes than ever lately.

Is anyone else having an issue with biting gnats (no-see-ums)

Argh! I’d stop laying if I was harassed by those nasties!

 

[muddy75]

Good to hear. My 11 week olds are not laying still. I'm wondering if they are defective??? Might be the gnats.

Is anyone else having an issue with biting gnats (no-see-ums) with great big fangs around the quail? I've tried several options, but haven't broken the pest cycle. No idea where these are coming from, but they leave the chickens alone. Sticky fly strips work until the wind wraps them around the cage.

we’ve been fighting these in our yard for years!! the sticky plastic traps worked better than strips last year. we’ve tried almost every spray including professional (prior to getting our birds) but everyone insists we are too far north to have them here! planning to try dynatrap this year from amazon. there’s a propane one that’s better for no-see-ums but very pricey!

 

[CindyinSD]

Have you tried catnip oil for the gnats? In the cages... it’s too pricey for general spraying. I add about 2% to a lotion I make and it works well to repel mosquitoes and blackflies.

 

[CindyinSD]

Also... mosquito netting works. We used that in Grenada—kept us sane.

 

[muddy75]

update: chick #2 and quail # 16 have both partially zipped but seem to be having trouble completing. quail #17 is zipping now. chick #3 hatched in last 30 minutes and looks to be a black silkie cross!!

 

[RUNuts]

Have you tried catnip oil for the gnats?

Tried apple cider vinegar in a bowl. Worked OK, better for the fruit flies.
I will research catnip oil. If the mint was growing better, I'd put some of that out there. Thanks for the idea.
Considered spraying biocide, but know birds are sensitive and didn't want to try that.
I'm down to flame thrower. Crazy Lady still won't let me get another one after the last "incident".

 

[muddy75]

chick # 2 was a full assist and looks like I waited too long....crooked neck etc so probable cull. it was another black silkie cross. released pearls today into genpop and transferred buttons to outdoor hutch. the little brown one got loose in the shed and it took us a bit but we located and caught him with my net and put him safely with the others! hubby asked me why i hatched a flying mouse

 

[Kiki]

Good to hear. My 11 week olds are not laying still. I'm wondering if they are defective??? Might be the gnats.

Is anyone else having an issue with biting gnats (no-see-ums) with great big fangs around the quail? I've tried several options, but haven't broken the pest cycle. No idea where these are coming from, but they leave the chickens alone. Sticky fly strips work until the wind wraps them around the cage.

 

[RUNuts]

View attachment 1735995

Yeah, easy for you. I don't have horsies.

 

[CoturnixComplex]

Little one didn't make it Count is still 16 @Texas Kiki ! Is there a way for me to update it myself? I tagged you a while back but I think you got tagged in another post at the exact same moment so I can see why you'd have missed it.

Mine all start laying at 6-7 weeks But A. keeping them indoors is definitely cheating and B. they only start getting weaned off the 30% protein about then so they grow like little weeds.