➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

[Kiki]

These babies will not be inside too long.
I'll put them out asap.

It's too cold out now for me to go finish a cage.

 

[igorsMistress]

I just use pine shavings. they're cheap and every couple days just dump them. Of coarse I usually have them in my big brooder outside with a light on them.

I put shavings under the paper towels to soak up wetness and deodorize so it wasn't horrible, but I could still smell them for a week or two after they went outside.

You have it right with brooding outdoors.

I bought a heat plate for the quail and I will never use a light again! I love it. No midnight raves waking me up

 

[BReeder!]

If I didn't refrigerate my eggs I could fill these rails easily but I couldn't house that many.
I might go ahead and add a third rail though.
Might.
I'm getting things ready now. Just testing to see what they look like....some are too big for this rail.View attachment 1631042 View attachment 1631043

I read somewhere here on BYC that you should not set very large or small eggs. Only "normal" sized eggs for the species you are hatching. But then there's breeders out there specifically breeding for large egg layers so that could be BS. I think the goal is to avoid anomalies that may indicative of a problem and lead to unhealthy birds or a poor hatch rate.
I however squeezed all 103 eggs I received via mail in my incubator. I figured I may weed some out on day 4 candling (tonight actually but may just wait until tomorrow since I set at 11PM). It definitely took some creative moving of the eggs. I kept needing find a normal or slightly smaller egg to stick between two larger eggs. Most of my eggs were large (for the rails at least). I think I have the same rails as you. I have little giant quail rails. I do not have a little giant turner it's some other brand but has the same dimensions from what I could tell.

 

[BReeder!]

These babies will not be inside too long.
I'll put them out asap.

It's too cold out now for me to go finish a cage.

Cold? You are in Houston. I don't want to hear about cold. Here in Illinois it is actually cold.

 

[Kiki]

I read somewhere here on BYC that you should not set very large or small eggs. Only "normal" sized eggs for the species you are hatching. But then there's breeders out there specifically breeding for large egg layers so that could be BS. I think the goal is to avoid anomalies that may indicative of a problem and lead to unhealthy birds or a poor hatch rate.
I however squeezed all 103 eggs I received via mail in my incubator. I figured I may weed some out on day 4 candling (tonight actually but may just wait until tomorrow since I set at 11PM). It definitely took some creative moving of the eggs. I kept needing find a normal or slightly smaller egg to stick between two larger eggs. Most of my eggs were large (for the rails at least). I think I have the same rails as you. I have little giant quail rails. I do not have a little giant turner it's some other brand but has the same dimensions from what I could tell.

Right now I'm still just setting to see how my fertility rate is.
I haven't even picked breeder birds yet so I'm setting them all...no matter the size.


I have the same rails as you.

I'm watching the rotations and I just noticed a few eggs stuck.
Maybe since I am only using two rails I should go ahead and space the rails out further apart since I can. Duh.

 

[Kiki]

Cold? You are in Houston. I don't want to hear about cold. Here in Illinois it is actually cold.

It's like. Forty something out right now.
We might actually make it to the 30s tomorrow.

 

[Kiki]

I'm fixing to build some kind of raised floor for the container today...using the 1/4 inch cloth...so I don't waste as many paper towels this go around.

 

[BReeder!]

It's like. Forty something out right now.
We might actually make it to the 30s tomorrow.

That sounds like sweater weather. I actually need a jacket.

I'm fixing to build some kind of raised floor for the container today...using the 1/4 inch cloth...so I don't waste as many paper towels this go around.

With my chickens, I used paper towel under pine shavings in the brooder. I only had to change the bedding once a week. The paper towel wasn't even necessary, but made for easier clean up and the floor was fiberboard (what I had on hand) so the towels helped absorb any water and moisture that made it through the pine shavings. pine shavings are definitely cheaper and easier in my experience. Although, wire is certainly the cleanest and easiest maintenance option.

 

[igorsMistress]

Cold? You are in Houston. I don't want to hear about cold. Here in Illinois it is actually cold.

Come visit one of us in the summer, you'll wilt like a flower

 

[Kiki]

That sounds like sweater weather. I actually need a jacket.


With my chickens, I used paper towel under pine shavings in the brooder. I only had to change the bedding once a week. The paper towel wasn't even necessary, but made for easier clean up and the floor was fiberboard (what I had on hand) so the towels helped absorb any water and moisture that made it through the pine shavings. pine shavings are definitely cheaper and easier in my experience. Although, wire is certainly the cleanest and easiest maintenance option.

I'm a little on the nutty side when it comes to poop.
This is almost too dirty for me.
I pick up each little poop asap and change the paper towel when it starts to look about like this.