➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

[Fenrisulfr]

Well that's weird, lol. Can I see pictures of the parents? And also the resulting offspring?

Roux is a recessive sex linked dilution gene. So that cross should have resulted in all just normal Pharoahs.

But I think we're in different countries, so I wonder if we're calling the colors different names. That happens in ducks, where each country might have a different name for the same color.

I guess, that Roux and Dilute are two different factors. And I guess, that the Dilution factor responsible for the Roux Dilute color is also responsible for the Fees.

But just a guess

The parents

The wild-pattern and Falb Fees are the Children ... the Italians, Tibetan/Rosettas and the Dotted White are from another group.

Edit: The wild-pattern Pharaohs are resulting from the one Pharaoh hen, also included in the breeding group (the favorite of the roo, he was just crowing without her )

 

[Pyxis]

I guess, that Roux and Dilute are two different factors. And I guess, that the Dilution factor responsible for the Roux Dilute color is also responsible for the Fees.

Roux is a dilute gene. Fee dilute is its own gene, and the gene itself is called Fee. They aren't related, and they're separate, so Roux doesn't cause Fee, and Fee doesn't cause Roux.

Fee is incompletely dominant so, like in that picture I posted of my two males, if a bird has even one copy, you can tell. I suppose it's possible that the Roux parents are also Fee. I'd have thought they'd be less red, though.

Here's some further reading on both Fee and Roux:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ian-coturnix-quail-discussion-thread.1331206/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/japanese-coturnix-falb-fee-discussion-thread.1331646/

I'm also wondering if the ones you're calling Roux are maybe not the same as what I'd call Egyptian - to me, a wild type bird with just Roux is Egyptian, which is this (borrowing a picture from Myshire):

Yours look a lot lighter, like they also have something else going on. Maybe they do have Fee which is why they're lighter. Would make sense, since if they're Fee, then instead of getting all Pharoah offspring, I'd expect you'd get all Falb Fee...which is what you got.

If you don't mind me borrowing the picture of your birds, I'll ask some quail genetics people what color they think they are.

 

[violajack]

@Kiki, interesting about the chicken layer working for you too. The guy made it sound like he just fed everyone that from the beginning, like not going for a high protein starter for chicks. The adults I got from him that hatched at the same time as the days olds I had gotten 7 week prior were significantly smaller and scruffier looking than the ones I raised on chick starter. I assumed it was the lower protein feed, but maybe other conditions contributed. It's good to know the chicken layer would be an option to feed in case the quail layer runs out.

I found quail layer feed made by Homestead Harvest on Amazon. It's 26% protein with 3.5% calcium. I almost picked up a bag of their gamebird starter too, but I didn't think I'd go through a whole bag before it goes bad with just one hatch. I just got a small bag of gamebird starter at 24% for these little guys. If this hatching thing works out and I start hatching more for meat, I'll grab a bag of their 28% gamebird starter.

Despite the move, the quail still gave me 6 eggs yesterday (I normally get 10), so I may just throw another batch in the incubator when I get to 20 and try to do better.

 

[beccabonny]

Hey y'all! I'm back after the weasel incident! HPF delivered my 86 eggs a month early so I went ahead and stuck them in the bator. I wasn't sure if they would all fit into one but they did, so now I have to put the rest of the bators back out in the shed. Set them on Sunday. My 3 thermometers were not properly calibrated and ended up staying at 102.4 for a day. I finally found my other one and it's back at 99.5 now. I've come to accept that the learning curve is not forgiving with quail. If any of these guys hatch I'll have them in grow out pens out back while we fortify the coop. Come winter I'd like to get them back in there for the shelter.

Anyway, think any of my guys will survive after being toasted? It's a forced air

 

[Matieus27]

Hey y'all! I'm back after the weasel incident! HPF delivered my 86 eggs a month early so I went ahead and stuck them in the bator. I wasn't sure if they would all fit into one but they did, so now I have to put the rest of the bators back out in the shed. Set them on Sunday. My 3 thermometers were not properly calibrated and ended up staying at 102.4 for a day. I finally found my other one and it's back at 99.5 now. I've come to accept that the learning curve is not forgiving with quail. If any of these guys hatch I'll have them in grow out pens out back while we fortify the coop. Come winter I'd like to get them back in there for the shelter.

Anyway, think any of my guys will survive after being toasted? It's a forced air

My incubator actually got up to 102 yesterday for a while and I candled this morning and I only had two that were no longer developing but they quit before yesterday so I think you should be ok

 

[FloorCandy]

@Kiki, interesting about the chicken layer working for you too. The guy made it sound like he just fed everyone that from the beginning, like not going for a high protein starter for chicks. The adults I got from him that hatched at the same time as the days olds I had gotten 7 week prior were significantly smaller and scruffier looking than the ones I raised on chick starter. I assumed it was the lower protein feed, but maybe other conditions contributed. It's good to know the chicken layer would be an option to feed in case the quail layer runs out.

I found quail layer feed made by Homestead Harvest on Amazon. It's 26% protein with 3.5% calcium. I almost picked up a bag of their gamebird starter too, but I didn't think I'd go through a whole bag before it goes bad with just one hatch. I just got a small bag of gamebird starter at 24% for these little guys. If this hatching thing works out and I start hatching more for meat, I'll grab a bag of their 28% gamebird starter.

Despite the move, the quail still gave me 6 eggs yesterday (I normally get 10), so I may just throw another batch in the incubator when I get to 20 and try to do better.

I found Homestead Harvest to be junk. It arrived looking like a bag of corn dust with small corn pieces visible. The food was so unpopular they knocked over the feeder trying to “dig out” new food. The spilled food coated their feet and hardened like cement, I had to soak 19 birds for a few days in a row to get it off. The crappy food is so powdery it clogged up my feeder. I made a thread of my feeder not working, I tried so many suggestions with no luck. A couple weeks later someone else had the same issue, turned out it was the food.

I bought new food from Hudson thru Chewy and started changing them over slowly, but they hate the Homestead Harvest and tried to just pick out the new pellets, and would leave a feeder tray full of powder with the feeder still clogged up, all a nightmare. Plus it’s not even very cheap!

I made a thread about feed options available to me by mail, I’ll paste it below so you can see them. I ended up going with the Hudson feed option and they love it! Everyone’s doing well, it has slightly less calcium I think, so I offer oyster shell and everyone is happy.

For chicks I use the very pricey H&H feed brand gamebird starter (similar letters but not the same as Homestead Harvest) and I have found my chicks generally look better than many chicks of similar age. However this stuff is like$80 for 50lbs. so once the chicks are 4-5 weeks old I begin mixing in adult feed and weaning them off. I feel like the pricey stuff is most worth the cost in the stages of rapid physical growth, once they’re nearly full sized and the feathers are all in, the food has done it’s job, and I spend about 2 weeks moving them on to adult feed.

my feed thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/opinions-for-new-feed.1395679/

 

[violajack]

@Kiki, thanks! I think I did read that other thread about the feeder getting clogged. It definitely doesn't fall through as well in my feeders, but I give them a little shake every now and then and it's been okay, but if I could switch to something that would actually fall through, that would be even better. My quail seem to be content with the Homestead Harvest feed and I was okay with the price. I was under the impression chicken layer feed was too low in protein, but if I can feed all my birds the same feed, that would also simplify things around here. My chickens still aren't laying age yet, and are going through a bag of Finisher now. Since getting the chicken chicks, I got day old quail, raised them to lay, hatched some of their eggs, and may even have second gen layers before the chickens get going. Quail are so fast.

I'm going to go read through the feed thread now. Then I cuddle the late hatchers again. They're getting stronger and getting their legs under them more and more now. The early hatchers already have little pins coming out of their wings.

 

[FloorCandy]

@Kiki, thanks! I think I did read that other thread about the feeder getting clogged. It definitely doesn't fall through as well in my feeders, but I give them a little shake every now and then and it's been okay, but if I could switch to something that would actually fall through, that would be even better. My quail seem to be content with the Homestead Harvest feed and I was okay with the price. I was under the impression chicken layer feed was too low in protein, but if I can feed all my birds the same feed, that would also simplify things around here. My chickens still aren't laying age yet, and are going through a bag of Finisher now. Since getting the chicken chicks, I got day old quail, raised them to lay, hatched some of their eggs, and may even have second gen layers before the chickens get going. Quail are so fast.

I'm going to go read through the feed thread now. Then I cuddle the late hatchers again. They're getting stronger and getting their legs under them more and more now. The early hatchers already have little pins coming out of their wings.

What do you have for the chicks to walk on? My last hatched runt this time I had to assist with hatch as he was shrink wrapped. He then lay alone in the incubator for 19 hours, just on his side, never getting up, coated in goo, just kicking weakly. I kept up with feeding and watering him every couple hours, but he never got up. So I took the tube of an aluminum foil roll, which is thinner than a toilet paper roll. I cut a piece about 2 inches and I put the chick inside with the roll horizontal, so it was like a badger in a hole, has to be crouched with feet under him. I taped mesh over each side so it couldn’t flop itself out. After several hours like this, he began trying to get his feet under him and stand. The brooder and incubator had textured mesh shelf liner which helps them get a good grip on the floor and their feet don’t slip out from under them. Within a day he was up and running and jumping, but still had balance issues, I kept him with a friend who I rotated out every few hours, so he met many of his siblings, and after another day he was strong enough to move into the main brooder and not be knocked over and stepped on.

 

[violajack]

What do you have for the chicks to walk on? My last hatched runt this time I had to assist with hatch as he was shrink wrapped. He then lay alone in the incubator for 19 hours, just on his side, never getting up, coated in goo, just kicking weakly. I kept up with feeding and watering him every couple hours, but he never got up. So I took the tube of an aluminum foil roll, which is thinner than a toilet paper roll. I cut a piece about 2 inches and I put the chick inside with the roll horizontal, so it was like a badger in a hole, has to be crouched with feet under him. I taped mesh over each side so it couldn’t flop itself out. After several hours like this, he began trying to get his feet under him and stand. The brooder and incubator had textured mesh shelf liner which helps them get a good grip on the floor and their feet don’t slip out from under them. Within a day he was up and running and jumping, but still had balance issues, I kept him with a friend who I rotated out every few hours, so he met many of his siblings, and after another day he was strong enough to move into the main brooder and not be knocked over and stepped on.

I put a paper towel down in the incubator at lockdown, so they hatched onto that. I'll see if I can get some shelf liner for the next attempt if that's better. The first two got up and ran around fine. The third did okay, but needed a shoe to straighten toes, it still sits on its hocks a lot, but stands all the way up too. The last three I had to assist out as I screwed up some stuff along the way (I lost one last night). They spent a few hours on the paper towel in the incubator, but I moved them to the brooder as suggested earlier. The brooder is pine shavings, with a pile of feed on a paper towel and the quail sized waterer sitting on the upper tray from the incubator so it stays level. This morning, the late hatchers were butts up with feet under them, though they still splay sometimes. They don't have the strength to hold themselves up yet, but they're getting there. They eat voraciously and poop normally. I've been holding them to the waterer now and then, but this morning I saw one had gotten to the waterer on its own. I'm cautiously optimistic about these later hatchers eventually catching up.

I swear a read a ton before I did all this, but man, it's different when you're actually doing it. I really appreciate all the feedback I'm getting here.

 

[FloorCandy]

I put a paper towel down in the incubator at lockdown, so they hatched onto that. I'll see if I can get some shelf liner for the next attempt if that's better. The first two got up and ran around fine. The third did okay, but needed a shoe to straighten toes, it still sits on its hocks a lot, but stands all the way up too. The last three I had to assist out as I screwed up some stuff along the way (I lost one last night). They spent a few hours on the paper towel in the incubator, but I moved them to the brooder as suggested earlier. The brooder is pine shavings, with a pile of feed on a paper towel and the quail sized waterer sitting on the upper tray from the incubator so it stays level. This morning, the late hatchers were butts up with feet under them, though they still splay sometimes. They don't have the strength to hold themselves up yet, but they're getting there. They eat voraciously and poop normally. I've been holding them to the waterer now and then, but this morning I saw one had gotten to the waterer on its own. I'm cautiously optimistic about these later hatchers eventually catching up.

I swear a read a ton before I did all this, but man, it's different when you're actually doing it. I really appreciate all the feedback I'm getting here.

I’m on my third hatch. The first hatch I just used the incubator like the directions said. But along the way I picked up tips and tricks on BYC. I didn’t use shelf liner in the incubator and the early hatched kicked the other eggs around like pinballs. I lost several to malpositioning and shrink wrap. Overall I hatched 22 from 36 eggs on the first hatch. Second hatch were my own eggs, I set 15 and hatched 12. One seemed fine and died about 1 hour after being moved to the brooder, I assume there was just a congenital defect I wasn’t aware of, I found him laying dead under the heat plate. Then there was Shadow the runt, who I told you about. In the second hatch I put shelf liner in the incubator at lockdown to keep the eggs from getting rolled by other chicks. I also put shelf liner in the brooder for the first day to help get the toes spread and prevent splay. I had no chicks needing splay treatment or corrective shoes this time. Last time I had 1 splay and 2 curled toes, and the splay was too bad and didn’t recover. I think the day of shelf liner really helped get them off to a good start this time around.

for hatch 3, I put shelf liner in under my turner, and the eggs are turning so smoothly. The other 2 hatches I needed to set the eggs back to good turning positions at least once or twice a day. TBH, flopping around didn’t seem to affect them, but it just seems so much better to turn smoothly. I’m hoping that by learning and encountering new issues each time that eventually I’ll start to have closer to 100% success with home grown eggs.