➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

[CovidtimeQuail]

Dispatched three in the last 24 hours. It wasn't planned, but these things happen. One was beat up by the roo. I found another this morning with an injured neck and for good measure I offed the roo too. Luckily I had a spare boy who is thrilled with his new role.

I'm planning a hatch in a few days. I put out a presale notice on Craigslist with a few inducements for newbies. We'll see how many takers I get. Last time I placed an ad the chicks were snatched up within hours (prehatch sale also).

I'll never get used to dispatching, but thanks to all the support I get here, I've learned to think of it as in the best interest of the whole. Hatching new chicks helps too.

 

[FloorCandy]

I’ve got 3 hatched so far from my second batch of buttons, there’s a red breasted, what looks like a silver or slate tux, and what looks like a cinnamon red breasted. It’s so exciting! This order was cinnamon red breasted, darth Vaders, and blue face, but last time I ordered 2 types and ended up with a bit of a variety, so I’ll see what this group brings.

 

[Kiki]

Guys welcome @Jessica Lyn ... She just set Myshire's jumbo eggs.
.... The same ones I've been thinking about buying next.

 

[Chookwagn]

California quail eggs set

Banty cochin egg for scale

 

[FloorCandy]

I’ve got 3 hatched so far from my second batch of buttons, there’s a red breasted, what looks like a silver or slate tux, and what looks like a cinnamon red breasted. It’s so exciting! This order was cinnamon red breasted, darth Vaders, and blue face, but last time I ordered 2 types and ended up with a bit of a variety, so I’ll see what this group brings.

It was up to 30 hatched when I left the house 3 hours ago, I’m hopeful there will be some more when I get home.

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

I moved my extra roo from a modified quail battery cage (with about 3 inches added to the standard height) to a bigger cage with hens. Two hens had a hissy fit, so I moved them to the battery cage he was in before. I also moved another hen to the battery cage for a break from being mated all the time.

They're right outside of my kitchen window, so I can see them "on vacation" in the cage that seemed too short for one roo. I hadn't realized how often roos stretch their necks up and puff out. The hens are perfectly happy on the ground and without having to watch their backs all the time. They're my senior citizen gals, all over a year old.

I may keep the arrangement. The hens deserve this break after laying eggs and being pounced on constantly by overzealous suitors.

 

[FloorCandy]

It was up to 30 hatched when I left the house 3 hours ago, I’m hopeful there will be some more when I get home.

I have 34 now, 6 unhatched eggs left in the bator, I think they’re done, but I’ll see if I have any more when I wake up.

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

I put 22 eggs in the incubator last night. This is the most I've tried to hatch at once. Six are presold, less than I would have liked, but I'm guessing that by the time the birds are hatched, there will be more interested takers.

Right now the hens are mostly taking a break; I've reduced the light and I'm getting about half the eggs I normally would. They're also pretty happy, well-spaced and not overmated. The only one that seems unhappy is the new roo. In his inexperience, he thought the girls would let him mount them constantly, but the girls have other ideas. They aren't mad at him though. He's lucky since I removed the assertive older hens to a temporary enclosure and they're pleased with not having to deal with males. Yesterday the roo tried to "tattle" on the girls, chattering up a storm when I came by to refill their cages. It will get better (at least for a little while) when the new set moves in and he becomes the senior roo.

 

[vall]

Couldn't figure out which of the two grau fees was crowing, brought both inside yesterday but not a peep from either one. Today the smaller one casually mounted the only laying hen in the aviary while she was pecking aphids off of kale.. well thank you lol! I'm thinking the other grau fee is a female, she's larger than the 9 boys I weighed yesterday and bossy too (and squirmy for the pic). Both are pretty messy looking and still kind of stripey, no wonder they had stripes as chicks.

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

Patched a hole in one of the cages. I know that either a mouse or rat was getting in, but I'm beginning to suspect a small rat. There are eggshells outside of the cage, cracked open and consumed. I think it could also have been the reason one of my birds spooked and injured her neck. I'm mad, but I suppose the damage could have been worse.