🍁 September Hatch-a-Long 🍁

[Sadness Child]

I have a Blue Dutch Bantam sitting on 7 eggs. 2 are a Black Australorp, 2 are a Blue Jersey Giant, 1 is her egg, 2 are Golden Laced Wyandottes. The Father of all the eggs is a Buckeye cockerel.

 

[GunnyBun]

Well one of my bantam eggs might end up hatching either today or tomorrow! My mom discovered a external pip just a little while ago, I dont think it was like that this morning. I thought I heard one cheep last night but I wasn't sure, and we just went into lockdown yesterday!

 

[kelseyk]

My package of eggs that was supposed to be here on Friday finally showed up today! It was stuck in Roanoke VA for 4 days. Corner of the box was crumpled in....so I was worried. Luckily, no cracked ones and the air cells look pretty good for shipped eggs (all but 3 detached ones). My friend Donna is so sweet! These were the 6 Pyncheon and 12 Blue Bresse eggs I ordered from her. She included 2-3 extra of both of them and then threw in some Duckwing Phoenix bantam and a dozen Cortinix Quail eggs.

So......

@FortCluck and any one else who raises quail, any tips on incubating quail eggs?? What do you feed them once hatched and when they are full grown? Any special needs for the quail once they are grown (oyster shell, special housing for winter, etc)? I need a quick crash course in Quail. Lol! I know I need to build a pen or make an aviary. If I got a 5x5x4 dog kennel and beefed it up with chicken wire and a sturdy predator proof top, would that work?

I will be setting these eggs tonight.

 

[FortCluck]

My package of eggs that was supposed to be here on Friday finally showed up today! It was stuck in Roanoke VA for 4 days. Corner of the box was crumpled in....so I was worried. Luckily, no cracked ones and the air cells look pretty good for shipped eggs (all but 3 detached ones). My friend Donna is so sweet! These were the 6 Pyncheon and 12 Blue Bresse eggs I ordered from her. She included 2-3 extra of both of them and then threw in some Duckwing Phoenix bantam and a dozen Cortinix Quail eggs.

So......

@FortCluck and any one else who raises quail, any tips on incubating quail eggs?? What do you feed them once hatched and when they are full grown? Any special needs for the quail once they are grown (oyster shell, special housing for winter, etc)? I need a quick crash course in Quail. Lol! I know I need to build a pen or make an aviary. If I got a 5x5x4 dog kennel and beefed it up with chicken wire and a sturdy predator proof top, would that work?

I will be setting these eggs tonight.View attachment 2314681

They need to eat gamebird feed until 6 weeks than can be switched to flock raiser with oyster shell on the side.

They can be hatched the same way as chicken eggs, but they hatch in 18 days and lockdown on day 15.

I would do a cage off the ground or an aviary. Dog kennel with chicken wire a quail can slip through until they’re fully mature at 6-8 weeks, even then they might still try.

I would make sure they have a part of the pen that is fully wooded or a coop inside an aviary or wooden boxes with a door cut out so that they are protected from the wind. Many people put their quail cages in an outbuilding like a barn in the winter if they have harsh winters.

Quail flush so you want to make sure they can’t flush and fly out. You could do a dog kennel with a sturdier chicken wire at the bottom.

My aviary is made out of a sturdier chicken wire because it’s inside the chickens massive run. My other one just is deer fencing and so far it’s been good. But the neighbors dogs keep away predators since they’re free roaming.

Quail do not need heat as long as chickens. Around a week in the warmer months mine are all set with the heat and ready to go outside. I put mine in my small coop with a hardware cloth bottom until they’re bigger because you’ll be shocked how small they truly are.

 

[FortCluck]

My package of eggs that was supposed to be here on Friday finally showed up today! It was stuck in Roanoke VA for 4 days. Corner of the box was crumpled in....so I was worried. Luckily, no cracked ones and the air cells look pretty good for shipped eggs (all but 3 detached ones). My friend Donna is so sweet! These were the 6 Pyncheon and 12 Blue Bresse eggs I ordered from her. She included 2-3 extra of both of them and then threw in some Duckwing Phoenix bantam and a dozen Cortinix Quail eggs.

So......

@FortCluck and any one else who raises quail, any tips on incubating quail eggs?? What do you feed them once hatched and when they are full grown? Any special needs for the quail once they are grown (oyster shell, special housing for winter, etc)? I need a quick crash course in Quail. Lol! I know I need to build a pen or make an aviary. If I got a 5x5x4 dog kennel and beefed it up with chicken wire and a sturdy predator proof top, would that work?

I will be setting these eggs tonight.View attachment 2314681

Welcome to the quail club

Do you know what colors they may be?

 

[britesidefarm]

I’m doing 2 Green Peafowl which are on day 25 and have recently internally pipped

 

[Misfits Farm 92]

My new incubator arrived today, but I'm going to return it. It was supposed to be completely new and never used with a slightly damaged box. It was clearly used, and it wasn't even cleaned out. It was full of chick fuzz, and if you looked at the days left until hatched it said 1. Worst of all, the egg turner wasn't working! I guess the Texas A&M quail eggs are going in my other incubator, and that means hand turning.

 

[kelseyk]

Welcome to the quail club

Do you know what colors they may be?

I do not. I will ask her.

 

[kelseyk]

They need to eat gamebird feed until 6 weeks than can be switched to flock raiser with oyster shell on the side.

They can be hatched the same way as chicken eggs, but they hatch in 18 days and lockdown on day 15.

I would do a cage off the ground or an aviary. Dog kennel with chicken wire a quail can slip through until they’re fully mature at 6-8 weeks, even then they might still try.

I would make sure they have a part of the pen that is fully wooded or a coop inside an aviary or wooden boxes with a door cut out so that they are protected from the wind. Many people put their quail cages in an outbuilding like a barn in the winter if they have harsh winters.

Quail flush so you want to make sure they can’t flush and fly out. You could do a dog kennel with a sturdier chicken wire at the bottom.

My aviary is made out of a sturdier chicken wire because it’s inside the chickens massive run. My other one just is deer fencing and so far it’s been good. But the neighbors dogs keep away predators since they’re free roaming.

Quail do not need heat as long as chickens. Around a week in the warmer months mine are all set with the heat and ready to go outside. I put mine in my small coop with a hardware cloth bottom until they’re bigger because you’ll be shocked how small they truly are.

Thanks for the info!!

So I could probably do a dog kennel with either hardware cloth at the bottom and chicken wire the rest or find some kind of fencing (like welded wire) with holes smaller than chicken wire holes and be okay.

The only thing predator proof about my chicken pen is the coop and night run, so these guys will have their own special location on the farm and their own completely predator proof pen.

 

[FortCluck]

Thanks for the info!!

So I could probably do a dog kennel with either hardware cloth at the bottom and chicken wire the rest or find some kind of fencing (like welded wire) with holes smaller than chicken wire holes and be okay.

The only thing predator proof about my chicken pen is the coop and night run, so these guys will have their own special location on the farm and their own completely predator proof pen.

Yeah try to see what chicken wire you can find. I would do wire on the top too because raccoons and other predators can easily climb a dog kennel. I don’t think bird netting will keep them out.

I like quail more than chickens. I’ve actually decided to just hatch quail until the spring when we decide what we want to do. May do a few chicken hatches then, but we will be keeping none.