- Jan 6, 2013
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As the title suggests, I have 20 bobwhite chics in the brooder. They hatched last Sunday evening / Monday morning, and they are already a week old. I lost 2... one because of my "stupidity", and the other one... it had curled toes, and must have had some other health issues as well, but I found it dead in the brooder on Tuesday after work.
I am actually pretty surprised at how... what's the right word... "stupid" they are compared to Cots. Between my wife and I, we must have dipped each ones beak into the water font at least 2 times each chick. I was also pretty worried, as we didn't start seeing droppings in the brooder flooring until Wednesday or Thursday, so I wasn't sure if they were eating or not. Now, they're providing plenty of filling for my composter. One thing I have noticed is that they are extremely timid. I really have to tip toe to the brooder, or I hear them racing all over the brooder when I am 5 feet away. And when I am changing their water, I have to move my hand "slow motion" or they start to spaz.
And here is the craziest part. I was expecting a less than 50% hatch rate with shipped eggs, so I was surprised that 22 out of 30 that went into lockdown had hatched. Six eggs had been tossed when I candled them at lockdown, so 22 out of 36... not bad at all, but I am only planning on keeping 4 of them. The others will be grilled with onions and mushrooms when they mature. Me and "Murphys Law" are VERY well acquainted, and had I purchased 16 eggs, I would have only hatched one hen, allowing me to keep only a pair.
The cage I'm planning on making will provide 4 sqft of space each. There will be a removable divider for when the breeding season starts next year, so the 4 of them can be together until then. I'm going to seach my workshop to see if I have any spare lumber laying around... I'll try to see if I can build 2 cages and keep 8. I'm going to finalize the building plans tomorrow and make a shopping list to pick everything up before the weekend (for the cage build, I'll post a thread showing the items required and a step by step "how to" with pictures of the build). This weekend the weather forecast is rain, so I'll spend my time in the workshop... much better than dusting the ceiling fans or vacuuming the den.
I have some yard work to do when I get home this evening, so I'll be posting pics on this thread after dinner.
James
I am actually pretty surprised at how... what's the right word... "stupid" they are compared to Cots. Between my wife and I, we must have dipped each ones beak into the water font at least 2 times each chick. I was also pretty worried, as we didn't start seeing droppings in the brooder flooring until Wednesday or Thursday, so I wasn't sure if they were eating or not. Now, they're providing plenty of filling for my composter. One thing I have noticed is that they are extremely timid. I really have to tip toe to the brooder, or I hear them racing all over the brooder when I am 5 feet away. And when I am changing their water, I have to move my hand "slow motion" or they start to spaz.
And here is the craziest part. I was expecting a less than 50% hatch rate with shipped eggs, so I was surprised that 22 out of 30 that went into lockdown had hatched. Six eggs had been tossed when I candled them at lockdown, so 22 out of 36... not bad at all, but I am only planning on keeping 4 of them. The others will be grilled with onions and mushrooms when they mature. Me and "Murphys Law" are VERY well acquainted, and had I purchased 16 eggs, I would have only hatched one hen, allowing me to keep only a pair.
The cage I'm planning on making will provide 4 sqft of space each. There will be a removable divider for when the breeding season starts next year, so the 4 of them can be together until then. I'm going to seach my workshop to see if I have any spare lumber laying around... I'll try to see if I can build 2 cages and keep 8. I'm going to finalize the building plans tomorrow and make a shopping list to pick everything up before the weekend (for the cage build, I'll post a thread showing the items required and a step by step "how to" with pictures of the build). This weekend the weather forecast is rain, so I'll spend my time in the workshop... much better than dusting the ceiling fans or vacuuming the den.
I have some yard work to do when I get home this evening, so I'll be posting pics on this thread after dinner.
James
