Can I pick the brain of the experts?

[mamawolf544]

Hello everybody,
I just started hatching my quail 2 months ago. I have TX A&M's and Jumbo Bob Whites.
My A&M's are close to breeding age.
Do you band yours, and if so with what size band?
How long do you breed them before you replace them with new breeders.
Do they ever go broody? (I hope not)
Thanks in advance,
Terri
Oil Patch Farm
Alvarado,TX

 

[shelleyd2008]

Do you band yours, and if so with what size band? I haven't yet,but I have some 4" zip ties that I'll use for them. I don't know what size bands they would actually use
How long do you breed them before you replace them with new breeders.I believe the fertility of the eggs decreases after the hens first year. The egg production does as well, from what I've heard
Do they ever go broody? Someone had a pic of their mama A&M with chicks sticking out under her wings, but that is the exception, not the rule. I imagine if they had a good nesting spot that was well hidden and you just left the eggs in there, you could possibly make one go broody if you wanted to. Just keep the eggs gathered and you shouldn't have any problems

 

[CARS]

I'm still working on finding many of the same questions answered but I have a simple solution for bands.
Someone suggested wire tie straps. The plastic ones that you buy in automotive stores. The assortment box I had has 4 different colors.
You simply wrap it around their feet and cut off the excess.

I have only banded the roosters so far. I am still trying to figure out how to decide which ones to keep for fertile eggs.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
If it's A&Ms that your working on, I would go with the roo that has the most white, who is also the biggest. Many A&Ms are the size of normal quail, when they should be jumbo. We all need to work together to get them back to size!

The zip ties I got at walmart were also in the automotive section, though there were only black and white in it. They are the same as the wire ties. Plus they were only about $1, so that was okay. The 4" ones aren't very wide, that's why I went with those. I pretty much sell the birds I'm not using for breeding, so I only need to mark the males.

 

[mamawolf544]

Thank you, that is a great idea. I might try that out on my chickens too.
Terri