How long will a hen stay fertile from a mating? OK, a chicken hen will stay fertile from a mating with a Roo for up to 6 weeks. My question is how about the Coturnix? I don't think I've read anywhere about how long quail stay fertile. If I have, I have already forgotten. For Instance, I want to breed my 4 Goldens with the Jumbo Brown Roo then a Tibetan Roo. How long do I separate the hens from all Roos once I decide to change out their partner? I am thinking omewhere between 2-4 weeks. Course, first I have to get some Tibetans. Enjoying my little Nasquail daily race around the pen. How cool is that? No one ever mentioned they are little racers and very entertaining at that. I go over to check on them and they start racing around the food and water troughs that are in the middle of the pen. It really does remind me of a Nascar Race. They know they are getting their food topped up and/or fresh water, and get all excited. Ah, nothing better than cool water on a hot summer day.
Your description is really cute. My coturnix are 8 days old today. I know they're kind of small, but I gave them some mealworms today -- I assume that they would eat a lot of insects in the wild at this stage, so I didn't think it would hurt. THAT was highly amtiusing too. Instinct must tell them that anything that squirms is food, they went for them immediately. The little game of keep away was the most fun -- why does everyone want the same mealworm?
Go Fast And Turn Left I Am Uncertain The Answer But It Was Always Told To Me As 2 Wks. The Hen Can Lay Fertile Eggs For 2 Wks After Mating. So I Would Seperate And Issolate The Ladies For 2 Wks Then Add Their New Beau. Also If They Are Still Fertile From The Old Ladd They Use The Fresh Semen 1st When Making Eggs.... So If The New Boy Is Earning His Keep Then They Would Be Fertile From Him.
My post never showed up from a couple hours ago sad I was going to say that the hens should lay fertile eggs 10-14 days after mating.
Thanks for the info. I'll tuck it away for later when I get some Tibetans. That's what I was thinking, 2 weeks, just because of the size difference. I did not know that they would use the latest mating semen. Good to know. Oh, that's right, maybe they aren't Nasquail after all, they go fast and turn right. I just realized they are going the wrong way. Maybe this is the British version of Nasquail, or Japanese Nasquail after all they are Japanese quail. Well, I just set another 115 eggs, (10 of my own). Hoping to get a few more of the whites and golden chicks. I went to his Avery this time to pick up the eggs and he only keeps the Jumbo Browns but he has a few Goldens in with the breeders. He has M/F goldens together so I think my hatch percentage is OK after all. Yes, I did tell him he should separate the M/F goldens for better hatch rates. At any rate, I don't think I'll get any Tibetans out of these eggs. Who knows whats in those browns, I'm getting whites from them.
I think the time frame is 2 weeks for chickens as well, but it is possible for them to remain fertile longer. I personally wouldn't count on the chickens being fertile more than 2 weeks, maybe a little over. I think, for purity's sake, 4 weeks is the recommended wait period to ensure that any other roosters are 'cleaned out'.
I go with 6 weeks on chickens because I think it was Feathersite where I read a few years back that he had had an experience where it was obvious that a hatch occured from the previous mating that had been 6 weeks past. It is very rare but can happen. With the quail, I just want to play with color varieties for my pleasure. Once I get my Tibetans, I can start playing with the 4 colors, to see for myself what comes of it. In the mean time I get to eat them. At any rate, my Sicilian Buttercups I keep purebreed. With my other chickens I will add a different breed Roo from time to time and I use the 6 week period to track parentage with my chickens. In my case its not that important, cause they are all for my table. But I like to track parentage anyway in case I come up with something I want to reproduce. Right now I have a pretty little pullet, that I can't figure out who her Mom was and it is driving me a little crazy. Cause I wouldn't mind having a whole flock looking like her. Her Dad is definately the BC Roo and her Mom was either the NH or the NH cross that I got from someone a few years back and no longer have. So there will definately be another hatch this year with the BC Roo/NH eggs getting first priority.
For futher reference: The Golden you mentioned are Manchurian Coturnix People say Italian Speckled and that is just another made up name. Playing with colors are fun. Just make sure you keep records of what you did
