first quail casualties

[slipry]

I got 12 select breeders from James Marie farms 2 weeks ago. I lost 1 hen last week. I could not find any wounds she just curled up and died. I started with 9 hens and 3 roosters. I had to dispatch 1 rooster today because he had his eye plucked out and an open wound on his head so the other 2 roosters were attacking that open wound. Now I'm down to 8 hens and two roosters and wondering if i should split them up. Any thoughts? I'm very happy with the Quail I got. they are 6 and 8 weeks old and i have been getting 5 eggs every day. Now i am about to order an incubator. leaning towards Hova-bator 1588. Found one on ebay for $185.00 with turner. I have chickens but only interested in hatching quail eggs. Is there another incubator that anyone would suggest that is good for Quail? Needs to hold 35 to 50 Quail eggs and have turner Also. No worries on the bird i had to dispatch today. He will be on the pit tomorrow and delicious.

 

[eHuman]

I would split them into two breeding groups with a roo and 4 hens each.

 

[slipry]

That's what I was thinking. I planned on dividing my 4X8coop to have my breeders on one side and my grow o

 

[slipry]

Grow out on the other. But Now I might have to separate my breeders and build another coop.

 

[quails-101]

I have 18 girls to 2 boys and it works out perfectly I would just keep 8 girls 1 boy you can keep the boy by it's self for a while until you get more females and the 1 male will keep all the eggs fertilized.

 

[quails-101]

There is a Little Giant still incubator at Tractor Supply for 49.99 I think I have that on with a egg turner for an additional 49.99 and it works really good it holds 41 chicken eggs and 120 quail eggs but you need the quail rails the chicken egg rails will work fine though. Then there is a cerculated air incubator with an egg turner for 132.00.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

I have a Hovabator 1602 that I use for an incubator and whatever the Little Giant model that's similar which I use for a hatcher. I have the quail racks so I can set 120 eggs, vs 42 with the chicken racks. That way I can set 120 eggs every 15 days if I feel motivated.
I highly recommend the fan kit. Or you can use a pc fan & a phone charger from your spare parts box and make you own for free.
Another thing that's nice to have is the remote temp/humidity meter, especially with the Hovator that has a wafer thermostat. The Little Giant has a electronic thermostat with a built in temp/humidity display.