How do i choose my breeders?

[calihawker]

So Im getting ready to choose my breeders. I have around 60 quail and I want to end up with 30 breeders. So how do I pick? Besides the obvious male/female ratio, what do I look for? How do I choose?

 

[ChickenChaps]

Good question, I want to know too.

 

[syble]

i imagine who you choose would have alot to do with what your goals are... meat, color, temperament?

 

[gamebirdboy]

It depends on what you want to breed for. Do you want size, color, or both? Personally I want both and keep my biggest and best colored birds.

 

[kip]

You pick your breeders by your own specifications.
If you want to raise good laying quails you should find out wich hens lay the most eggs, the roosters need to have momma's wo were/are good layers to.
If you want to raise them for meat you pick the biggest quails. You could also pick your hens on the size of their eggs.
I don't know were you'v got the quail from but if you want to breed a good laying flock it migth take a few generations because you won't know if the roosters momma's were good layers. If i wanted to raise good layers i'd try to breed more than one flock with birds that aren't related. If you want to breed with a younger generation you can choose some roosters from the other good laying flock and breed them with the hens of your other flock.

 

[ChickenChaps]

I dont want to steal the OP thread here... for me I want big meat birds.
Thats what I figured, pick the biggest birds.
Then each generation will continue to get bigger?

 

[kip]

Yep, keep selecting the biggest for the next generations.
I asume you've got coturnix, perhaps you could buy some huge roosters or just keep some big roosters from some of your hatches.
I don't know your sex-ratio but with 30 breeders and an good incubator you'r defenitly able to hatch a few 100 chicks this year and sell tons of hatching eggs.

 

[calihawker]

Size for sure here.

Here's another question. How do you know which hen is laying better? Do you watch and wait? A camera? Also I have more in the brooder and more in the bator but they are from the same egg supplier. should I maybe get a batch of eggs from a totally different source?

 

[kip]

The only good way to know how much a hen lays is to put every hen in a own cage.
I don't know how many eggs your supplier sells every week but if he sells 1000's every week their's a very small change that you'r roosters and hens are related.
You could get some eggs from another supplier, if you do that you'r able to make 2 flocks with the insurance that your roosters and hens are not related.

 

[JJMR794]

I LIKE THE EENIE MEANIE MINY MOE METHOD