How do you select your breeders?

[ozzie]

I've just started on my quail breeding project - I'm planning to have just 3 breeding trios/quads ie 1 male:3-4 females in each pen. Is there some system you follow to pick which ones you breed from? I've hatched 20 Japanese quail so far and I noticed that some seem to be growing at twice the rate of others. I'm assuming that I should be picking the quick growing ones as potential breeders? I'm not breeding based on colors, basically I'm breeding based on egg production and also meat production - I just need to convince the kids that these are not pets!

ozzie

 

[monarc23]

Its whatever you want to work towards more, the ones that you feel are growing faster more than likely arent...what's probably happening is the ones that are "growing faster" are jumbos where as the ones that aren't are probably pharoahs. I'd omit any pharoahs from your breeding plans theya re small skiddish and their eggs aren't huge. Big birds means more meat and big eggs (over time).

 

[chicken_angler]

If I was to seperate mine into trios or quads, I would seperate them all into different cages and see who gets along and who doesn't. Also, dont put a huge quail in with a runt. There would probably be lots of pecking.

Good luck!
Cody!!