How to manage a good breeding program?

[franklinstreetwest]

Hello,

I am new to raising quail and had troubles with the first batch that I sourced eggs from and hatched out. They had a variety of leg and foot problems. I would like to know how people are maintaining healthy breeding stock? I have a variety of different color types and 3 different lineages in separate cages right now. I am not interested (at this time) in maintaining colors. I am more interested in breeding to increase size overall. I would love to hear what everyone has to say.

 

[dc3085]

I would start with James Marie Farms meat class pharaohs or A&Ms so that you have a bird capable of hitting 16 ounces from the ground floor. From there just eat the smaller birds from each hatch and propagate the largest. Genetic diversity isn't as hard to maintain as you'd think, but I'm too short on time to lay it out right now, I'll try to get back to this later.

 

[franklinstreetwest]

I have some A&M, they are okay....I got a batch of quail that came from a breeder in New York....an EBay purchase of eggs. That breeders quail were huge! They beat the A&M stock that hatched at the same time for both size and egg size. I know to eat the small and breed the big....I am also selecting the most docile males to breed with.

I am concerned, mostly, with keeping my genetic diversity. So that I don't end up with the freakish polydactyl toe problems, that deformed the legs of the first batch of eggs I got from a local breeder. I remember the guy saying something about his problems with leg deformities and curled toes....he seemed to think it was a feed issue. But I suspect that it was something else, seeing as how I have hatched other batches and did not feed any different, without effect on their legs or toes.