I feel like I'm forgetting something

[SandraMort]

OK, so you have your eggs in the incubator and then they hatch. They move from there to the brooder where they go until they're able to go outdoors to the rabbit hutches or wherever you put them. Then once they're fully sexually mature, you need to make sure the hens are in with an appropriate number of roos to have good fertility and minimal fighting. The remaining males can go to a different pen to finish growing and go to freezer camp.

So... what's a growing out pen? Are there any other steps I'm forgetting?

I have a garage that I can move the pens to in the wintertime. If I have additional light and throw a tarp over three out of four sides to minimize drafts, is there any reason they won't lay all winter?

Thanks,
Sandra

 

[Robo]

Sounds good, they will lay with that set up. A grow out pen is for adolescents that are too big for the brooder and too small for the breeder cage. You only need one cage that will serve as a grow out/breeder.

 

[SandraMort]

How big does it need to be? Once I've got the males identified, can I stick them back into the grow out until they're fully grown?

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[Robo]

The rule of thumb is one sq. feet per bird, but less will work. Just keep all of them together until they are sexually mature and then eat.

 

[SandraMort]

They need 1 per bird even as new hatched babies?

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[_Randall_]

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No. Babies, meaning just hatched / 1 week / 2 weeks old can do just great in a pretty small area. I raise Bobs, and I'm gonna say that ranks up there with the testiest (if that's a word?)....

 

[thekid]

im going to try keeping 14 quail in half of my rabbit pen and that half would be 2 x 4.5 i will give it a try and let all you guys know lolz

 

[SandraMort]

2x4.5? Sounds tight. 1 per person means you could comfortably fit nine in there. Maybe ten. Fourteen and I bet they're going to be fighting, at least if they're anything like overcrowded chickens.

 

[thekid]

most manufactored quail pens used a rule of 1 bird per 0.5sqFT i say why not give it a try if they fight well its a meal

 

[thekid]

12 hens and 2 roos