Michigan

[taprock]

Oh I gotta hatch me some bumblebees!
Mom2 let me borrow your bator!

I love my buttons and even the crowing. We only have one that we hatched ourselves and she tolerates being handled. Because she was the only baby that survived she bonded more with us. I could put my hand in her tank and she would climb in my hand to be held.











We just had a nice storm go through with more rain. It looks mostly clear now so maybe it will be a nice day.

 

[chicken grandma]

aww no dont let a few sentences scare you off- they have the tiniest eggs, are a hoot to watch run around *in a cage or aquarium* and come in a multitude of colors. many many many colors. They are the robo hamsters of the quail world.
I have never done bob white before- only the cots and buttons, so I will tell you as I go along on how they are.

Button Quail ----

Did I mention the dust? How do you like having chicks in the house? Because these button quail are the size of chicks but they don't get bigger so you can never get the dust or the crowing out of your house.

Did I mention you need two tanks with soft tops? One for males and one for females because the males will kill each other over females.

Oh and did I mention that the males crow? but only from about 5 a.m. until about 7 p.m. Your husbands will just love it!

Good luck to you!

 

[chicken grandma]

Taprock - your button needs a friend! Ours never looked that lonely!

 

[swampducks]

I think himself and my DH would get along just fine! I just play it safe and only have dogs.

hhmmm, himself would agree with you except he wouldn't wait for the urination. With cats, he prefers prevention.

YAY for Penny!

You need at least 3 that way they can switch places and the one in the middle will always be warm on both sides.

Four would be better though, definitely 4. I mean perish the thought but what would happen if one died? You never know with chickens.

I think we may have found a home for Penny!

I'm concerned that 2 hens won't be able to keep each other warm enough in the winter. Or... maybe I'm just catching a little bit of the chicken math bug. But really... will 2 generate enough heat for each other in a 4x3 ft. coop in February?

Get him his own personal Uggo!

Taprock - your button needs a friend! Ours never looked that lonely!

I went semi crazy the other night and bought a new camera. Only semi because the one I bought was half the price of the one I REALLY wanted. But on rethinking my priorities and discussing with a camera guy as well as reading a ton more reviews I think I can get away with the less expensive one. Now I just have to wait till it gets here! Patience is not one of my virtues!

Almost forgot, in case anyone was curious I got the Panasonic ZS15. Has a 16X zoom and uses the same sensor as the Panny FZ150, my drool-worthy but not quite cheap enough choice.

 

[taprock]

Taprock - your button needs a friend! Ours never looked that lonely!

She has a boy now we just didn't hatch him. We have three pairs and yes they are dusty and they have padding in the top of their cages but I love their calls. They are so sweet when they stand straight up and do their call. My DH makes deviled eggs from their eggs and I have made pickled quail eggs. Our only problem is that she is broody ALL the time.

 

[chicken grandma]

I think we may have found a home for Penny!

I'm concerned that 2 hens won't be able to keep each other warm enough in the winter. Or... maybe I'm just catching a little bit of the chicken math bug. But really... will 2 generate enough heat for each other in a 4x3 ft. coop in February

No, two hens won't make enough heat. If Penny is a rooster, I would keep him so he can protect your girls. Your girls will appreciate a rooster for warmth and protection. Roosters even guide the hens to eat, guide them to nests and protect them while they lay their eggs (because they are pretty helpless while passing the egg).

If you cannot keep a rooster, I would get two more hens, preferably from the same place that you got the chickens you now have. That way you do not bring in new bacteria/parasites and other disease. Good luck!

 

[RBahmer]

my feelings exactly. What irritates me are people who have "outdoor" cats and then post on CL saying they haven't seen them in 3 days and it's their baby and they're so worried...well if you want to know your animal is ok then don't let it roam all over!!!! Anything that comes into my yard is subject to a blast. I have too much time and money into my animals to have someones cat/dog harrass, kill or eat them.

Hey Robin!!! How are those eggs doing? Are we getting close to lock down?

They sure are. They go into lockdown on the 6th

 

[BackyardFarmMom]

I read on another thread that you CANNOT keep chickens and quails next to eachother... the chickens spread illnesses to the quail and kill them.
That would be another thing that would scare me!

 

[Amy PT]

No, two hens won't make enough heat. If Penny is a rooster, I would keep him so he can protect your girls. Your girls will appreciate a rooster for warmth and protection. Roosters even guide the hens to eat, guide them to nests and protect them while they lay their eggs (because they are pretty helpless while passing the egg).

If you cannot keep a rooster, I would get two more hens, preferably from the same place that you got the chickens you now have. That way you do not bring in new bacteria/parasites and other disease. Good luck!

We can not keep a rooster. I noticed you posted where(ish) you live. We are about 2 miles south and a little west of you. So... Penny is packing for collge.
We got our chicks from Townline. So, either we start again with 2 more chicks, we take a gamble and get another hen (maybe 2) from someone else, or we keep just 2.

 

[keyt1969]

SO here's a totally off the wall question!

What is a good brand of inexpensive muck boots? I have gone through 3 pair in 2 years because I'm hard on any kind of shoes or boots. I REALLY want a pair of muck brand but that's never happening! I have looked on ebay, Amazon and a few other places and I just can't afford them!