newbie jumbo coturnix questions.

[Gone fishing]

I have 18 eggs in a (diy) incubator, I'm about to start building a coop, but I have a few questions.
I want to keep about 10-15 quails at a time, my questions are:
What size coop should I build for that amount?
What features should be built in?
How old before I can start eating them?
How long are eggs good for?(refrigerated)
Male to female ratio?
Any recommended food that makes em taste better(both bird and eggs)

Thanks

 

[Sycamore27]

I have 18 eggs in a (diy) incubator, I'm about to start building a coop, but I have a few questions.
I want to keep about 10-15 quails at a time, my questions are:
What size coop should I build for that amount?
What features should be built in?
How old before I can start eating them?
How long are eggs good for?(refrigerated)
Male to female ratio?
Any recommended food that makes em taste better(both bird and eggs)

Thanks

The rule of thumb is one square foot per bird, a bit more is even better of course.
Quail will fly straight up when startled or scared so good hiding places and/or a roof with some give to it are good ideas so they do not injure themselves. Netting or window screen hung up below the roof of the coop is a good solution to soften the blow. Anything can be used for hides that the birds will fit in, one per two or three birds is usually enough and a bit of soft grass hay makes them great nesting places too.
Quail love dust bathing so extra room to put a pan or some such in is a good idea, some people use big flat sided jars or aluminum roasting pans for dust baths.
They do not roost or go into cover very reliably at night so extra predator consideration should be made, especially around the bottom of the coop.
People generally butcher between 8-10 weeks old. It kind of just depends how big you want them to get versus how long you want to feed them, we just ate a 12 week old and didn't find it especially tough.
I can't say for sure on the eggs, I would say about two weeks or whatever people agree on for most fresh eggs? I will say if you intend to boil and peel them use eggs that have been in the fridge at least two days, they seem to peel much easier. Also useful to note that 4 quail eggs are more or less equal to 1 chicken egg.
One roo per four to seven hens is a good rule of thumb, more and you lose fertility, less and your hens get overbred or killed.
I haven't noticed any affect on egg taste through two different feeds and various treats. Game bird starter or grower, with oyster shell on the size for your hens, is the best feed for them. It should be 24-30% protein and unmedicated is recommended. For treats bugs are great, as are veggie and fruit scraps. Any old eggs you do end up with can be boiled and ground up to feed back to the birds as well.

Hope this helps some!
Good luck!
Jessie

 

[James the Bald]

The rule of thumb....

Sycamore, I was really hoping I could go the rest of the evening without seeing the phrase "the rule of thumb"

.

Anyway, Gone fishing, here are a few links you should check out. Here is one for your quail pen, and another for when you're ready to process you quail. This one should cover any questons.

Good luck with your hatch and welcome to the Quail forum on BYC.

 

[Sycamore27]

Sycamore, I was really hoping I could go the rest of the evening without seeing the phrase "the rule of thumb"

.

Haha, sorry James, just me being a wee bit bratty perhaps. That phrase might become my new overused cliche...

Cheers,
Jeesie

 

[Gone fishing]

thanks for the quick responses!! got the info i wanted. thanks again.

 

[Gone fishing]

first one is out, when so i start feeding? and how long before i pull em out of the incubator?

 

[Sycamore27]

Don't put any food or water in the incubator itself.
Wait about 24 hours and then take out only the ones that are dry and fluffy as quickly as possible to keep from drying out any late hatchers.

Put them into your brooder with a temp of 95 degrees directly under your heat source. Put the lamp to one side and food and water to the other. Use paper towels for bedding for at least 3-4 days, preferably with rubberize shelf liner over it. The mesh type works great, this will prevent leg issues.
Dip their beaks in the water as you move them to the brooder so they know where to drink. Place marbles in your waterer to keep them from drowning. Crush up their food as most crumbles are too big for newly hatched quail. Sprinkle food around the floor by the feeder to help them figure out where food is kept. It's also a good idea to put a vitamin/probiotic/electrolyte combo in the water for the first few days to help them thrive. You can usually find that at any feed store this time of year.
Good luck with the new babies, and keep us posted.
Cheers,
Jessie

 

[Gone fishing]

its day 19 only 2 of the 18 eggs have hatched. i can see some other poked thru the shell a bit. should i help tell out? at which point does one call it quits(days)?

 

[Sycamore27]

its day 19 only 2 of the 18 eggs have hatched. i can see some other poked thru the shell a bit. should i help tell out? at which point does one call it quits(days)?

Keep the humidity up so they don't dry out, but don't help them at this stage. They may be still absorbing their yolks, in which case there are still blood vessels along the inside of the shell that you could break opening the shell and if they come out of the shell without the yolk absorbed they will likely die. They pip when they need more air than they can get inside the shell but are still gathering energy to fully hatch, make sure you have good ventilation and good humidity so they can breathe well and the membrane stays flexible and doesn't stick to them.

If you see one has zipped (opened its shell around the middle) but is stuck to the shell, or has a piece of shell stuck to it after it has dried then you might take a cotton swab and some warm water and help it. Helping a chick any earlier in hatch is generally not advised for both the reasons stated above and the fact that chicks not strong enough to hatch are often not strong enough to live and will die slowly over the first few days in spite of your help.

Typically people give them at least 4-5 days after the hatch date for any stragglers to emerge. If you hear any peeping, see any rocking in the incubator or when float testing, or see any movement inside the egg when candling, then leave them be. They may still hatch.

Edited to add: day 18 is normally hatch day for coturnix, which is counting from after the first 24 hours they have been in the incubator as day one, so you might give them til day 22 or 23 before you start checking any unpipped eggs by candle and float.

Good luck, and wishing you a good hatch!
Cheers,
Jessie

 

[Gone fishing]

nothing new hatched, hopefully i find something in the morning