***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[BetsyOK]

Just after 7 this morning, we felt either by far the closest, or the biggest, longest earthquake we've ever felt. We heard it coming--rumbling and rolling before we felt it, and it kept on and on for several seconds--much longer than any before. We were both in the kitchen, and Vashi reacted immediately to the rumbling before the house started shaking. "Earthquake?" and then it hit the house.

 

[CertifiedChaser]

Just after 7 this morning, we felt either by far the closest, or the biggest, longest earthquake we've ever felt.  We heard it coming--rumbling and rolling before we felt it, and it kept on and on for several seconds--much longer than any before.  We were both in the kitchen, and Vashi reacted immediately to the rumbling before the house started shaking.  "Earthquake?" and then it hit the house.

Yeah, I felt it. That was pretty long for any I've ever felt before. It's been a while since I've felt one so I guess it's trying to make up for that.

 

[Kassaundra]

I was at work in Warner when it hit, and it was big here too. Shook the building, cabinets, gutters, and ground. It felt like 2 waves, and I could hear the rumble before I felt the movement too.

 

[dunnmom]

Yep. It was a biggun! Woke up my baby girl, her daddy, and me. Somehow, our 3 boys slept through it. Our house is not on a foundation, so everytime it happens, the old house shudders like it's going to come down. The quakes have put cracks in our walls and ceiling.

 

[ashtree]

Here in Norman we felt it. It woke the whole family up!

 

[cluck333]

I felt it down here in SW OK. I was asleep when I felt the vibrations... Thought at first someone was drying clothes awfully early in the morning . Then I realized it wasn't the dryer, but I never figured it out until my Mom told me. Fortunately no damage, and only slightly startled chickens. I don't know if my goat noticed it or not.

 

[NanaKat]

CertifiedChaser.
There is a lot of information both quail and pigeons in the "Other Backyard Poultry" section.
I had Coturnix quail and Ringneck pheasant. Ended up putting the quail in the freezer and releasing the pheasant in our back pasture this spring.

Was there a reason for culling the flock?

Domestic Quail are too far bred from wild to be able to survive in the wild. They need a well constructed flight pen if you winter them out. I kept mine in cages with pull out poop trays. A male with 4 hens....a lot of cages.
The hens begin to lay at 7 to 8 weeks. Too many eggs to hatch....a pain to boil, peel and pickle....laid on the ground. Quail poop in their water unless trained as chicks to use a drip. They waste feed, scratching it out of the feeder. Fertility / hatch rates were not great. I put 54 in the freezer.

 

[NanaKat]

Yep. It was a biggun! Woke up my baby girl, her daddy, and me. Somehow, our 3 boys slept through it. Our house is not on a foundation, so everytime it happens, the old house shudders like it's going to come down. The quakes have put cracks in our walls and ceiling.

We aren't on a slab either. This one really shook our house. I was standing in the kitchen and had to grab a chair to keep from losing my balance. The suspended light started swinging.
We had a lot of damage to the house in the big ones that hit Prague in 2011...4.7, 5.6 and 5.1 that shifted the foundation, cracked walls and twisted the fireplaces and cracked the concrete drive and barn floor.

 

[CertifiedChaser]

Domestic Quail are too far bred from wild to be able to survive in the wild. They need a well constructed flight pen if you winter them out. I kept mine in cages with pull out poop trays. A male with 4 hens....a lot of cages.
The hens begin to lay at 7 to 8 weeks. Too many eggs to hatch....a pain to boil, peel and pickle....laid on the ground. Quail poop in their water unless trained as chicks to use a drip. They waste feed, scratching it out of the feeder. Fertility / hatch rates were not great. I put 54 in the freezer.

Wow didn't realize how much hassle they could be. I was only planning on having a half dozen to start and mostly using them for eggs. Guess they're pretty great at laying! That's encouraging. I don't plan on releasing them into the wild so wintering them out shouldn't be a problem.

 

[artsyrobin]

Very creative! My mom makes chicken diapers for one of her pet serama hens so she can run around the house without leaving poo all over the floor. She makes them from child sized socks. It's more cute than it sounds, and if she sits in my lap there's no mess.

Yep my seramas and other house birds have them, makes live interesting!

Just after 7 this morning, we felt either by far the closest, or the biggest, longest earthquake we've ever felt. We heard it coming--rumbling and rolling before we felt it, and it kept on and on for several seconds--much longer than any before. We were both in the kitchen, and Vashi reacted immediately to the rumbling before the house started shaking. "Earthquake?" and then it hit the house.

glad you're ok, seems they felt it clear to arizona and houston-