Quail pen idea...

[MobyQuail]

the wild type brown and wild type range seem to be dominant

all the colors are actually just different combos of on/off switches (and half switches) for the primary underlying colors.

Im not a color expert, I am sticking with what I know, the browns and whites. problem with all the fancy recessive colors is the populations required to carry to keep a recessive trait popping up.

If you only got a specific color 25% of the time when breeding 2 already recessive gene carrying birds together, you could see how you would soon have completely inbred stock?

most like to stick with color sexable birds, meaning you know boy from girl by breast feather color early on, the wild browns, even some goldens are color sexable

if you birds are currently Br/Br pure browns, when bred to another Br/Br pure brown, thats all you should get. There is a Quail color calculator that can give general percentages if your interested.

 

[Bigdtc]

Thanks again, Moby.. You've been very helpful and an asset to the board. Bless You..
I was really just curious.. As you know I'm in it for meat and eggs and thought there might be the occasional oddball thrown in. No matter. That little white bird is driving me crazy, though..

 

[MobyQuail]

you could try breeding brown to gold, they should spit out browns and golds and be color sexable.

the big breeders stick with the color sexable birds cause they are easier to sex

the whites are nicer for skin color on a plucked bird, just like butterball roasters.

 

[Bigdtc]

So far, so good..
The quail are doing just fine. I put some boxes with sand in there, gave them some meal worms(most took them by hand, some will not).. You guy were right, they are little poop factories. My garden will love it so that's fine. The eggs I ordered last weekend came in this morning, I'll get them in the bator tomorrow evening, then wait.
Bonus.. the egg supplier sent me 80 jumbo quail eggs instead of the 60 I ordered.. I think they'll fit in there, should be interesting turning them all by hand. I didn't count on that many eggs but figure if only half hatch(?) then I'll be able to replace the older hens I have now. They have slacked off laying some but I think the guy I got them from had them under light most of the time as they were inside a barn stall pen.. I've not put light over them but might this weekend. I guess it will not need to be there long as the days are getting longer now.
80 eggs in the bator tomorrow.. wish me luck.

 

[jbobs]

they might take a week or two off if they had a move from one location to another. Most of mine would stop for at least a few days when I took them to a different place or brought new ones home.

 

[Bigdtc]

they might take a week or two off if they had a move from one location to another. Most of mine would stop for at least a few days when I took them to a different place or brought new ones home.

Good to know, thank you..

 

[Bigdtc]

I received the Jumbo eggs that I ordered last week yesterday morning. I ordered 60 eggs and received 80.. wow! Only 3 were broken in transport and I added 1 of mine that was laid today. So, 78 eggs are in the bator now at 99.5 F. and 50% humidity.. We'll see how it goes..

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Woah! Nice set up Bigdtc. I just love reading an idea, seeing it start to flesh out on paper and then BAM! Awesome, tangible finished product.

 

[Bigdtc]

Woah! Nice set up Bigdtc. I just love reading an idea, seeing it start to flesh out on paper and then BAM! Awesome, tangible finished product.

Thanks!

I have been working on a brooder/grow-out pen this week.. I'll update once I get it outside.. It rained here last night so it's too wet now...

 

[Bigdtc]

I completed the grow out pen..The pen was made entirely of pallet wood and scrap wood I had hanging around... pics and details are here..

http://mdpreparedness.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=115&page=7

All I have left is to set up a brooder.. and wait for the eggs to hatch..13 days.