Tatanka Breeders Club: Meat Quail project with history, discussion, pictures and videos

[MobyQuail]

Moby is there a reason you went with the pharoah marked birds?

they are actually "splits", they display as "browns" but are half recessive white. crossing 2 splits should get you 25% white birds 25% pure brown and 50% splits again.
crossing a split bird to a white bird would get you 25% splits and 75% white birds
crossing a split to a pure brown bird (homozygous) gets you all visually brown birds.
the only way to know if your brown is a split bird is to breed it to a white bird.
I lean towards the "wildtype splits" now because they are easier to sex at earlier age.

 

[Belinda's Funny Farm]

Where does everyone get their egg cartons and trays from for the jumbo quail eggs? I bought a bunch of quail trays and plastic cartons and all my eggs are too big for them. I have to use every other hole in the trays and if I can get the eggs into the cartons I can't close the lid.

I do love the big eggs and big birds I have been getting though. My last hatch of 20 eggs that were 14g+ I got 6 splits that were 80+grams at 14 days and several in the upper 70's.

Now if I could just get the whites to hit the target weights as my biggest white was only 72g at 14 days.

I love this post and appreciate all the information that Moby has shared.

 

[laseterlass]

Someone said to use Chukar trays

 

[yinepu]

Well.. I'm out. Just went out to feed the quail. Stray dogs have struck and I have 0 live birds left.

 

[sydney quailman]

good question, I havent noticed any change in taste, I do know I like peeling the bigger eggs more than what I started with a while ago. I do have 2 standard scarlett hens and all the eggs taste the same as the 'tanks.

she is already a keeper at 29 days, probably wont be eating her, unless her eggs dont measure up... its like the Quail Hunger Games here...

hi mobyquail im trying to get a photo . if you have a normal brown and a jumbo brown next to each to compare the size? im also trying to breed for size, in aussie land hard to come by jumbo quails. great work your doing as well, i keep you posted on my progress, cheers sam

 

[steve77]

Just getting started in raising quail. Actually haven't started yet. I have been researching on the internet for quite a while and stumbled across this thread. Looks very exciting and would like to find some large stock to begin with. Anybody out there willing to part with some true jumbo quail eggs. Tried on ebay, asked the seller how big their quail were at maturity, they replied 8 oz. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mikedero]

Ditto to the above as well. Looking for some fertile eggs around 50-75

I left the orginal post but now after reading. Holy cow a bunch of you put some real time in. I just wrote 5 pages down of the hints and tips. as well as guidelines to get them bigger. What a education I just had.

I gotta give it to you all for sharing this info and passing along. thank you for all that it is better then anything I have read so far.

 

[Mikedero]

Just wondering why you weigh them in grams vs ounces?

Another question and again sorry for the PM request please ignore it

I am in the process of converting a 12X16 foot ched to house 30 Cages. My Goal is get to your style so i figured to get eggs from 3-4 places on ebay and try to follow the guide lines.

Ok my question is what kind of light is used?

 

[heritagehabitatfarms]

grams is way more precise... i have spent over 500$ on EBay eggs and would not recommend it lol... find individual ppl that have them ether here or just search online ask them lots of ??? and see what kind of replies u get... most don't know what they have and then try to sell it and make a quick buck... or get lots of pretty colors mix them all up and sell mixed colored or one of my Fav's "from colorful lines" or "Hybrid coturnix quail" no ppl what u have is Mutts plan and simple Mutts... if u where to sell them as such that is fine but to advertise them as something special is just insane!!! it drives me nuts when ppl call them all Pharaoh quail as well lol no they are Coturnix quail.. Pharaoh might be the name of the color or line but they are still Coturnix quail...

ok of my soap box for now lol...

Just wondering why you weigh them in grams vs ounces?

Another question and again sorry for the PM request please ignore it

I am in the process of converting a 12X16 foot ched to house 30 Cages. My Goal is get to your style so i figured to get eggs from 3-4 places on ebay and try to follow the guide lines.

Ok my question is what kind of light is used?

 

[Mikedero]

I just got my hova bator and just ordered some eggs. Chances are these will be just my experiment on hacthing and raising. Kind of a test run, I would hate to waste the good eggs because of a newbie mistake.

next year I am getting a larger 3-4 tray unit and right now I am building my brooder and cages for what i am tihnking is going to be a fun ride. I figure I am going to keep them at a 3 hens to 1 male and I will keep 15 such pairs.

the lower weight ones will just be culled In fact I just processed 12 bobwhites

So much info on this thread, I find it interesting and good reading.