Thinking about raising a few birds to eat.

[KenK]

If a fellow wanted to try raising a few Coturnix quail to eat and set about 50 eggs in his Hovabator this summer; how big of a pen would you need to grow them out to eating size?
Figure on a wildly optimistic hatch rate to be sure of enough room. I have a 6' x3' x2' deep brooder box that I might be able to use somehow but it has a solid floor.

 

[JJMR794]

That'll Work If You're Just Using It For A Grow Out Pen

 

[Riffecreek]

Being WILDLY

WILDLY optimistic on 50 egg, lets say all 50 hatch and 2 drown in the waterer until you figure out to put marbles in the chick founts.. one square foot per bird.. so a 4 X 12, or 6 X 8, or a 7 X 7 pen is the MAX you would need.... Feeder and watering space is more important!


Now for the real figures.... a 4 X 8 pen would hold the hatch in my opinion.. thats 32 chicks...

 

[abobwhat]

Quote:
How many would his brooder box hold approx....?

 

[Riffecreek]

I'd say 30-32 max to 6-8 weeks (4 weeks would be better).. and that's pushing it a bunch!! after 8 weeks, no more than 20-22 if they have good hides and extra roos are gone to the table!

If it was 50 shipped eggs, I'd say you wont have to worry about a bigger pen..(I don't like the styro-egg-cookers) I hatch 1000+ eggs a year and the best hatch rate I've ever had was a little under 75% on shipped game bird eggs.. Those were JJ's bobwhite eggs I bought last summer that were in the mail for 4 days... in the hot summer heat!! My average is about 65%.

Another word of advice on shipped Game Bird eggs in the summer heat is I DO NOT let them set the 24 hours.... I open the box and in they go.. My opinion is they start the incubation process in the mail and the cool off setting in the Ac weakens the chicks and draws moisture from the eggs!!

 

[abobwhat]

Quote:
you can eat them at 4 weeks....?

 

[Riffecreek]

You can, but no need in it as they don't have much meat yet.. I go through mine a 4 weeks and pick out a few of the bigger hens.. they go into another pen as replacement layers..

 

[abobwhat]

Interesting

 

[KenK]

Going to be driving right by ol' JJ's house on my way to the beach this summer, may not have to fool with shipped eggs. : )

I seem to recollect an old saying about counting your chicks before they hatch. Maybe I'll just set the fifty eggs and see what comes up. They should be ok in my brooder for long enough to get something else built if I need it.

All I've read here and other places about a quail's ability to produce droppings makes me leery about growing them on a solid floor.

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
I'LL BE HERE