Thinking of getting quail

[BReeder!]

I will also be getting quail in the new year. Your layout looks good. Thank you for sharing. My layout is set and just need time to play in the garage. But my helpers won't be with me. Something about college & a job. Enjoy the time, if not all the help! Cat's in the cradle and all that.

I elected not to stack cages and let the manure hit the ground. Quail outdoors year round since we tend to have milder weather. Details on watering & feeding still in the air. Cup waterers in the lead with no mess homemade feeders. see slightly redneck on utube for details. Looks like he has a decent set up. He keeps his outside also. Missouri - so between us weather wise.

Purpose is meat and eggs and Jumbo Browns are my choice for the feather sexing. If the chickens have competition, will they lay more?

I really doubt that competition would cause chickens to lay more. It may cause my chickens to want more attention - they are spoiled brats.

I too thought about not stacking cages and letting manure hit the ground. the bottom cages will work in that fashion, but I needed to stack in order to save space. Four 8x3 cages is a lot of square footage. My birds are in the back of he garden section of our yard. The more square footage I give the birds the less I have for planting. Since my chickens have far more room than necessary and we plan to downsize our greenhouse project, I hope to add the quail without loosing precious gardening space. The chickens will have more room than necessary still, but the quail must be stacked to make it work. I might slant the roofs of the bottom cages so that manure will run off. That would help save me some cleaning work. However, all the cages will need to have poop trays in the winter in the shed or garage.

How many birds do you intend to have? How large will your cage/s be?

 

[RUNuts]

I really doubt that competition would cause chickens to lay more. It may cause my chickens to want more attention - they are spoiled brats.

I too thought about not stacking cages and letting manure hit the ground. the bottom cages will work in that fashion, but I needed to stack in order to save space. Four 8x3 cages is a lot of square footage. My birds are in the back of he garden section of our yard. The more square footage I give the birds the less I have for planting. Since my chickens have far more room than necessary and we plan to downsize our greenhouse project, I hope to add the quail without loosing precious gardening space. The chickens will have more room than necessary still, but the quail must be stacked to make it work. I might slant the roofs of the bottom cages so that manure will run off. That would help save me some cleaning work. However, all the cages will need to have poop trays in the winter in the shed or garage.

How many birds do you intend to have? How large will your cage/s be?

20 ish eggs to incubator on 27 January is target. Local supply, so hope for 100% hatch.
Cages are 2'x8'. 2' is as long as I can reach and not have issues catching quail. That and the hardware cloth I have 80' of is 2' width. Seems like the best solution.

Start with first hatch to get feet wet with incubating. Trying it to see how it fits and seeing if Crazy Lady will eat quail. Chances are good at present. After 2 months, order more eggs or set backyard eggs. Try the meat thing in lieu of CX this year. While eating the CX from last fall...

I originally wanted a greenhouse/hoop house with quail on the floor and elevated plants. Reigned in my ambitions and starting small. The chickens have ~1/3 the back yard including the garden clean up and fertilization job going. Normally, have smaller than that. About 40'x30' area for 13 hens & pullets. The dogs were upset to lose that much.

 

[BReeder!]

My little guy was at it again.
View attachment 1620721

 

[BReeder!]

Anybody still keeping up with this thread? I could use some help.
I have my quail eggs. They came today in a replacement shipment because the original shipment is supposedly still out there somewhere between Georgia and Illinois according to USPS. The seller was kind enough to ship a replacement order at their expense. I imagine they will eventually be able to get their money back by filing a claim with USPS as the shipment was insured, but to send the replacement without the insurance claim even being able to be processed yet was a generous gesture. I highly recommend Orchard Hill Poultry.
Now my eggs are settling at room temperature. They are only 3-4 days old, so I am not rushed to get them in the incubator. They will go in tomorrow. This also buys me time as a fan for the incubator arrives tomorrow as well - I decided just the other day to upgrade my incubator from still air to circulated air. As I am about 2.5 weeks out from chicks and brooding, I went to the store to grab some supplies. I thought I would be able to get game bird starter and game bird layer (or at least a standard feed) relatively easily at Farm and Fleet. They did have a small (8lbs I think) bag of game bird starter that I picked up, but that's all that they had. They didn't even carry a turkey feed. Their poultry isle was all focused on chickens. So now I need to come up with a source of feed for my quail. I did some research today and found two options. Option 1: go to my feed store and try to get a custom blend (not even the feed store stocks game bird or turkey feed here). I don't think they will do it for me in small quantities though. At most I would buy 100lbs at a time. Seems like a lot to ask for a custom mix for just 100lbs of feed, and sounds expensive. Option 2: mix non-medicated chick starter (and later layer feed) with floating catfish pellet feed. I found a video online from a hatchery/grower who came up with this. The catfish feed is very high in protein, 30+%. As a bonus, it is high in a number of good vitamins and omega fatty acids also. Now I'm not a chemist, biologist, nor veterinarian; but it sounds like a good idea to me. The catfish pellets are $17 fro 40lbs at Farm and Fleet (there's a cheaper one but it seems sketchy). That's comparable to the cost of chicken feed that I purchase.
Any thoughts on this? What do you feed your quail? Where do you buy it?

 

[BReeder!]

I hope people are still reading this thread. I was liking the input of new and experience quail keepers.

My eggs are that arrived yesterday are in the incubator finally. The fan is installed and everything seems to be running well. Hoping for a good hatch!

 

[007Sean]

It's too late now but you should have let the bator run for 24 hours at least before setting those eggs.
It gives the bator time to stabilize. So you can check the temps and humidity, so you don't have to make adjustments constantly.

 

[BReeder!]

It's too late now but you should have let the bator run for 24 hours at least before setting those eggs.
It gives the bator time to stabilize. So you can check the temps and humidity, so you don't have to make adjustments constantly.

Good insight. The incubator has been running since the 18th. We were originally expecting eggs on the 19th... It was not running with the fan since then, but it was fairly stable and warmed up. Humidity will be the only thing I need to keep an eye on, but after adding 103 quail eggs, I expect fluctuations in humidity any way.

 

[RUNuts]

Anybody still keeping up with this thread? I could use some help.
... I thought I would be able to get game bird starter and game bird layer (or at least a standard feed) relatively easily at Farm and Fleet. They did have a small (8lbs I think) bag of game bird starter that I picked up, but that's all that they had. They didn't even carry a turkey feed. Their poultry isle was all focused on chickens. So now I need to come up with a source of feed for my quail. I did some research today and found two options. Option 1: go to my feed store and try to get a custom blend (not even the feed store stocks game bird or turkey feed here). I don't think they will do it for me in small quantities though. At most I would buy 100lbs at a time. Seems like a lot to ask for a custom mix for just 100lbs of feed, and sounds expensive. Option 2: mix non-medicated chick starter (and later layer feed) with floating catfish pellet feed. I found a video online from a hatchery/grower who came up with this. The catfish feed is very high in protein, 30+%. As a bonus, it is high in a number of good vitamins and omega fatty acids also. Now I'm not a chemist, biologist, nor veterinarian; but it sounds like a good idea to me. The catfish pellets are $17 fro 40lbs at Farm and Fleet (there's a cheaper one but it seems sketchy). That's comparable to the cost of chicken feed that I purchase.
Any thoughts on this? What do you feed your quail? Where do you buy it?

Everything is negotiable. Take the local feed store brand, in my case M-G and Texas Naturals, go to the manufacture's website and see what applies to you. Stores don't stock something that doesn't sell very long. I put in my request for 18% Chick Grower, non medicated formula. Feed store special orders it for me when I need a couple bags. He moves product and I don't pay (much) shipping. Good arrangement for us.

M-G doesn't have what I want for quail feed, 24-28% protein & non medicated, so I emailed them. They said they are working on something that might meet my needs. Stay tuned.

My suggestion. Decide what you want. Find a store that stocks it or is willing to add your order to theirs & special order it. They shouldn't charge you a fee. Find out when their delivery date is and pick it up promptly. Build a relationship. My feed store is local owned and I'm building a relationship with Brian and Hope. We have had some good talks. He is starting to raise birds also and a lot of people ask him for advice. He sells a lot of day old hatchery chicks.

For backyard hobbyists, it doesn't make sense to order a millrun or pallet of feed. I use maybe 200 pounds a month of chicken food for 13 hens and squirrels. Working on the squirrel issue

 

[RUNuts]

@007Sean - I see where some people add jars of water for thermal mass to even out the temperature fluctuations, sealed not open top, when opening the bator. What is your opinion on this? I also have a Styrofoam incubator and there isn't a lot of mass to hold heat. I'll take out the egg tray by the turner and have a couple pints for stable operations. No reason a 1/2 liter coke bottle on its side wouldn't work either. May transfer heat better than the glass also. Metal is best. Hmm. Aluminum water bottle?

I installed a fan. The Hovabator 1602n is now circulated air.

 

[BReeder!]

@007Sean - I see where some people add jars of water for thermal mass to even out the temperature fluctuations, sealed not open top, when opening the bator. What is your opinion on this? I also have a Styrofoam incubator and there isn't a lot of mass to hold heat. I'll take out the egg tray by the turned and have a couple pints for stable operations. No reason a 1/2 liter coke bottle on its side wouldn't work either. May transfer heat better than the glass also. Metal is best. Hmm. Aluminum water bottle?

I installed a fan. The Hovabator 1602n is now circulated air.

I have wondered about the water bottles as well, and how effective they actually are. I don't have very much room though after placing my rotator nearly full of eggs into the incubator. It takes up quite all but about 2 inches along one side. I noticed yesterday, that my fan helps the temperature come back up quickly after opening the incubator. My fan is located directly under the heating element and blows air up through it, which then circulates from the lid to the sides and then across the bottom/eggs. It seems to work very well for me. If you installed your fan blowing down onto the eggs, I would suggest flipping it over and leaving some space between the fan and lid - some spacers or a few extra nuts even would help maintain the gap and still keep the fan secure.