YAY, I got my wee Qualies!

[PineBurrowPeeps]

They are SOOO cute!

Looks like I have 4 Roos and 4 Hens. Poo. I have them in one large rabbit cage suspended inside my chicken coop. I have another cage ready and empty that I will seperate my extra Roos into once they calm down.
I did clip wings already, man they are FAST little critters.

Okay, my ?'s of the day are:

These guys are just nearly 7 weeks. Since I only have 4 hens, how long can I save eggs for before I can incubate them? My friend I bought them from said she was getting 4 eggs a day. So can I save them up for a week and then incubate?

Should I let them mature a little more before I start incubating their eggs?

Thanks!

 

[Plain_View_Farm]

Congratulations on your new additions..

If you have seen the Boys "doing their part" I'd go ahead and incubate them. You can usually store eggs for 5 days as long as they are kept cool. After 5 days they lose viability and less will hatch. 50 to 55 degrees is optimal for egg storage that you plan to incubate. I use a wine cooler set to 50 degrees.

Once you see the chicks from your first hatch be forewarned.... It is VERY addictive once you've seen those little fuzzy bumble bees in your incubator... lol
David

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

I have seen one boy doing the deed. They were calm so I seperated out the four Roosters and left the 4 Hens in the other cage. I then watched the Roos a bit and picked the prettiest, darkest one with the darkest rusting on his breast and deep dark eyes as my pick for breeder from now on. I put him back with the Hens. Sure enough, the one I picked was the one I saw having fun with the girls earlier! He's awfully studly

The other three are Roos for sure, but they are not as deeply colored as he is, are smaller (but not by much) and a couple have been picked on very mildly around the eye lids and face.
I have a feeling I will end up with only two of them and butchering the other two because they are going to fight I can see it.

If I end up with only one spare Roo in a cage, should I give him a girl to keep him company?

Thanks!!

Oh, do the hens need a box to lay in or will they just lay in the dust bath, or somewhere else?

 

[Plain_View_Farm]

Quote:
Ours lay where they stand. I haven't seen our Quail lay in any particular area.

 

[missred871]

Ours lay where they please. The attempted to cluster for a day or two in one corner but I have to pick up th efood carriage and the dust box and check under and around them for eggs I found 2 eggs under the food carriage this morning while cleaning out the cage and I gotta tell you I have NO IDEA how they got under there. But the nest is unneccesary they probably will only cluster in it and sleep. I have heard not to wait longer than 7 days as far as viability goes but that is uner the best of conditions I would have to agree with the fella above me and say dont go more than 5 days, It doesnt hurt to incubate 4 and then add on either I have done that myself with fine results. The roos will definately fight. I culled my group of Courtnix about 3 days ago and had 11 roos and 7 hens. Kept two roos with the hens and the others are seperated in their own pen, still they are at serious odds with each other. I had hoped to wait a few more days atleast before butchering but I think that sooner than later is better. As long as you are 100% on your sexing abilites I say go for it. Other wise I would wait a few days to make sure one of your roos doesnt lay an egg

Glad you have some little quail they are a joy to have around.

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Well this morning I got up to find four beautiful little quail eggs waiting for me all in a row right in front of the cage door! What considerate little girls!

Three are nice and speckled. One is a pale light buff color, solid without a spot on it! My husband said that egg looks fake, like the little wooden ones you buy at the craft store!

Off to buy a better incubator for these lil things! I only have an OLD LG still air that really sucks. No one else around me sells Cortunix and the friend I got them from said that for the short time she was raising them the phone rang off the hook every time she sold some and she was always sold out within an hour, selling the 6 week olds for $8 each. I figure even if I raise them to 6 weeks and charge $4-$5 for them I will make back what I'm about to spend on the Hovabator Genesis 1588 in no time.

 

[missred871]

too funny! Mine seem to like to lay in the corner farthest from the door. Though the buttons decided to lay right in fron of the door today

. I too had one that was totally white, not a spot on it I was like WOAH...I though a bobwhite snuck in my pen lol. Though that is impossible with our set up. Still too strange how sometimes they lay a fluke. I think it was a new hen though. Not sure. Well keep us posted on your hatch out.

I havent gotten any yet went into the pens today and did some tidying up. Today makes day 18. Hope to see some itty bitties soon!

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Today I got a BLUE egg with milk chocolate spots!!! BEAUTIFUL!

Does anyone know about breeding for egg color in Cortunix quail? Like if I hold onto and only incubate the really knock out pretty eggs (blues, etc.) and that egg hatches out a hen chick, will that chick have a higher chance of laying those blue eggs that she came out of or will that Roo chick have a higher chance of throwing hen chicks that lay those blue eggs for instance?

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
I have one the tint is more greenish I have a brown hen hers are kina really light blue

 

[missred871]

honestly, it's doubtful. I say this because the eggs will vary in color no matter what hen they come from. The color depends on a lot of factors and also what time of the laying it is, I noticed I was getting more pretty (different or odd) eggs when the laying started and now there are more normal regular old off white and brown spotted eggs. I get the occasional greenish or blueish tint but not very often. So I would in my opinion say that there is porbably no way to do that. If there was it would probably used commercially and the eggs would be sold at a higher price or something. At any rate I dont believe the egg color is a genetic anamole(sooooo spelled that wrong lol) but an enviromental anamole (spelled it wrong again

)