Enough for a covey

Brooder moving day..........



Perspective

quote:

Originally posted by pace40:

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:
 
We see a dozen or so hatches every year around here. Gambel's Quail:

Beautiful! I wish I could free range mine but between the feral cats and foxes, they wouldn't stand a chance.

We have dozens, perhaps hundreds, of adults living on our 6 acre property, typically in groups of 10-15 adults. This time of year they pair off to make the babies. The young ones are prime snacks for roadrunners, who pick them off like popcorn. The adults' greatest threat are the GHOs, who appear at dusk while they are gathering near a tree preparing to roost for the night.

Day 2

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
The pheasant hens would lay eggs out there and nest on them sometimes they would hatch sometimes not but I just let the brooding hens sit on them.

That would be very cool if I could do that but getting a coturnix hen to go broody is damn near impossible. It happens from time to time but I'd run out of birds fast waiting for it.

quote:

Originally posted by pace40:

quote:

Originally posted by Jester814:
What do you hatch them for?

Ugh...to make more quail?!? (maybe I don't understand the question)

I meant are you breeding them for food like chickens? Or trying to repopulate an area? Conservation work?

One week old.....

quote:

Originally posted by Jester814:

I meant are you breeding them for food like chickens? Or trying to repopulate an area? Conservation work?

Gotcha...Homestead only, meat and eggs.

2 weeks old. Fully feathered except for head and chest.

Baby chick hatching under her momma at my place. We had six total.


https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTdcSV6Dq/?k=1

quote:

Originally posted by will347wax:
Baby chick hatching under her momma at my place. We had six total.

What a great video! My birds think my dog's their mother. He thinks they're his dinner.

3 weeks old

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

Originally posted by pace40:

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
Then, as suddenly as it came, the fad eventually went *poof*. Very strange.

Quail balut is a pretty profitable sideline in US Asian communities even today.

For those who can stomach the grossness, duck balut is much better tasting.

I've done chicken testicles, fried chicken butt and most "parts" but I draw the line on balut and brains. Just too much for me.

First breakfast...6 weeks

Great candidates for dog training!

I love the "WTF?" look on new hatchlings...

They are dang cute! And those look perfect for a bite size app…how hard are they to raise/keep? At what age do the hens start laying?

quote:

Originally posted by irreverent:
They are dang cute! And those look perfect for a bite size app…how hard are they to raise/keep? At what age do the hens start laying?

Really very easy to raise. They need about 1 sq ft of cage space for every 3 adult birds or you can do an aviary setup if preferred. Some folks just raise them in plastic totes. Feed them crumble poultry or game bird feed and water. Hardest part is hatching and brooding for the first week or 2. After that they take care of themselves (except for cleaning poop trays which makes excellent compost). Hens start laying at 5 1/2 to 6 weeks and birds are mature (and ready for dinner) at 8 weeks.

Wow. I had no idea it was that quick for hens to start laying! I may have to look into this more closely. Is there a minimum number required for healthy stock?

Recommended breeding set is 5 hens to 1 roo. You just need to decide how many you need. How you get there is up to you. You can get hatching eggs and incubate them or you can buy live birds. If you really want an education, check out myshire farm's youtube channel. There are hours of videos about every point in the process. Feel free to email me if you have specific questions.

Week 10............Rosemary basil vinaigrette marinade