I keep my birds for eggs and supplemental meat.
I hatch out twice a year, possibly a third if I didn't get to hold back what I needed from the two (or if something happens, I was down to 1 of my roux calico fee males due to one not making it after an injury so I quickly set a batch of eggs to...
Dotted white in homozygous form is the bird you have (think of it your bird has a BIG white spot that covers all but the small patch of color on the head), heterozygous form gives you the tuxedo pattern where the big white spot is smaller and more of the birds color will show through. So...
Here are some day old calico fee (one roux calico fee, with the caramel markings vs black). They don't tend to have the darker face like #2, so possibly pansy fee maybe?
I will assist any not hatched on day 2 of hatching if they are at least pipped. Any I assist hatch I don't tend to breed from, I normally mark them to identify them so they are sorted out in the cull group for the freezer. Things I have had from those chicks, curled feet that never straighten...
Also check her nails if you can't find any wounds on her abdomen. I had a bird pull a nail off that bled and he was holding his foot up to not put weight on it so of course his abdomen area was all bloody.
Due to a mishap I had lost one of my Roux Calico Fee Roo's so had to quickly gather eggs from everyone possibly fertilized by him, and then ended up with a 90% hatch rate so I have way to many 3 week old's right now.
$5 each, local pick up only. I have not counted hens vs roo's but the ones...
Yeah I don't band hatchlings. I have a big enough incubator and 2 brooders so I can keep two sets separate until they are 8 weeks old and I sort them out with who I want to keep.
I use small zip ties. I just color code them based on the hatch group they are in. Easy to put on, fit any sized bird. Zip them on loose enough to not restrict but tight enough to not slip over their foot and snip the tail off. If you need to remove it just snip it off.
Males are banded on...
Mine will pick apart anything.
Cucumbers (split they will clean it down to the skin)
Any and all sprouts no mater what they are
Any insects be it alive or dried
Pretty much any leafy green gets picked to bits (butterhead lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, spinach, radish tops)
Any herb (I have...
I have a loudmouth. When the neighborhood roosters start, all three of them outside must chime in. Thankfully my area is used to it with the roosters and my neighbor can barely hear my boys when he is outside.
I have tried various things to try and stop the crowing (picking them up, putting...
I live in Phoenix and I keep my Coturnix in an outdoor Aviary (fully screened in section, then mostly enclosed section that I can put poly panels on during the winter to make it fully enclosed, summer they are removed). Winter you don't need to worry about Coturnix as they are fairly cold hardy...
They have shifted their focus to their Quailology program, last time I was out and picked up some eggs I was talking with him about it and while they are no longer selling hatching eggs, they are not getting out of Coturnix, just not producing the amount of eggs needed for selling.
Thieving Otter Farms has taken over the Southwest Gamebird lines, so they have some nice jumbo stock. They were the only place I tended to get my eggs as they were local and I have gotten some nice birds out of their lines.
My extra males go out into a bachelor growout until they are processing age. I rarely have issues with them. They are separated from everyone so they don't really crow much, and are pretty content playing in the dirt and hiding in the hides from each other.
Quail are visual birds. Chicks will try to peck at anything to see if its food. I regularly have them trying to grab another's toes, the pecked at baby will make noise and run off. They will eventually learn toes doesn't = food.
This is also why if you get an adult that gets a spot of blood...
I used to use Purina Gamebird but have since switched to Kruse's Perfection Gamebird starter up to 8 weeks, then maintenance (I do give them supplemental calcium in the form of crushed oyster shells or crushed egg shells). My issue with the Purina is that they would go through it almost twice...