Cons: - gets filled with woodchips
- spills sometimes
To prevent the problem with woodchips, I just elevated the waterer on a small box, which also helped as my birds grew older. This was a life saver with ducklings as the previous waterer just got too dirty and needed refills constantly.
Pros: - automatic turning and cooling
- temperature alerts
- reliable (90% + hatch rate for me!)
(- I always found its whirring sound strangely comforting)
Cons: - only can set 7 eggs
- no humidity gauge (I used a separate gauge)
After 2 failed attempts with a trashy $20 dollar incubator, my family and I purchased the Mini II Advanced. Nearly all the eggs set hatched! I've had 100% hatching rates for a good portion of all the batches I've set.
Overall, I'm super pleased with this incubator and its hatching rate.
Pros: - small
- females are quiet
- don't need that much care (not counting cleaning)
- hardy
- entertaining, each have their own personality, cute
- good egg production
- some are rather friendly!
Cons: - the males can really get on your nerves since they call nonstop during summer (even during the night!)
- need to clean often (they can get pretty dirty!)
- have to check with state's laws just in case (for this type of quail)
- hard to catch when escaped - they are tiny ostriches!
- not smart
- can be mean to you and each other!
I would recommend you get just a few quail if you are not doing mass production. At first, I got too much quail, and it cost more hard work and money that I could've saved if I had not hatched so much.
Now, I have only 4 quail, all females, and taking care of them is pretty carefree! My quail are nice and quiet now, but in the past, some were skittish and ran away often. They can get hurt easily, and bully each other.
I did have to check with my state's laws to see if I had to get a license.
Thanks for this information: i have a few questions? How soon can you tell the males from the females. In reading many of the posts i came across concerns of finding good feed. Are there plants that can cover some of the feed (protein), Seeds, etc. I'm thinking of trying to raise mealy worms but not there yet. Cutting down my chicken and rabbit population now. Using rain water from pen roof to water them. changing out feeders and waterers to more automatic (gravity fed). Thinking about some kind of a tractor that maybe moved around to help with feed and smell. Have a quarter acre just for the chickens and them. covered with Pecan trees not alot of grass, just small ground type weeds. As for bathing can i mix sand and ash with maybe a little diamateous earth or lime to cut down the odor.
Pros: - Good for both meat and eggs
- friendly
- each have their own personality
- can't fly away (or even run really fast)
- pretty
- hardy
Cons: - Loud
- turns anything into mud
- needs fresh/clean water
I've had around 4 ducks since 2021 (some hatched, some died) and most of them were Rouens. During mornings (not counting danger), the females quack very loud, so it's hard to sleep - one of the reasons I occasionally appreciate drakes haha. Especially in winter, when there's not much grass, they can turn a whole yard into pure mud, which can get things pretty dirty. The rouens I have are fair layers and lay eggs every day. I can also hand feed them.
