beccabonny
Songster
- Apr 21, 2020
- 51
- 164
- 146
Well, it’s been two years since the weasel incident that took 40 of my beautiful young quails from me. The survivors living in the hutch are aging out of producing eggs, so I decided it was time to add a new batch to the covey.
I ordered 75 hatching eggs from Myshire: Pansy fee, SSC, and Tibetan Tuxedo, and added some hg eggs into the hatch, none of which ended up being fertile (another confirmation of the age issue with my older stock).
We got the usual 50%-ish hatch rate with mailed eggs, with one albino and a few early SSC fatalities. My three-year-old broke into the incubator twice; I think we would have had an even better hatch rate if I had a secure location for hatching (which will be remedied before the next hatch - my daughter *never* showed any interest in getting into the eggs, definitely caught me off guard!). He’s thought of so many new ways to challenge me and my notions of what kids will do for sure.
I have room for them in the hutch, but realized they need a grow out pen that I can keep the mama brooder plate in for a few more weeks. They are quickly growing out of their brooder, which I fashioned from an old dog bath in our garage left by the previous owner.
I believe (fingers crossed) that the aviary will be completed today. It’s the first structure I have fashioned independently, with no help from my husband, so it’s been a learning process!
I’d like to post regularly about our little pocket farm. Wasn’t sure if that would belong in the chicken stories since we have both (but many more quail).
I ordered 75 hatching eggs from Myshire: Pansy fee, SSC, and Tibetan Tuxedo, and added some hg eggs into the hatch, none of which ended up being fertile (another confirmation of the age issue with my older stock).
We got the usual 50%-ish hatch rate with mailed eggs, with one albino and a few early SSC fatalities. My three-year-old broke into the incubator twice; I think we would have had an even better hatch rate if I had a secure location for hatching (which will be remedied before the next hatch - my daughter *never* showed any interest in getting into the eggs, definitely caught me off guard!). He’s thought of so many new ways to challenge me and my notions of what kids will do for sure.
I have room for them in the hutch, but realized they need a grow out pen that I can keep the mama brooder plate in for a few more weeks. They are quickly growing out of their brooder, which I fashioned from an old dog bath in our garage left by the previous owner.
I believe (fingers crossed) that the aviary will be completed today. It’s the first structure I have fashioned independently, with no help from my husband, so it’s been a learning process!
I’d like to post regularly about our little pocket farm. Wasn’t sure if that would belong in the chicken stories since we have both (but many more quail).