In terms of raising poultry, culling is making birds serve a purpose other than breeding or laying eggs. For most people, that will mean butchering them for meat.
We have learned so much from your videos. Thank you!! I have heard you mention the meat pen or bachelor pad as a holding zone for males waiting to be processed. Mine squawk so much from 6 to 8 weeks, you can hear them three houses down. Do you have any tips on keeping them quiet so as not to bother the neighbors?
I hear people doing that. My Pomeranian drools and looks at me like why are you playing with your food when I’m holding them. Do you “cull” them first or just let your dog catch and eat?
Regarding breeding / genealogy, how do you manage finding quail to put together for breeding that are not linked by genes? Would you suggest ordering quail / eggs from various reputable sellers so you don’t end up with brothers and sisters mating? Love the videos!!!
I have multiple bloodlines that I select chicks from when filling my growout cages. Yes, ordering from different breeders is an option, but check with them about the origins of their bloodlines.
Just wondering how closely are you tracking for inbreeding when you are choosing new breeding sets? How serious of a problem is it? do you have several families that you keep separated to then pair for breeding? I'm just getting into the first generation of quail at our house and I'm trying to wrap my head around how to keep things organized from a genetic point of view. Thanks
My line is diverse enough that inbreeding is not an issue. I wouldn't worry about it too much unless you are breeding offspring back to the parents on a regular basis.
When you put the extra males in the bachelor pad, do they get along in the absence of females? And if so do they need to be separated to the point where they can't see and hear the females?
I separate my males from the females at 3 weeks unless I am setting up breeding groups, then I try to keep them together if possible. The males usually go out to the meat pen between 4 to 6 weeks. In the winter months I usually don't have any issues with fighting between the males because they aren't interested in breeding yet. Daylight length affects the males as well as females. In the longer daylight hours I keep the males so they can't hear or see the females, but you will still get some aggression as they establish dominance, they will even try to breed with other males due to their hormone levels being all wacked out. It's just the nature of the beast.
I guess it depends on what you consider "decent money". Yes, you can make money but you will need a considerably sized operation. I make enough off of my birds to pay for feed and materials for building cages and supplies, and some weeks a little extra. Although, I do not raise quail for anything other than a hobby that pays for itself. Thanks for commenting!
I've been watching your videos for a few weeks now. Are you able to buy game bird mash? I can only find crumbles, and it is a pain to try to grind them up in a small food processor. How old do the quail need to be before they can eat crumbles without getting crop impaction? I lost several birds before I began grinding the crumbles. They are doing well on the mash. Thanks for your videos. They have been very helpful.
I feed my chicks Purina Game Bird Startena crumbles. I only grind up the crumbles for the first three days then they eat crumbles straight from the bag. I've never had any impacted crops.
@@CoturnixCorner Well I'm not totally certain that was what killed the birds. All I know is that when I started grinding the crumbles they stopped dying. I've raised many many chickens, ducks, geese, Guinea fowl, turkeys and pigeons, so I'm not totally new to birds. I get my game bird starter from the Alabama Farmers Cooperative. The starter is 27% protein, but the crumbles are kind of big and hard in my opinion. I'm not sure I want to pay $6 more a bag for the Purina Startena and have to drive 45 minutes to get it. I use the Cooperative's layer pellets for my chickens, and they do fine on it and it is considerably cheaper than other feed stores.
@@flgardener1155 Is this the first time that that has happened? I wonder if the feed was old. 27 % is plenty of protein, so if you can get by with that there is no sense paying more for the Purina. Maybe purchase from a different source and see if you get the same results. Good luck and I hope you figure it out!
Where are you located? I really want to start raising quail for eggs and meat. The company that i ordered eggs from is months trying to get them. I'd love to get ahold of some birds. I already have their cages built and sand boxes ready.
When I cook younger birds I soak them in marinade overnight and cook them over a HOT grill for about 15 mins turning every three or four minutes or so. Older birds get put into a crock pot to stew over a low heat for several hours. Hope this helps. Thanks for commenting.