Raising Organic Quail: Lessons Learned and New Chickens!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- The time has come for a new poultry direction on our farm: chickens! I loved having quail, but chickens will fit better in our pasture and dairy system. In this video I share the lessons I learned raising coturnix or Japanese quail and how I still think they are a great fit for homesteads or city farmers. They are small birds that are easy to keep and produce delicious eggs.
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My experience with free range chickens for eggs and meat on our cattle ranch had been rewarding. Here in Texas our biggest problem is hawks working on the chicks when they are out around in the pasture near the barn. We also have to protect the chickens with fine wire mesh at night to keep the snakes out. The barn cats also do a good job of keep the pest critters down. Cheers, Don
Really good points. We definitely have hawks, eagles, and owls here but they seem to leave our wild turkey and California quail flocks alone....maybe because we have so many mice and gophers? I chose heavier, bigger chickens to help with raptor predation. We are also going to use a Chickshaw (similar to Justin Rhodes) for the ones in the pasture. We will see what works and adjust...you know...SOP for farming! Thanks for your comments!
Actually quails and chickens love to bathing in send with wooded ash very good for health I recommend it build a box. Love the video. God bless you all!
Your cows are so beautiful. Good luck with your chickens, how exciting!
Sometimes we just go out and look at the cows...cow therapy! They are pretty sweet and so funny sometimes! The chickens are doing great and looking forward to having them out on pasture!
We have chickens and Quails, they both have positive and negative aspects, but I love keeping them ☺️ loved the series!
With so many chicken breeds available it is hard to find the one you like the most. We raise brahmans for their cold weather tolerance and easy disposition. Only a quarter of the hens have been broody, but we incubate our eggs so we get little ones only when we want them. They're short and stocky so we can catch them easier as well. Your venture into chickens will be a lot of fun! Always glad to see news from your farm. Stay well!
Thanks for the information! We hope one of the two breeds we are testing will do well on our farm: hot and dry in summer, cold and frozen in winter! I'd love if some would go broody and grow the flock. The chicks have already been a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to this summer and having them out in the pasture! Cheers!
This has been most informative series thank you.
I'm in New Zealand and about to start on the quail adventure, after having chickens for about 20 years.
Thank you for covering all the ups and down. Wishing you well
It's nice to see people trying the organic alternative 🔥🔥🤟🤟
I found the hardest part was finding locally accessible organic feed. They were otherwise really healthy, and the paperwork wasn't too bad. Thanks!
Much appreciated ma'am
👏👏👏👏
Thanks!
Excellent idea about free range with a broody hen.
Yes, it worked out much better than I hoped! But again, the influence of the chicken hen did wane after about 4 weeks. Great to have them get quail started, though. Thanks!
Barred rocks! Hands down best breed of chicken
They certainly are a pretty breed! I find the Barred Rocks to be an attractive chicken.
@@vnthomas16 i love them i got nothing but barred rocks and i breed them for meat birds they are just fantastic
Great video. Really enjoy following your progress. This switch to chickens makes total sense for your operation. Stay safe. You're both heroes
I will miss the quail, but am really excited about having the chickens out in the pasture! I hope our videos will encourage some to raise quail if it is the best situation for them. Thanks for your support!
Saw McMurray on the shipping box for your chicks Great choice! McMurray has excellent stock and a very good survival rate.
Love your cows, too. Glad to have found your channel.
Welcome! Yes, I'd heard lots of good things about Murray McMurray and have been impressed. The chicks are growing and looking forward to moving them out to the Chick Hut soon. The cows are amazing and can't wait to see their calves! Thanks!!!
Great video guys love seeing the videos come out and thank you for all the hard work you put into them
Howdy, neighbor! We really enjoy sharing the videos and appreciate your thoughtful feedback.
Hi Folks, Enjoyed your video on the quails. My Mom raised several types of poultry, including quail back in the day. I would love to have a few back yard Chickens. Thanks 🇺🇸
All poultry are really awesome for backyards, homesteads, and farms. I'm still learning a lot every day on raising different animals and so enjoy the interactive process! Looking forward to getting those first eggs in a few months!
Did the quail eggs help with your allergies?
Never thought I'd say this but, your cows are so pretty.
Thank you very much. We love our little brown cows! Thanks for watching!
Love this channel and i would like to some day my own Dairy farm
Thanks! We would love to see more small dairy farms starting up!
Really enjoyed your quail raising videos. Kinda sad to see it come to an end. Beat of luck with your chicks though.
Thank you! It was an educational experience. We do really enjoy raising the chickens. We do plan to build our flock a little. Thanks for watching!
Your heifers are so curious. Gonna be cows soon.
They are the most curious, sweet, creatures! Looking more and more like cows lately. Both Rose and Buttercup are bagging up quite a bit. Hope to have first calves in May!
I love quail eggs. Good luck with chickens!
Thanks! We’re excited about everything the chickens can do for us besides eggs, like bug control!
Fantastic video thank you so much did the electrics pass please let us know God bless and you all stay safe.
Hello! Yes, the electrical passed....whoo hoo! We are staying busy working hard here on the Thomarosa. Best wishes to your health too!
My ears perked up when you said that you ha Buff Opington (I presume for eggs, though the roosters are fine for meat) and dark Cornish. I presume the Cornish are for meat? Or for a breeding program with the Orpingtons for a Cornish X? I got some White Rock pullets last year at the same time I got some other pullets. Within a couple of days they weighed noticeably more (just ounces, but still). They even outweighed the barred Rocks which I would have guessed would have been similar. Now, a year later, I was moving the hens to the farm and had to pick up each one. The White Rocks were still very heavy, heavier than the others. I believe that the White Rocks were what was used in the meat bird Cornish Rock Cross. If that is right, I can guess why that would be so. They lay well and forage well, though their white color isn't good camouflage. While in their summer quarters at the farm our chickens free range. Our LGD has protected them from 4 legged varmints, but the occasional hawk still gets a couple each year. We have their fixed coup in an area with trees, but the hawk waits until they go out in the barnyard. It makes the LGD crazy (she has nearly achieved flight going after the hawks) but I have mostly made my peace with the rare deaths. When they ramp up, we take measures.
We were looking for larger chickens that would be excellent in pasture, maybe be broody, and produce decent eggs and meat.We chose the Buff Orpington and Dark Cornish as two candidates to try out, not necessarily as a breeding program. We ordered from Murray McMurray hatchery and have been really happy with the chicks. We haven't seen our local raptors take after the wild turkeys and quail, and hope that is the case with our chickens. Thanks!
Hi, great video. I got lot of information on quails. I am inspired by you and started raising quails. I hope it comes out well. Good luck with your chickens.
Good luck! Quail definitely can be raised organically and provide great eggs.
Bingo! Quail are like any other animal. Give them room to move, feed them well,and show them love and they will thrive. Those with issues are usually due to overcrowding them.
Cow is AMAZING, I fall in love from first sight!
You make a lot mistakes rise quails!!!
Ha ha! Yes, which is why I have chickens now. 😊
I’ve never had any problems raising quail.
Quails are more profitable than chickens. Also demand for Quail and Quail eggs is very high. Actually its your personal choice to change over to chicken. Happy Homesteading.
Thanks for tutorial on quail. The Buff Orph. chickens have been great for us, trust for you, too. Cows looking as pretty as ever. Birthing soon?
We heard a lot of good things about the Buffs and saw them on a few other farms. The cows, oh my goodness, they are just amazing! Hope to have first calves in May!!! Thanks for your thoughts!
What is everything you fed them? Clearly they ate the bugs in the grass, but did they eat any of the greens? I've heard game feed grains makes them smell and I feel like there must be a better option.
I fed them Modesto Milling Non-corn/Non-soy 22% Protein Chick Starter crumbles, oyster shells, grit and then whatever they found in the pasture in their quail hut. I read a lot about game birds needing higher protein, but I could not find an Organic non-soy game bird feed in my area. Plus, I figured they made up the difference by eating bugs etc. They always seemed very healthy and grew great, so I guess it worked. I'm starting my new chicks on the same stuff.
modestomilling.com/product/chick-starter-and-grower-crumbles-non-corn-non-soy/
@@vnthomas16 Sounds great! Thank you so much! :)
How do u keep them warm in winter for outside
Did you notice if the eggs helped with allergies?
Actually....right before we started to get quail eggs I had to go see an ENT doctor in Fall 2018 because my sinus stuffiness and infections were getting so bad that I was sick a lot. I had sinus surgery in Jan 2019 to open up and fix physical issues in my sinuses and that has made all the difference! Thus, it is hard to tell if the eggs helped me at all because of the surgery. They sure were delicious!
How were they managing different temperatures in different ages?
Your spouse was a coastie?! My husband and I are both active duty! We're both SK1s.
We were both in the Coast Guard. Virginia was a Quartermaster, and Stacy was a Boatswains Mate! Semper Paratus!
I’m having a hard time finding organic quail/ game feed. What did you use?
I actually used organic chick crumbles and that worked great
Coast guard , 20 years
Me too! Thanks for sharing!
What did the organic certification cost, please?
It varies depending on what certifying agency you use. We use the Washington State Department of Agriculture. Here is a link with their fees: agr.wa.gov/departments/organic/new-applicant-info#cost . That said, the Farm Bill usually contains a provision for a cost share. This year is was 50%. We have seen it as high as 75%.
I was hoping to learn what makes them “organic” and what a “certification” requires. I’m assuming you need special feed and not Purina. Can anyone link me to more info? Thanks! 🐣
The most important is raising them from day one following an Organic System Plan that includes feeding Organic feed, good housing/outdoor access, and record keeping. www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Organic%20Poultry%20Production%20for%20Meat%20and%20Eggs_FINAL.pdf
i would like to raise quails for our dogs...along with rabbits....and chickens too, lol.
Quail and rabbits certainly take up less space. A neighbor raises rabbits and they certainly reproduce quickly. Unless I am incorrect, I think my Vet told me a rabbit can regularly get pregnant in both horns of its uterus at the same time. Yikes! That's a lot of bunnies for your doggo!
@@vnthomas16 yea, we have four dogs now for over 300 pounds of dog....the smallest is the 45 pound husky and biggest is the 110 Akita....lots of hungry mouths.
A whole sled team!