Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Is My Hen Producing An Egg

Colony Breeding Pens or Trio Pens?
A trio pen is pretty easy to figure who not producing - 2 hens 1 rooster should average 2 eggs a day .
On our farm we use colony breeding pens, each pen is 2'x 4' holding 18 hens & 9 roosters. Then comes the question of who is not producing an egg. Coturnix Quail usually lay most of their eggs between 3pm - 8 pm with this in mind you can check your hen late in the morning to see if she is producing an egg. Turn your hen over and gently feel for a egg in her pelvic area. You will feel a hard knot thru her skin & feathers. Check several hens to you get the hang of what an egg feels like. Once you get the hang of it you can check your hens for egg production. This helps if you have a pen that is not producing enough eggs. As you go thru the pen checking your hens pull any that does not have an egg and place her in a seperate pen and check again the next day, if still no egg you may want to cull her from your flock.

Have A Great Day

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Game Bird Feed

Not all game bird feed are created equal. Quail chicks require 28-30% protein for good bone structure and a good head start. Since Coturnix Quail have a rapid growth rate you can keep them on a starter feed for the next 4 week for the quail you are going to use as breeders. At about 4-5 weeks of age you can switch to a breeder/layer feed made for game birds. The quail you are raising for other purposes you can switch over to a grower at 3 weeks of age until.... We have tried several different brands of game bird feed over the years, even though all the brands have about the same protein levels, they are not created the same. We strongly recommend using Purina Game Bird Feed "Layena". Purina feed is a little more expensive than some other brands, but well worth it for maxium egg production. Remember fresh clean water must be available at all times.

Game Bird Feed

Have A Great Day