Quail

Is My Hen Producing An Egg

2009-04-29T07:33:00.004-05:00

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.

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Game Bird Feed

2009-04-08T08:38:00.004-05:00

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

2009-04-08T08:38:00.000-05:00

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Packaged Frozen Whole Quail

2009-02-03T14:10:00.004-06:00

Open House 2009

2009-01-13T13:48:00.003-06:00

We are scheduling our first "Open House" to be held in March 2009. This will be a great time to stop by for a visit.

Please email us at quail@topisawcreekquailfarm.com and we will put you on our annoucement mailing with further details.

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Frozen Whole Quail

2008-11-07T11:42:00.003-06:00

Hello Everyone,

We are happy to announce we are now offering Whole Frozen Quail for Birds Of Prey (not for human consumption). Our frozen whole quail are raised in pens , off the ground. Our 7 week old Jumbo Coturnix Quail has an average weight 6-7 oz. We are members of the Mississippi Game Bird Association and our Commercial Game Breeders License is issued from The State Of Mississippi. Our flock is NPIP tested.

Please visit our website: www.topisawcreekquailfarm.com for more information.

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Happy Customers

2008-10-21T08:51:00.005-05:00

Heres What A Few Customers Had To Say.....

FERTILE EGGS

Just wanted to let you know, out of the 55 eggs you sent, only 1 was broken (which is a miracle with our mail in the country) and we had 41 to hatch (which is awesome) none have died (fingers crossed). They hatched over the weekend and look great. thank you so much and look forward to getting more from ya'll soon. Thanks, Tiffany in Braxton, MS

I just wanted to thank you for all the time you spent with us on Friday. I wanted you to know we made it home in 4 and 1/2 hours with all our birds doing just fine. We are very happy with our new birds and can not thank you enough. Brian In Texas

Thanks for your time (several phone calls)in answering my questions on raising quail. You made me feel like a neighbor instead of a customer, you really had my best interest in mind.

Mitch In Louisiana

My Jumbo Coturnix Quail Eggs I order from you had a great hatch I will be sure to tell everyone about you. Lawrence In South Carolina

It's not often I write letters or e-mails about products I order. However, when a person has had the experience I have had with Topisaw Creek Quail Farm, an e-mail is warranted. The experience began with a phone call asking if they could ship 100 fertile Jumbo Coturnix eggs. They researched the cost of shipping to determined the lowest shipping cost and sent the eggs in two packages. (Thus giving the post office twice the opportunity to damage the eggs). The eggs arrived from Mississippi to Iowa in 2 days and not a single egg was damaged. The packaging was just that good (they even sent extra eggs). After letting the eggs settle overnight I put them in the incubators, and on the 17th day of incubation they began to hatch. My wife said it was like popcorn popping as the eggs hatched one after another in a short period of time. The little guys were strong and on their feet running around within hours and ready for the brooder in 24 hours. It was hard to believe that out of the eggs sent, we put 89 day old quail into the brooder. That made about an 86% hatching rate. Thus far, there is a 100% survival in the brooder. The chicks are strong and went to feed and water immediately, and you can almost see them growing on an hourly basis. To put it mildly, we couldn't be happier with the quality of service, the friendly conversations and assistance given to us by Topisaw Creek Quail Farms. The product they put out is phenomenal as is attested by the 86% hatching rate. Without hesitation, I highly recommend Topisaw Creek Quail Farm as THE place to do business with. My many thanks. Dale in Iowa

Got my eggs today! The Postmaster was very impressed with how clearly you marked the box! The last order I placed with a competitor of yours didn't bother to mark the box at all or let me know when the eggs were being shipped (not one of the eggs hatched). It's been a totally different experience with you. I really appreciate your letting me know when the eggs would be shipped and how long it would take to get them. It helped me to have my equipment up and running and ready to receive the eggs. Thank you for sending the extra 10 eggs. Six of the 110 had small cracks, but I still ended up with 4 eggs over the original order. The whole process from the 1st phone call with you has been nothing but a pleasure. I'll definitely order from you again. Thank you for all your help. Lynne in Beggs, OK

PICKLED QUAIL EGGS

Topisaw‘s pickled quail eggs are awesome. If you like pickled quail eggs and cannot find them in your local store (which is getting harder by the minute), Topisaw does them right. Ordering and paying was easy and delivery was perfect. They just need to figure out how to get 12 jars in a box because I am already down to three on my six. Bradley in Louisiana

Just wanted to say how much we appreciate you having Pickled Quail eggs. Our customers are happy that we finally have them. They like the fact that they can get "Spicey" or "Jalapeno Spicey" most really liked the "Jalapeno Spicey", some said they really wake up the tongue! Thanks again for a great product. & thanks for quick delivery.

Donna in Fowlerton Texas * Fowlerton Mini Mall

Just got the pickled quail eggs! My compliments, they are some of the best I have ever had.

Ron in Missouri

WHOLE FROZEN QUAIL

Spoke with Donna on the phone the other day and she was very pleasant and answered all of my questions. Very knowledgeable and willing to take the time to talk to others. I really appreciate that. Customer service is gone these days, and it was refreshing to have them help me out. I am ordering some quail from them and looking forward to getting them. Donna, got the quail right on time and they looked great.

I bought a small order of the culled breeders and a bag of the 1 to 3 day olds. My bird loves them. They were really good sized birds and I was satisfied, I will order again. You are right, good customer service is hard to find these days. Thanks so much Donna.

I ordered some quail from Donna a few days ago. They arrived today and I must say that I'm pretty pleased. She was very nice to deal with, and I'm quite happy with the quail. I'll be dealing with her again in the future, I'm sure.

I too ordered 100 quail from Donna and I am with you.. they look great and I am very pleased. Very clean birds and not a lot of fat on them. Came on time and they were still frozen. I am very pleased and will do business with again for sure.

Beginning Of Our Flight Pen

2008-10-05T17:43:00.003-05:00

The bull dozer is schedule to start at the beginning of the week to clear an acre or so of land where the flight pen is going to be constructed. Plenty of pictures to follow as we progress.
Fall is soon approching here in the South, last week we had a couple of nights with temps in the upper 50's, it felt good to sleep with the windows open to let in fresh air. The quail also enjoy the cooler weather.

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Brooders Liners

2008-09-24T08:31:00.002-05:00

Well clean up time was a snap by using the liners in our bins, just make sure you leave enough hanging over the sides so the plastic does not get pulled backed into the bin with your little chicks. Remember you still have to use paper towels or litter so the chicks can have a frim footing.

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Easy Brooder Cleanup

2008-09-18T14:07:00.004-05:00

Well those plastic bins work great, but I dreaded weekly cleanings. While I was at Lowes I saw a roll of thin plastic drop cloths the kind painters use. 1 - 12 ft roll was under $3.00 and it goes along way. I cut squares big enough to cover the bottom of the bin and drape over the sides. I still place a couple of sheets of paper towels so the surface isnt slick. When it time for cleanups I just grab the draped ends and toss to the trash quick & easy. No more scaping and soaking the bins. I will try cheap trash bags and see how they work and what way is the most cost effective.

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Hurricane Update

2008-09-03T16:45:00.002-05:00

All is well after Hurricane Gustav, we lost power for 3 days but we had a generator to keep the incubators & brooder house running. Now we are watching Hurricane Ike!

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Hurricane Gustav

2008-08-31T18:30:00.002-05:00

If we have not responded to your email, it is because we have lost power due to hurricane Gustav and we are unable to use the internet/email. Please feel free to contact us by phone 601-250-0248 or 601-248-0249

Jumbo Coturnix Quail Starter Chicks

2008-08-25T12:58:00.003-05:00

We are once again (by our customers urging) shipping starter chicks. We will shipped 100 chicks per box ($0.75 ea / $75.00 per 100) shipped by USPS Express Mail ONLY. We hand select the strongest chicks and take the utmost care in preparing them for shippment. Once they leave our farm we cannot be responsible for their care during shipping and DO NOT guarantee their safe (live) arrival.

Please email quail@topisawcreekquailfarm.com or call 601-250-0248 for a shipping quote.

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www.topisawcreekquailfarm.com

Flight Pen Coming Soon

2008-08-15T07:36:00.004-05:00

Plans are underway to start the construction of our flight pen. I will keep you posted thru out this project with pictures as we progress. Please suggest your thoughts & comments for improving our website & blog. Our blog was created to be an easy way for us to keep you updated with information on raising quail and things going on at our farm. So please, suggest away! You can always email us at quail@topisawcreekquailfarm.com or call 601-250-0248

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Summer Special - Extra 50 Eggs

2008-07-29T21:30:00.007-05:00

Summer Special : Received an extra 50 Jumbo Coturnix Quail Eggs when ordering 100 or more eggs. Don't forget to mention it!
Email quail@topisawcreekquailfarm.com or 601-250-0248
zip code required for shipping quote

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Trouble Shooting Failures With Egg Incubation

2008-07-23T16:19:00.004-05:00

I found a great site from Mississippi State University Extension Service with helpful information on trouble shooting possible causes of a poor hatch. Other useful information is also provided. It is worth your time to browse their site even if you are not having any problems.

Information provided is for poultry in general

http://msucares.com/poultry/reproductions/trouble.html#LD

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Humidity For Hatching Eggs

2008-07-19T22:48:00.005-05:00

VIRGINIA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/poultry/factsheets/8.html#L3C

Humidity
The relative humidity of the air within an incubator should be about 60 percent. During the last 3 days (the hatching period) the relative humidity should be nearer 65-70 percent. (Too much moisture in the incubator prevents normal evaporation and results in a decreased hatch, but excessive moisture is seldom a problem in small incubators.) Too little moisture results in excessive evaporation, causing chicks to stick to the shell, remain in the pipped shells, and sometimes hatch crippled. The relative humidity in the incubator can also be varied by changing the size of the water pan or by putting a sponge in the pan to increase the evaporated surface. The pan should be checked regularly while the incubator is in use to be sure that there is always an adequate amount of water. Adding additional water pans to small still-air incubators is also helpful to increase humidity. During the hatching period, the humidity in the incubator may be increased by using an atomizer to spray a small amount of water into the ventilating holes. (This is especially helpful when duck or goose eggs are hatching.) Whenever you add water to an incubator, it should be about the same temperature as the incubator so you do not stress the eggs or the incubator. A good test is to add water just warm to the touch. Using a wet-bulb thermometer is also a good way for determining relative humidity. The wet-bulb thermometer measures the evaporated cooling effect. If the wet and dry bulb read the same temperature, you would have 100 percent humidity. The greater the evaporation taking place, the lower the temperature reading on the wet-bulb thermometer and the larger the spread will be between the wet- and dry-bulb readings. To make a wet-bulb thermometer, just add a cotton wick to the end of a thermometer. Then place the tail of the wick in water. The cotton then absorbs the water. As the water evaporates from the cotton it causes a cooling effect on the thermometer.

Cutler's Pheasant & Poultry Supply has several different types of Hydrometers Available.

www.cutlersupply.com online catalog or call 810-633-9450 to request a free catalog.

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A Visit From SU Agricultural Research & Extension

2008-05-30T13:19:00.004-05:00

We were recently visited by Dr. Anderson and her photographer Chris with Southern University Agricultural Research & Extension Center of Louisiana. SU is holding a workshop
"Quail and Native Grass Habitat Workshop" in July. Dr. Anderson invited us to be a speaker, but I quickly explained that standing in a room with strangers staring at you was not for me, lol.
So we invited them out for a visit. They spent the morning with us discussing our quail farm and taking pictures to use in the upcoming workshop. After they finished touring the quail farm, Chris eagerly starting taking pictures of our other farm animals including George, our 800lb Boar who was proudly showing off his recent litter of 12 piglets. The turkeys were not camera shy either, as the tom displayed his feathers in full strut. Some baby ducks were making their way out of their shells in the incubator. Since Pat & I are orginaly from New Orleans area our conversation quickly turn to food as we talk about some of our favorites New Orleans dishes.
We truly enjoyed their visit and look forward to seeing them again.

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Color Sexing Quail

2008-05-15T17:51:00.016-05:00

2 Pair Of Jumbo Coturnix Quail

Hens Have A Creamed Colored Breast

Males Have A Rust Colored Breast

Hens In Front * Males Behind Them

Grilled Quail Receipe

2008-05-03T15:56:00.002-05:00

Grilled Quail

Quail Breast
Bacon Strips
Italian Salad Dressing

Cooking Directions:
Clean quail breast and marinade with Italian salad
dressing in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 hours. Remove
breast from refrigerator and wrap quail breasts with
bacon securing the bacon with a toothpick. Place quail
breast on grill for 10 minutes on each side making sure
that the bacon is well done. Enjoy!

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2008-04-10T11:28:00.006-05:00

So now you have your quail chicks and you will soon discover how quickly they grow (especially
Coturnix). The best tip I can give you: don't over crowd your chicks. You know they have plenty of fresh water & feed and their brooder temp is just right, but for some strange reason they keep piling/huddling together - they are over crowed! When we first started raising quail
we couldn't understand why after a week or so they would start piling up causing the ones on the bottom to die. We had everything right with our brooder which was about 2 ft wide x 6 ft long, plenty of room when they were a day old. They quickly grew and to them became overcrowded, I guess it natures way of population control. So either from the start, limit the number of chicks per brooder area or plan on splitting the number of chicks in your brooder each week.

Minimum Space Needed by Age of Quail: From The Cooperative Extension of MSU
http://www.msstate.edu/dept/poultry/pubs/bwqprod.htm#bro

1-10 Days
5-10 birds/ per sq. ft.

10 Days to 6 Weeks
1-2 birds/per sq. ft.

6 Week To 14 Weeks
1-2 birds/per sq. ft.

The above chart is referring to Bobwhite Quail which is a slower growing quail compared to the Jumbo Coturnix.

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Members Of Our Farm

2008-04-03T16:33:00.013-05:00

I would like you to meet some of our other critters on our farm:

To Many Turkeys & Chickens To Count, 2 Sows & Boar, (George is 800lb), 8 Kansas Blue Back Pheasants, 20 San Juan Rabbits ( at last count) & 10 Rouens (Non-FLying Mallards).

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2008-04-02T21:18:00.004-05:00

We are happy you stop in for a visit. We welcome your questions & comments so join in. By having a "Blog" we thought it would be easier for us to keep yall informed on whats going on at our farm and to offer some tips on raising quail. Next week I will have some basic tips on raising quail, 2 great recipes and pictures of our new litter of piglets and other members of our farm.

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2008-03-30T12:48:00.008-05:00

Nipple Drinker

Cup Drinkers

Now that spring is here we can move chicks out to hanging pens when they are 2 weeks old. The chicks are to small to drink from the cup drinkers we use for our breeders. Nipple drinkers work well for all ages. Both systems use a pressure regulator.

Cutlers Game Bird Supplies has cup drinkers & our local commerical poultry supplier (Georgia Poultry) has the nipple drinkers already installed on the pvc pipe - 10 nipples per stick. Framtek.com has the nipple drinkers also.

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2008-03-28T13:45:00.008-05:00

BROODER HOUSE

SHELVES WITH BINS

DAY OLD CHICKS

For the first week the chicks seem to do better with the lights above the bins, not so much for heat but the light kept them spread out more evenly.

BIN WITH SCREEN LID

The bins was purchased from Walmart (under $5.00), I cut the center of the lid out and hot glued the screen (Lowes under $7.00 a roll - 10 lids / 1 roll) to the lid. The screen has enough give to it to place a waterer using a pint size mason jar with the 1/2 water base.

INFRA HEATER PURCHASED FROM CUTLERS

brooder heater has a thermostat , using 4 -250 watt heat lamp - 2 lamps stay on - the other 2 comes on as needed to keep the temperature just right

This is still work in progress, we welcome any questions or comments

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2008-03-27T19:22:00.002-05:00

Hello,
We have been working on our brooder house, we installed the infra-red heater but it does not keep the 10x14 room heated at night as we would like. For now we are also using a regular electric heater to supplement the infra -red heater for the night time cool/cold nights. This is working good since the infra-red heater has a thermastat to kick on and off as needed. We are using clear bulbs since Jumbo Coturnix Quail dont have a problem with pecking. Our young chicks (up to a week old) seem to do better still using a light over the bins, I dont think it is so much for heat but they seem to stay spreaded out more evenly in the bin with addition light.
I will post the picture this week end.

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2008-03-23T09:15:00.004-05:00

Deviled Quail Eggs

6 quail eggs
1 teaspoon mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
dash tabasco sauce
salt to taste
1 teaspoon fresh chives

Rinse the eggs under warm water. Place in a sauce pan and cover with salted water. Bring to boil for 4 minutes. drain, rinse under cold water (tip: soak in vinegar for 1-2 hours , drain and peel, the vinegar makes the shell rubbery, easier to peel). Cut the eggs in half lenght-wise. Scoop out the yolk with a very small spoon into a bowl, mash. Mix with mayonnaise, mustard, tabasco sauce and salt. Carefully fill the whites with yolk mixture. Sprinkle with chives and arrange on a decorative plate and enjoy!

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2008-03-20T07:28:00.003-05:00

Good Morning,

We have started our brooder house, it is 10x14 with 2 windows and the door. It will have running water & electricity. We will start on the 14 ft wall - with 3 shelves plus the floor space. This will hold a total of 40 bins to place 50 chicks each bin. Wow, that one wall will hold 2000 chicks We have order a Infra Red Brooder with thermostat from Cutlers Game Bird Supply (model #0488) this will keep the brooder house a toasty 95 degrees. Pictures coming soon.

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2008-03-14T08:26:00.003-05:00

I came across this neat site:http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/device/devicesToC.html
It's contains info on how to make a bunch of home made devices for around the farm, its worth your while to grab a cup of coffee and check it out.

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2008-03-13T14:06:00.002-05:00

We have 2 projects set for this year. Our first is building a brooder house with a controlled heating element set at 95 degrees which will heat the entire house. The brooder house well keep about 1000 chicks till 3 weeks of age. I will post the dimensions, details & pictures as we progress. Our second project will be a flight pen which we hope to have completed before fall.

Our 2 sows should have their litters in the coming weeks, this is always exciting time for our children. We have just hatched out the first of our turkeys and our ducks will be following any day. Tj, our 2 1/2 year old looks forward to the afternoon time when he & his daddy go looking for the eggs ( our ducks & turkeys free range).

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Donna

Spring Is Here

2008-03-12T07:07:00.004-05:00

Spring time is fast approaching and our incubators has been full for several weeks now. It is still a little to cold at night to ship day old chicks, but we have been shipping eggs when the temperature gives us a break. We have had a colder winter this year, we had about an inch of snow in the beginning of January and a few flurries last weekend, which is very rare for us in the South. If you have any questions on raising quail please feel free to post in comments or email us at wibright@topisawcreekquailfarm.com

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Welcome

2008-03-10T16:42:00.004-05:00

Welcome Everyone To Our New Blog,
We will be posting useful information on raising quail, game birds, recipes, tidbits and life on our farm. Hope you will join in!