Plucking a few birds by hand

This is a You Tube video that someone else has made but I thought it was a good idea if you only had a few birds to do.  He mentions the water temperature as being 160 but I have found most literature to recommend about 145-150.  You may want to do a little research on your own before you get started.

He says he is doing about 40 birds this way but if you listen there are three people involved.  Two are plucking and on is doing the evisceration.  So if you are by yourself, 40 birds would take a good long while.  Also, notice that they are inside a kitchen area of some sort.  An excellent idea if you can have one!

Here's another video from You Tube showing basically the same method except he cuts his quail down the middle from the front instead of down the back.  I personally cut up the backbone so I can leave the breast looking good.

He's also processing Bobwhite instead of Jumbo Brown Coturnix.  He takes the process all the way through to cooking the bird.  Worth watching!

Drill-powered quail plucker almost done

I was hoping to actually do some quail plucking today as I really need to get rid of the males that just sit around eating.  But it is really cold to be dipping my hands in the water for a few hours so I just went ahead and worked on the plucker.  Here's the latest video.  It's almost done. I'm about to run to Home Depot for some plumbing strap to hold it all down and then I'll show the final video.  I hope to shoot the scene when I actually do the plucking.

Live quail chicks available for local pickup

I've got about 30 or 40 chicks 3 days to 1+ week old available.  $2.00 EACH.   Will sell all for 1.00 each.  local pickup only.

Building the drill-powered quail plucker - part 2

I got all the fingers in the cap and I'm ready to attach the 3/8 threaded rod and make a test run with it.  My intentions are to process about 25 quail on Saturday and get some footage showing this thing in action!  Let me know what you think!

Building the drill-powered quail plucker - part 1

This will be a little series on how to build a drill-powered quail plucker.  I hope to include the actual plucker in use as part of the series as I have about 20 or so quail to pluck.  Hope you enjoy it!

Video showing quail plucking fingers

This little video shows you what the quail plucking fingers look like.  I was able to shoot another video tonight showing me starting to put it together.  That's next!

Short video on my incubator

Just a short look around my GQF incubator.  It's a dandy and has all the electronics - heat, humidity, turns, etc.  I love it!

Hatching my first birds from my own eggs

Got a little hatch going on from my first week's eggs.  Not a good percentage, but basically free birds!  I've put another 149 eggs in that are from 2 weeks later so I'm hoping to have a much greater hatch.  I'll list those for sale.  These in the video are also for sale!

Video on new feeder

Without a doubt, this is the best thing I ever built.  Of course, I didn't invent the self-feeder, but I did invent this particular one - and it works great.  Feed waste is about 0. Loads from the top and has required no cleaning as the birds can't get on it or in it!!!!

Breeder cage update

Just want to post a new video on the breeder cages and give an update on how things are going.  I've lost a couple of hens (not sure why) and I have two with bumble feet that are in the medic ward right now.  I've got no major health issues.  One hen died after a blowout and not sure what happened to the others.  Just found them dead.  No other health issues besides sore feet which I may fix by going with a solid bottom, deep litter cage method which I am learning about from another avid quail raiser, John Thompson.

Quail as a raw food for your dog or reptiles

There is a large movement out there supporting raw diets for dogs.  Blue Ridge Quail Farm's quail are healthy and never feed antibiotics or other harmful chemicals as additives to their feed.  They are raised on wire and always have feed and water in front of them.  In the winter, the room has heat added to keep the birds comfortable and the eggs from freezing.

You can pick your birds up live at the farm or you can buy them whole with feathers and frozen. I'm just starting to sell frozen whole birds so use the contact form on the home page to get more information.

Here is an article that covers feeding your dog a raw diet.

Blessings,

Wally

New quail hens lay many large eggs

One of the things you will notice when starting a new flock of layers is that many of the eggs will be extra large and many of those will be double yolked and infertile.  My hens have been laying a little over a week and you can see from these photos the difference in the size. The eggs on the right and left are actually normal-size.  I'm putting them all in the incubator right now, testing for fertility.  Ill keep this site updated as to the hatch rate I'm getting. This is not same with chickens typically.  A chicken will start off laying small eggs and they eventually increase in size until they reach their normal size.  Every now and again a chicken will lay an extremely large egg but it is not common.  FOr some reason, it is much more common in the Coturnix Quail.

You can see how many extra large eggs are in this tray.  Some may hatch but many won't.  It is the same problem with the extra small eggs.  The eggs I ship are as close to a standard size as possible.

Blessings,

Wally

Jumbo Brown Coturnix quail have settled in

I have 13 compartments filled - each with 3 hens and 1 cock.  Each compartment is producing eggs and I have placed some in the incubator just to see what kind of a hatch rate I'm getting.  I'll incubate another batch in about 2 weeks to check the progress.

I expect to have eggs for sale in about a month.  I want to have a really good hatch before I start selling them.  Stay in touch!

Blessings,

Wally

Breeders in their pens - have some males left over

I was able to fill 13 compartments with a 3/1 ration and 1 compartment with a pair.  I ran out of females but will start hatching again as soon as I get 50 eggs - over halfway there already.

I have about 25 males left-over which will be at $5 each if anyone is interested.  Otherwise they will go in the freezer.  I'm making a drill-powered plucker for the quail and I will do a video on that when it's complete!

Blessings!

Wally

Moving quail into breeder cages

Exciting times here at Blue Ridge Quail Farm.  Finally getting my breeder cages loaded again!  Hope you enjoy the video.

Blessings,

Wally

Eating problem appears to be fixed with quail

It seems as though heat may have been the issue.  Our temperatures have been extremely warm lately and I still had the heat lamps on above the growout pen.  I turned them off 2 nights ago and yesterday they returned to what appears to be normal eating patterns.  I appreciate those who wrote with suggestions!

Blessings

Wally

Eating and drinking has slowed down?

IN the past couple of days my birds have slowed down considerably in their drinking and eating and I'm trying to figure out why.  There are a few things that have all happened in the past few days that may have contributed to this:

1. Changed feed to Dumor (ran out of regular feed on Sunday and my regular supplier was closed).
2. Started using apple cider vinegar in the water.
3. Birds have started mating and laying eggs.
4.  Have had some serious warming in temperatures.

While it seems to me the food and apple cider vinegar could be the main culprits, I'm not sure.  They were still eating normally when I started the vinegar additive, but everything slowed down when I started giving them the Dumor feed.  I've changed feeds before and never had this happen, but I guess the feed could be bad?

Write me if you have any ideas!

Blessings,

Wally

Using Apple Cider with the Mother in Quail Water

I've started using apple cider with the mother in my quails water now.  I use it from new hatch and am keeping them on it for life now.  They seem to like it and from what I've read, it is very beneficial for them.

I've also ordered some diatomaceous earth for my chickens and I'm going to include that in my quail feed as well.

Not expecting miraculous changes, as I don't have any specific problems, but these items have been highly recommended by many in the poultry business for a long time.

1st quail egg at almost 6 weeks of age

My jumbo brown coturnix are doing very well.  I found my first two eggs today which means they should all be laying within about two weeks.  I'll be hatching some around week 8 to check the fertility rate and I will post my results!

On the video, I say they are 5 weeks, but they will actually 6 weeks old tomorrow.

New cage rack with water trough holder

I've improved on the cage rack design so that it now has a water trough holder.  it is easy to access this holder for filling as well as for cleaning,  I was struggling with coming up with a new design and running out of time so took an old standard and just updated it a little.  Hope you enjoy it!

Blessings,

Wally

New Quail feeder is the real deal

I've been using this feeder for over a week now and it has proven to be the best feeder I've ever made.  Waste is absolutely minimal and there is access for about 7 birds at a time.  I can make the next one longer to allow for twice as many birds but I just want to let you all know that it is working great!  I'm going to do a video when I make the next one so you can see what is involved.

Just a note.  I'll be designing my watering system for my homemade quail racks in the next couple of weeks as it is almost time to separate my birds from the meat pen to the breeder cages.  Stay tuned!

Blessings,

Wally

Follow Up Video on New Quail Feeder

This video will make it easier to see the new quail feeder and I also do a shot on the birds eating out of the trough with the 1/2 x 1" wire mesh insert to reduce feed loss.  Happy viewing!

New Feeder Design

One of the problems with starting over, is reinventing the wheel.  Every time I stop raising quail and then start again, I tend to go through a process whereby I look for a solution to everything that didn't work out to my liking the previous time.  This round of quail raising has been no different.  I tend to invent things as I need them.  This time the feeder was the center of attention.

Wasting feed is a favorite past-time of quail.  If you aren't fighting them, you will have substantial waste on the floor and that equates to dollars! The most important hint I have ever received on raising quail came from an associate in Maine that runs CM Gamebird Farm.  He told me to place a piece of 1/2 x 1" cage wire in the trough the length of the trough.  It sits on top of the feed and has the feed is eaten it rides down with the feed - always sitting on top.  It gives the quail a 1/2 x 1" slot on any space in the mesh which is plenty for them to eat from but not enough for them to shake their heads in and spread the feed all over the floor.  I can't tell you how much money I've saved in feed by doing this.  The man at CM Gamebird Farms saved me a bundle.

Well, the issue this time is not enough feeder space.  I should've made my grow out pen with 3 slots for gutter feeders, but I didn't.  I only put one 36" trough in and it turns out that it wasn't enough.  I ended up putting 2 of the quail chick feeders from GQF in the cages - which work great when the birds are up to two weeks old - but after that, the older birds stick their heads in the tough area and waste feed.  I'm broke so seeing feed on the floor drives me crazy.

I went into invention mode again.  I needed to solve two problems.  One - I wanted to have a greater quantity of feed available at all times and I needed to have a feeder that would also hold my 1/2 x 1" screen in it.  So I went to work and here's what I came up with:

It's not a great picture, but you can see the bottom area and if you enlarge it, you can see the 1/2 x 1" screen sitting at the bottom.  This feeder is made out of 1x12 and 1/2 plywood.  The plywood is inside, mounted at an angle to keep the feed moving toward the trough (I'll do a video on it as I am going to build one more.).  The wire around the feed area is 1x2 that I cut out of the top of the cage to make room for the feeder.  I happened to perfectly as a border to keep the quail from walking in the feed.  The slots are big enough for the birds to feed and the border keeps them off the trough.  After 2 days in action, it is working GREAT.

Like I said, I will be putting a video together showing how I made it and what materials are needed.  I usually don't get it right the first time, but praise God, it happened this time!

Blessings,

Wally

Quail moved into the quail room - video!

I have moved my 3 week old Jumbo Brown Coturnix Quail out of my basement brooder set up and into what I affectionately call the quail barn!  I built a grow out box that is 9' x 30" x 12" high.  I an outside feeder with wire protector to keep the feed from getting lost by the birds shaking their heads and have increased the waterer capacity to gallons.  There are currently 79 birds in this box and at 5-6 weeks I will start selecting my breeders from the group and putting them in my breeder cages.  There will be more videos as I move forward.  Thanks for stopping by!

Starting a video series on raising Jumbo Brown Coturnix Quail - coming soon

I've been giving some thought lately to how I can help those who want to know more about raising quail, especially the Jumbo Brown Coturnix Quail, and I realized that I need to offer some instructional video as well as how-to material, and I intend to start providing that very soon.  Tune in for more good info on raising quail - coming soon!

Blessings,

Wally

Lost electricity overnight - lost a hatch

Fortunately, my 1 week old chickens and Jumbo Brown Coturnix Quail survived 4 hours last night without heat lamps during a black out.  I covered the brooders with blankets and they appear to be doing well now.  However, I did lose the 18 chicken eggs I had in the incubator.  This happened to me previously.  About 4 days before the hatch I lost power for three hours and had no way to add heat to the incubator.  Only one chick hatched.  She survived and is still laying eggs today.

I have the opportunity to pickup a free generator from my stepdad and I think I'm going to do it now - before this happens again!

Blessings.

Wally

Hiking the Gahuti Trail in Fort Mountain State Park - North Georgia

Below Fort Mountain from Gahuti Trail

Now, this doesn't have much to do with raising quail or chickens, but it does have to do with life in north Georgia.  One of the great plusses about living up here is hiking and camping in the mountains!  We went Saturday, the 22nd of October and the weather was absolutely gorgeous.  Still, a few too many leaves on the trees to see all the vistas that were available, but nonetheless, it was a memorable day.

Fort Mountain Park from the Gahuti Trail - north Georgia

Well, first of all, it was a 8.2 mile hike - to begin with.  I have never hiked 8.2 miles anywhere, let alone up and down a bunch of mountains.  Add to the fact that I am 61 and the adventure seems a bit more dangerous.  But, I figured, what the hey!  My wife said, you should do it! So our grandson, Dillan, our oldest son, Mike, and myself, headed out early Saturday morning for our great adventure. We ended up taking a side route which added almost a mile to the hike so we ended up doing close to 9 miles.

At the end of the day, it was a great time with my son and grandson, but we were absolutely beat!  Don't think I'll be doing a 9-mile hike anytime soon, but I will say that this has got us excited about doing some 3-4 mile hikes now that we know what we are in for.

As a disclaimer, Mike is the one who planned the trip and invited us.  I would never have said let's go hike up and down the mountain for 9 miles.  But, as Mike said, it helped us to realize that we can push ourselves much further than we think.

I really recommend the Gahuti Trail for those seeking an adventure in the north Georgia mountains.  We have lived up here 10 years and this is only my second hiking trip.  I plan on doing many more shorter trips!
Check out all the links to share in our adventure!!!

Starting out:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3Ylu1627kw
Dillan on a natural rock formation:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?
3 Miles from the end with the 3 amigos!  
The end of the hike:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0d5LyH1LCQ

Day 3 - growing strong and fast

I've taken the larger pieces of cage covering out already and just left a small section of paper towel to give their feet a break.  They are all healthy and eating and drinking well.  This will be a good batch of birds to start off my breeder selection with!

Check out the video!

New quail chicks are doing great!

Day 2 after the hatch and all is well.  I lost a total of 5 chicks which isn't bad. 2 had splayed legs and the other three had some other issues.

However, my hatch rate was over 80% and that was on mailed eggs.  That is great!!!  I normally expect only about 50-60% hatch rate when eggs are mailed to me so I count myself blessed.

Here are a couple of photos of what is going on in my basement.  I love my new hand-made brooders!  They were easy to make and are doing a great job for me in my setup.

Let me know if you have any questions I can answer for you. Also, keep checking my online store page to see what is available for sale.

Blessings,

Wally

Watch for our online store!

Keep an eye out for updates in our online store page.  We will have birds and other product for sale soon!

Blessings,

Wally

We have new quail and chickens

My first hatch of this year went off well.  Hatching chickens for meat and the quail are going to get my business started again.  They will be laying eggs in about 7 weeks and I'll be up to full production by spring.  I hope to have eggs to sell before then so stay tuned!  Remember, I have a free e-book on raising the quail.  Just email your request to waltersingingr@gmail.com.

New Homemade brooders

These are the best brooders I've made so far - made with the help of my grandson, Dillan! 36" x 24", fits a roll of 36" or 24" hardware cloth perfectly.  I just hang a heat lamp above one end and add feed and water and it's ready to go.  I'll add some more photos after the birds go in tonight.

Good news is that this is all made from scrap lumber.  The 1x12 is shelving grade that was discounted.  The legs are made from pallet scraps and the supports for the tray are scrap 2x laying around.

Back up on my old blog again!!!

Decided to switch back to my original site here as it has been a good draw for traffic in the past and the price is right!!  I've got new breeders hatching today so I will be back in the egg business in about 8 weeks.  I'm still giving away my How To Raise Quail book for those just getting started in the business.  Just send me an email requesting it!

Also hatched a few Black Australorps at the same time.  Send me any questions you might have on equipment, feed or methods and I'll do my best to answer them for you.

Blessings,

Wally