Out of the twenty-three quail chicks I last hatched, eighteen were roosters. Unfortunately, I had to choose only two, given the number of hens I have. And that’s pushing it.
Three of the hens were from previous hatches. One of them is somewhat mean. One is incredibly mean. They won’t tolerate most other birds being added to their tiny covey. I keep them because they are gentle with me, and they each lay at least one egg per day. One sometimes lays two. And gosh darnit, I like these birds.
The rooster I kept for this covey is all character. He’s bold and colorful. He proved to be the perfect choice, as he immediately took charge of the pen when he was introduced, and he didn’t back down from the pecky-pants hen. Now the hens are much calmer, and although there are only three for one rooster, it seems to be fine. In the photo, the rooster is the one with the reddish-brown head, in the back.
One of the two sets of eggs I purchased this last time came from what turned out to be a questionable source, which I won’t name. Out of the replacement eggs that were sent, three hatched, and two were assists. The last assist looked like a lost cause. The lil’ chick was having seizures, couldn’t stand, couldn’t lift its head, and its feet were turned.
Within less than an hour, the chick was standing up in the incubator, and calling out. I let it fluff up in the warmth, and then added it to the brooder with the others. It was dwarfed by every last one of the other chicks. It somehow always managed to be at the center of the food when it was freshened up, and at the center of the cuddles of chicks when it was time to rest. Its feet straightened. Its gorgeous dark feathers filled in.
The first crowing came from this rooster. I thought, “Uh oh. How can I keep this rooster? It won’t be as strong as the others, and do I really want to hatch eggs from this one in the future?” At the same time, I knew he was somehow going to stay with us.
And stay, he did. The new hens rejected the other roosters for this one. He’s very mild-mannered, but observant. He stands on top of the sandboxes, watching, and often crowing. He is a Tibetan Coturnix. I now think that it would be a great idea to hatch his offspring, as hopefully his temperament and his strength will carry forward. He’s got five hens, which is the perfect balance.
My original covey has that same number. My aviary has twelve, two of which are roosters. So these four pens are sorted and ready to move forward. My newest outdoor pen, which is overwintering with ease, has eleven quail in it. I know that three are roosters. Two of those roosters are from eggs from my own birds, like in the aviary. One of those two roosters is stunning. He’s gentle and watchful, and the other birds seem to take to him, and not in a pecky, mean way. His markings are vivid. He’s ten feet tall. OK, that last thing is an exaggeration, but he’s the biggest quail I have ever seen. Since I won’t keep less than five hens per rooster in a multi-rooster pen, he’s going to wind up being the only rooster in that pen. I’ll have to figure out exactly how many additional roosters there are in this pen when the weather cooperates.
Five coveys are in my flock. It’s a closed flock now, which is to avoid the scary stuff that’s often in the news. I’m really looking forward to warmer months!
