Breeding Quail

My first group of quail came to me as day old chicks. Since then I've incubated my own eggs to keep flock numbers up and also ordered eggs for the specific varieties I want and to keep a genetic variation up. As my flock continues to age I've been thinking about the specific birds I like, either for looks or other characteristics, and what I would do if I lost them. One bird in particular, Cornelius, is a white Texas A&M with a cool black mullet. He also is the tamest of all my birds and I would like to have more like him. In contrast, I have some tuxedos that despite being raised the same way are very nervous and flighty. Even though I like their looks I don't want more that act like them. So this summer I set up "the Love Shack", a repurposed rabbit hutch that my brother-in-law gave me. It's secure, large enough for eight birds, and separate from the rest of the flock. I took Cornelius and three lucky bachelorettes who were also selected for their traits and put all four birds in the Love Shack for a week. As they laid eggs each day I collected them and put them in the refrigerator until I'd collected enough to incubate. I'm pleased to have ended up with six new chicks when it was all said and done, one of which looks just like its daddy!