Backyard Chickens & Coturnix Quail: Incubating Hatching Eggs and Chicken Breeding

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! Quick Look In this episode, we discuss: Why so many poultry keepers and homesteaders experience burnout. The difference between working in your business and working on it. Why social media shouldn't be your entire business strategy. How websites, blogs, and email lists create long-term growth. The story behind why Jennife...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! What Flies Are Really Telling You About Your Chicken Coop Flies are more than just an annoyance—they're often an indicator of what's happening in your coop and run. In this Poultry Nerds Podcast clip, we discuss why flies are attracted to chickens, the environmental conditions that encourage them, and practical manag...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! What happens when a simple incubator turns into a mission? In this episode of the Poultry Nerds Podcast, we visit with Laurie Pineda of Harrison's Hatchery to hear the inspiring story of how her family's poultry journey began with one young man's fascination with hatching chicks. Harrison, who is on the autism s...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! What makes a quality coturnix quail breeder? In this episode of the Poultry Nerds Podcast, Jennifer Bryant of Bryant's Roost and Carey Blackmon discuss practical quail selection methods that breeders can use to improve their flocks generation after generation. Whether you are raising coturnix quail for eggs, meat producti...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! Broody hens are a natural part of chicken keeping, but they can be confusing and frustrating if you don't understand what's happening. In this episode of the Poultry Nerds Podcast, Jennifer Bryant and Carey Blackmon take a deep dive into broodiness—what causes it, how to recognize it, and what poultry keepers should...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! What should you feed your chickens, quail, and other poultry? Does protein really matter? Are expensive feeds worth the cost? And how much does nutrition impact hatchability, chick quality, and flock performance? In this episode of the Poultry Nerds Podcast, Jennifer Bryant and Carey Blackmon tackle listener questions about po...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! From hobby chickens to homesteading chickens, we all have questions.  In this episode we discuss feeding chickens to dry hatching and more!   Hatching Marans Dry hatching washing hatching eggs Exploding eggs Chick Electrolytes Hatching Upright Listen on your favorite platforms, youtube and on the www. PoultryNerdsPodcast.com ...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! In this episode of the Poultry Nerds Podcast, Jennifer Bryant and Carey Blackmon sits down with Jessica from Little Willow Homestead to talk about chickens, homesteading, hatching, and building a recognizable brand in the poultry world. The conversation covers the story behind the “Coffee Egger,”  connecting with fellow homest...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! In this episode of the Poultry Nerds Podcast , Carey and Jennifer break down the real-world differences between heritage chickens, hybrid broilers, and the Cornish Cross birds used in commercial meat production. If you’ve ever wondered why home-raised chicken tastes different than store-bought chicken — or whether raising your...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! Silkie chickens are one of the most misunderstood breeds in poultry—and most people are getting it wrong. In this episode of the Poultry Nerds Podcast, we sit down with veterinarian Dr. Nicole to break down what actually matters when it comes to breeding, raising, and selecting high-quality Silkies. From genetics and defects t...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! How do you actually start a poultry breeding program? Carey and Jennifer break down the realities of building a breeding program from the ground up — from picking the right breed and finding a reputable source, to understanding culls, genetics, and the five-year timeline most beginners don’t expect. In this episode, you’ll lea...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! Gina Wrather of Wrather Farms in Columbia, Tennessee returns to break down three of the most visually stunning — and most misunderstood — color varieties in Americana chickens. We dig into the genetics behind Splash, Ermine, and Modeled, explain why a recessive gene can hide for 20 years before showing up in your hatch, and ta...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! Think you can just toss any egg in the incubator? Think again. In this episode of Poultry Nerds, we go nest box to incubator — sorting real eggs by weight, shape, shell quality, and cleanliness to show you exactly what to set and what to skip. We cover large fowl, quail, and celadon eggs, break down double yolkers, torpedo sha...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! Whether you've already impulse-bought chicks at Tractor Supply or you're planning your first flock, this episode is your roadmap to avoiding the most common beginner chicken-keeping mistakes. We answer real listener questions from a first-time chicken owner — covering nesting boxes, safe treats for kids to give chick...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! In this episode of the Poultry Nerds Podcast , we get into the real-world side of shipping hatching eggs, buying from breeders, hatch rate expectations, incubation mistakes, poultry medications, NPIP misconceptions, and how to find quality hatching eggs . We talk through what actually matters when you’re buying hatching eggs o...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! In this episode of the Poultry Nerds Podcast , we sit down with Blaze from Bad Baxter Farm in Wynnewood, Oklahoma to talk about raising poultry and livestock in a more natural, practical, and self-sustaining way. Blaze shares how her health journey led her deeper into nutrition, homesteading, growing her own food, and building...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! Today we’re talking all about Bresse chickens and why they’ve become one of our favorite breeds for a self-sustaining flock. In this episode, we cover: Why we prefer Bresse over Cornish in many situations Meat quality, tenderness, and ideal processing age How to select breeder birds for width, body shape, and table quality Egg...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! On this episode of the Poultry Nerds Podcast, we sit down with Brent from Zero G Quail Farm to talk all about frozen quail feeders, who buys them, how they are sized, packaged, processed, and shipped, and why they can be a valuable outlet for quail breeders. We also go down some fun rabbit holes, including the history of quail...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! Thinking about raising quail but not sure how to get started? In this episode of the Poultry Nerds Podcast , we walk through the real decisions every beginner faces when starting with quail. Should you buy hatching eggs, chicks, or adult birds ? What equipment do you really need? And what housing systems work best for backyard...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! Is the egg just a shell with a chick inside? Not even close. In this episode of the Poultry Nerds Podcast , we break down the real science behind egg incubation and hatching — and clear up some of the biggest myths spreading through backyard chicken groups. If you're incubating chicken eggs, quail eggs, duck eggs, or ship...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! Quail Mania 2 is officially in the books — and the turnout was huge. In this episode of the Poultry Nerds Podcast, we debrief the event results, what improved from last year, and what’s already being planned for Quail Mania 3 (including a Kids Corner and the possibility of expanding to three days). Event highlights discussed:...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! This week on the podcast we talk about some questions we see asked in our new Facebook group, Incubation Masterclass about incubating and general chicken keeping.  We answer general questions and correct some misinformation we have seen discussed.  Get more confident with your chicken skills after this episode Valley Hatchery...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! In this episode of the Poultry Nerds Podcast , we break poultry husbandry down into something simple, practical, and proven: the rule of threes . Every bird goes through three critical stages of life — incubation, brooding, and grow-out — and in each stage, there are three things that matter most . Miss them, and problems foll...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! In this episode, we’re talking about how to scale from hobby quail-keeping to a real business —without getting burned by scammers, chargebacks, or platform fees . Carrie’s back from travel (and we’re recording during an ice storm), so we’re using that momentum to break down the practical business side of quail: how to start se...

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond! In this episode of the Poultry Nerds Podcast , we sit down with HP Murray of Gopher Ridge Farms for an honest, behind-the-scenes conversation about raising quail, building efficient farm systems, and how quail math can turn a small hobby into a full-time operation. HP shares his journey from growing up on a farm, stepping away...