send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond!

Happy New Year and welcome to Year 3 of the Poultry Nerds Podcast! 🎉
We just crossed 50,000 downloads, and in this episode we’re celebrating by looking back at 2025, looking ahead to 2026, and breaking down why quail are becoming one of the smartest poultry choices today.

We officially announce Quail Mania 2, a free, two-day online quail education event packed with expert speakers, real-world knowledge, giveaways, and incubation insight — from first egg to freezer or business.

In this episode, we cover:

• What we learned from launching the first Quail Mania
• Why quail are easier, faster, and more efficient than chickens
• Real timelines: incubation, growth, laying, and harvest
• Feed-to-meat cost comparisons (real numbers)
• Why quail are perfect for small spaces and urban setups
• How quail fit modern homesteading and food planning
• What to expect from Quail Mania 2 in February

Whether you’re a chicken keeper curious about quail, a homesteader looking for efficient protein, or someone ready to scale quail production up or down — this episode gives you clarity and a plan.

🎟️ Quail Mania 2
📅 February 14–15
🎥 Free to attend all weekend
🎁 Giveaways, expert speakers, incubation education
👉 Learn more & register: quailmania.com

quail farming, raising quail, quail eggs, quail meat, backyard quail, homesteading podcast, poultry podcast, small scale farming, quail incubation, quail vs chickens, urban homestead, sustainable protein, poultry education, quail business, quail hatching

Join Carey of Show Pro Farm Supply and Jennifer of Bryant's Roost as we delve into chickens and quail (mostly)  to help you enjoy your birds more and worry less. Backyard chicken keeping shouldnt be stressfull, let's get back to the simple days

IncubationMAsterclass.com is an online course designed to walk with you during your incubation journey to maximize your efforts.  Invest in yourself with Incubaiton Masterclass

Support the show

Feel Free to email us at - [email protected]

Join us on Facebook at - https://www.facebook.com/PoultryNerds

Sign up for News at PoultryNerds.com

EggFoam.com get your egg shippers and live shipping boxes and always get free shipping!

ShowPro feed supplement for all your feathered friends! Grow them bigger and healthier with the best ingredients.

Coturnix Quail hatching eggs from Bryant's Roost, including jumbo celadons!

Quail cartons and Supplies from Double R Farms

Please subscribe to our podcast and leave a review, we appreciate you. And if you have a subject request, email us. [email protected]

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond!

Merry Christmas from the hosts of the Poultry Nerds Podcast!
In this special Christmas Day episode, Carrie and Jennifer take a moment to say thank you to the incredible listeners around the world who have supported the show over the past two years.

What started as a simple weekly conversation about chickens, quail, turkeys, and poultry life has grown into a global community with over 50,000 downloads, educational courses, live events, and so much more. In this short and heartfelt episode, we reflect on the unexpected growth of the podcast, share some lighthearted farm stories (including winter eggs and confused birds), and give a sneak peek at exciting plans coming in 2026.

Whether you raise backyard chickens, gamefowl, quail, turkeys, or simply love learning about poultry, this episode is our way of saying thank you and wishing you and your flock a very Merry Christmas.

🎧 Visit poultrynerdspodcast.com to explore episodes, courses, and events — all in one place.

Join Carey of Show Pro Farm Supply and Jennifer of Bryant's Roost as we delve into chickens and quail (mostly)  to help you enjoy your birds more and worry less. Backyard chicken keeping shouldnt be stressfull, let's get back to the simple days

Support the show

Feel Free to email us at - [email protected]

Join us on Facebook at - https://www.facebook.com/PoultryNerds

Sign up for News at PoultryNerds.com

EggFoam.com get your egg shippers and live shipping boxes and always get free shipping!

ShowPro feed supplement for all your feathered friends! Grow them bigger and healthier with the best ingredients.

Coturnix Quail hatching eggs from Bryant's Roost, including jumbo celadons!

Quail cartons and Supplies from Double R Farms

Please subscribe to our podcast and leave a review, we appreciate you. And if you have a subject request, email us. [email protected]

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond!

What really happens to the rest of the bird after processing? In this episode of the Poultry Nerds Podcast, Carey and Jennifer dive deep into nose-to-tail poultry utilization—breaking down how quail, chickens, turkeys, and even manure can be used with little to no waste.

From feeding pigs and dogs, making dehydrated pet treats, bone broth, schmaltz, bone meal, compost, garden fertilizer, and even crafts and jewelry—this episode pulls back the curtain on sustainable, homestead-style poultry processing. You’ll learn how to turn a single bird into food, supplements, soil improvement, and long-term value instead of waste.

Whether you raise quail, chickens, turkeys, or just want to be a more intentional poultry keeper, this episode will completely change how you look at “the rest of the bird.”

poultry processing, nose to tail poultry, what to do with chicken carcasses, quail processing tips, turkey processing at home, bone broth from poultry, poultry sustainability, homesteading with poultry, zero waste poultry, chicken bone broth, quail homesteading, using chicken manure, composting poultry waste, poultry pet treats, instant pot bone broth, freeze drying broth, heritage turkey processing, poultry nutrition education, backyard poultry podcast

Join Carey of Show Pro Farm Supply and Jennifer of Bryant's Roost as we delve into chickens and quail (mostly)  to help you enjoy your birds more and worry less. Backyard chicken keeping shouldnt be stressfull, let's get back to the simple days

IncubationMAsterclass.com is an online course designed to walk with you during your incubation journey to maximize your efforts.  Invest in yourself with Incubaiton Masterclass

Support the show

Feel Free to email us at - [email protected]

Join us on Facebook at - https://www.facebook.com/PoultryNerds

Sign up for News at PoultryNerds.com

EggFoam.com get your egg shippers and live shipping boxes and always get free shipping!

ShowPro feed supplement for all your feathered friends! Grow them bigger and healthier with the best ingredients.

Coturnix Quail hatching eggs from Bryant's Roost, including jumbo celadons!

Quail cartons and Supplies from Double R Farms

Please subscribe to our podcast and leave a review, we appreciate you. And if you have a subject request, email us. [email protected]

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond!

Christian from QuailOS joins Jennifer this week in a discussion about tracking chicken and quail expenses.  In the next episode of our Business Episodes, Christian has been making quail a profession for 5 years!  Now he is here to share his latest product that can help you move from backyard chicken keeper to business.  From counting hatching eggs to printing shipping labels, this ap does it all. 

Find out more at QuailOS.com

Join Carey of Show Pro Farm Supply and Jennifer of Bryant's Roost as we delve into chickens and quail (mostly)  to help you enjoy your birds more and worry less. Backyard chicken keeping shouldnt be stressfull, let's get back to the simple days

IncubationMAsterclass.com is an online course designed to walk with you during your incubation journey to maximize your efforts.  Invest in yourself with Incubaiton Masterclass

Support the show

Feel Free to email us at - [email protected]

Join us on Facebook at - https://www.facebook.com/PoultryNerds

Sign up for News at PoultryNerds.com

EggFoam.com get your egg shippers and live shipping boxes and always get free shipping!

ShowPro feed supplement for all your feathered friends! Grow them bigger and healthier with the best ingredients.

Coturnix Quail hatching eggs from Bryant's Roost, including jumbo celadons!

Quail cartons and Supplies from Double R Farms

Please subscribe to our podcast and leave a review, we appreciate you. And if you have a subject request, email us. [email protected]

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond!

In this episode of Poultry Nerds, we sit down with Dr. M — our resident poultry vet — to get real about worms in backyard flocks.  From the most common culprits (roundworms, tapeworms, cecal worms) to why a fecal float test matters, Dr. M breaks down:

• ✅ What types of worms chickens typically get — and how common each is. 
  
  
• 🔬 How a fecal flotation test works: mixing droppings with solution so worm eggs rise — then viewing under a microscope to spot the parasites. 
  
  
• 🎯 Why even free-range birds can have worms — and how worm eggs can linger in soil for years, reinfecting flocks. 
  
  
• 🧹 Best practices for prevention: quarantine new birds, rotate pasture, clean or turn over soil — plus when to consider deworming. 
  
  
• ⚠️ The risks of heavy worm loads — from reduced egg production to intestinal blockages, poor growth, or even death. 
  
  

If you raise chickens — whether a small flock or a full backyard setup — this is essential listening. 🐣

➡️ Timestamps

• 0:00 — Intro & quick background on Dr. M
• 2:15 — Cold weather & worms — do they survive?
• 5:30 — What a fecal float test is & how to get one done
• 10:00 — Common worms: roundworms, tapeworms, cecal worms
• 16:45 — How worms spread & contaminate soil
• 22:00 — Treatment, dewormers, and why you must check withdrawal times
• 26:30 — Prevention: spacing, rotation, biosecurity
• 30:00 — Q&A: eggs, worms, wild birds, and natural remedies

Don’t forget: check the show notes for a link to the approved-meds site (FARAD.org) when using dewormers — especially for birds you plan to eat or collect eggs from.

Join Carey of Show Pro Farm Supply and Jennifer of Bryant's Roost as we delve into chickens and quail (mostly)  to help you enjoy your birds more and worry less. Backyard chicken keeping shouldnt be stressfull, let's get back to the simple days

Support the show

Feel Free to email us at - [email protected]

Join us on Facebook at - https://www.facebook.com/PoultryNerds

Sign up for News at PoultryNerds.com

EggFoam.com get your egg shippers and live shipping boxes and always get free shipping!

ShowPro feed supplement for all your feathered friends! Grow them bigger and healthier with the best ingredients.

Coturnix Quail hatching eggs from Bryant's Roost, including jumbo celadons!

Quail cartons and Supplies from Double R Farms

Please subscribe to our podcast and leave a review, we appreciate you. And if you have a subject request, email us. [email protected]

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond!

Join Carey, Jennifer, and guest breeder Aaron Guidroz of Guidroz Family Farm as they dive into the genetics behind the Progressive Pied coturnix quail, how to breed for color and size, tips for brooding success, and upcoming Black Friday farm deals from ShowPro, Brian’s Roost, and Guidroz Family Farm. Perfect for poultry and quail enthusiasts!

progressive pied quail, quail genetics, coturnix quail breeding, jumbo quail, quail color mutations, poultry breeding, quail farm Louisiana, quail incubation tips, poultry podcast, show pro farm supply, hatching eggs, quail brooding setup, heat lamp vs brooder plate, Aaron Guidroz, Carey Blackmon, Jennifer Poultry Nerds, Black Friday poultry sale, quail color genetics, quail breeding program

Join Carey of Show Pro Farm Supply and Jennifer of Bryant's Roost as we delve into chickens and quail (mostly)  to help you enjoy your birds more and worry less. Backyard chicken keeping shouldnt be stressfull, let's get back to the simple days

IncubationMAsterclass.com is an online course designed to walk with you during your incubation journey to maximize your efforts.  Invest in yourself with Incubaiton Masterclass

Support the show

Feel Free to email us at - [email protected]

Join us on Facebook at - https://www.facebook.com/PoultryNerds

Sign up for News at PoultryNerds.com

EggFoam.com get your egg shippers and live shipping boxes and always get free shipping!

ShowPro feed supplement for all your feathered friends! Grow them bigger and healthier with the best ingredients.

Coturnix Quail hatching eggs from Bryant's Roost, including jumbo celadons!

Quail cartons and Supplies from Double R Farms

Please subscribe to our podcast and leave a review, we appreciate you. And if you have a subject request, email us. [email protected]

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond!

Welcome back, Poultry Nerds!
In this jam-packed episode, Carey and Jennifer dive deep into chicken coop design, comparing fixed coops vs. chicken tractors, winter preparation, predator management, bird density, and how chicken math ALWAYS wins.

Whether you’re designing your first backyard coop or upgrading your serious breeding setup, this episode arms you with practical, real-world advice on:

• Choosing between tractors and stationary coops
• Winterizing your birds’ housing
• Keeping flocks stress-free for better egg production & chick vigor
• Managing rats, predators, wind, and weather
• Why you ALWAYS end up needing more than one pen
• Coop planning mistakes we’ve learned the hard way
• How livestock, goats, pigs & other animals affect your setup
• Spacing, bird density, ground maintenance & disease prevention
• Why tractors make your grass GREENER (yes, really!)

If you want healthier birds, better production, and a coop setup that grows WITH your flock, this is a must-listen.

Join Carey of Show Pro Farm Supply and Jennifer of Bryant's Roost as we delve into chickens and quail (mostly)  to help you enjoy your birds more and worry less. Backyard chicken keeping shouldnt be stressfull, let's get back to the simple days

IncubationMAsterclass.com is an online course designed to walk with you during your incubation journey to maximize your efforts.  Invest in yourself with Incubaiton Masterclass

Support the show

Feel Free to email us at - [email protected]

Join us on Facebook at - https://www.facebook.com/PoultryNerds

Sign up for News at PoultryNerds.com

EggFoam.com get your egg shippers and live shipping boxes and always get free shipping!

ShowPro feed supplement for all your feathered friends! Grow them bigger and healthier with the best ingredients.

Coturnix Quail hatching eggs from Bryant's Roost, including jumbo celadons!

Quail cartons and Supplies from Double R Farms

Please subscribe to our podcast and leave a review, we appreciate you. And if you have a subject request, email us. [email protected]

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond!

Welcome back, Poultry Nerds! In this packed episode, Jennifer finally gets Carey to spill all the juicy details about his trip to the 2025 Ohio National Poultry Show — one of the largest, loudest, and most legendary poultry events in the country.

Carey shares his full unfiltered experience:
 • Meeting fans and podcast listeners in person
 • 8,100 crowing birds under one roof
 • Anxiety, atmosphere, and the unbelievable energy
 • Gamefowl appearing at the show for the first time
 • The gorgeous birds… and the birds that should’ve gone straight to chicken dinner
 • Youth exhibitors with lab coats, trophies bigger than they are, and serious showmanship
 • Modern Game, Silkies, huge modeled birds, and a stand-out black-and-white Polish that stole the show
 • What people get wrong about standards
• The chaos of the sale barn
• Traveling challenges, show specials, and how he avoided another hotel trailer theft
• Why Carey might actually show birds next year (even after swearing he wouldn’t)

PLUS — Jennifer reveals details from her new feed trial research, why fertility and chick vigor matter more than anything, and how even small breeders can run accurate feed comparisons like the big commercial companies.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to attend the Ohio National… this is the no-filter, boots-on-the-ground episode you don’t want to miss.

Ohio National Poultry Show, 2025 poultry show, gamefowl standards, poultry exhibition, youth poultry showmanship, poultry breeding, poultry judging, Polish chickens, Silkie chickens, Modern Game birds, sale barn poultry, chicken shows USA, poultry podcast, gamefowl podcast, poultry community, hatching eggs, feed trials, poultry fertility testing, breeder flock management

Join Carey of Show Pro Farm Supply and Jennifer of Bryant's Roost as we delve into chickens and quail (mostly)  to help you enjoy your birds more and worry less. Backyard chicken keeping shouldnt be stressfull, let's get back to the simple days

IncubationMAsterclass.com is an online course designed to walk with you during your incubation journey to maximize your efforts.  Invest in yourself with Incubaiton Masterclass

Support the show

Feel Free to email us at - [email protected]

Join us on Facebook at - https://www.facebook.com/PoultryNerds

Sign up for News at PoultryNerds.com

EggFoam.com get your egg shippers and live shipping boxes and always get free shipping!

ShowPro feed supplement for all your feathered friends! Grow them bigger and healthier with the best ingredients.

Coturnix Quail hatching eggs from Bryant's Roost, including jumbo celadons!

Quail cartons and Supplies from Double R Farms

Please subscribe to our podcast and leave a review, we appreciate you. And if you have a subject request, email us. [email protected]

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond!

Struggling with broken shipped eggs, stressed birds, or disappointing hatch rates?
In this Poultry Nerds Podcast episode, we walk you through exactly how we ship hatching eggs and live birds and how to choose the right breeds and the right breeder for your goals.

We’re recording straight from the egg foam warehouse, surrounded by live shipper boxes, foam trays, and all the packing supplies — so you’ll get the real behind-the-scenes info, not theory. We break down why egg foam beats pool noodles and pipe wrap, how double boxing protects your embryos, and what a USPS-approved live bird shipping box should actually look like.

Then we shift into breed and breeder selection:
🐣 Duck eggs vs chicken eggs for allergies
🦆 Why ducks might be perfect for eggs and mosquito control
🦃 Heritage turkeys vs broad-breasted meat birds
🍗 Why we like Bresse as a dual-purpose meat-and-egg breed
🛖 How your housing, space, and goals should drive your breed choices

We also dig into breeding and fertility practices inside the quail barn:
💡 Why 14+ hours of light matters for consistent laying
🥕 How nutrition, vitamins, and species-specific feed affect fertility
🥚 Why you should ask hatch rate questions and how often the breeder test-hatches
📏 Why egg size (pullet eggs vs full-size eggs) absolutely matters
🧬 The difference between a breeder and a producer
😬 Why we don’t medicate everything just to keep weak genetics alive

You’ll also hear specific questions you should be asking any breeder before you send money or buy shipped eggs/birds:

• How do you package hatching eggs and live birds?
• What kind of boxes and materials do you use (USPS-approved, biofilm, foam, peanuts, heat packs)?
• How long have you worked with this line?
• What traits do you select for (size, temperament, production, color, fertility)?
• Do you regularly hatch your own birds to monitor fertility?
• Do you medicate routinely, or do you cull weak birds and keep strong genetics?

🎁 Free Download: We also created a Breeder & Buyer Checklist you can download from the website. Use it to:

• Clarify your own goals (eggs, meat, show, pets, heritage, dual-purpose)
• Compare different breeders side-by-side
• Prepare for the questions you’ll be asked if you start selling in 2026 and beyond

Support the show

Feel Free to email us at - [email protected]

Join us on Facebook at - https://www.facebook.com/PoultryNerds

Sign up for News at PoultryNerds.com

EggFoam.com get your egg shippers and live shipping boxes and always get free shipping!

ShowPro feed supplement for all your feathered friends! Grow them bigger and healthier with the best ingredients.

Coturnix Quail hatching eggs from Bryant's Roost, including jumbo celadons!

Quail cartons and Supplies from Double R Farms

Please subscribe to our podcast and leave a review, we appreciate you. And if you have a subject request, email us. [email protected]

send us an email and be sure to include your address so we can respond!

Have you ever wondered what chicken breed would be best for yourself?  Or even considered ducks instead?  Then how to find a breeder and what to ask them?  We have you covered this week on the podcast.  We created a checklist for you and then go thru it on some possible answers and the reasons why.  We  also published this one to Youtube to show you some items live from Bryant's Roost!

Find the checklist on the website at PoultryNerdsPodcast.com

Join Carey of Show Pro Farm Supply and Jennifer of Bryant's Roost as we delve into chickens and quail (mostly)  to help you enjoy your birds more and worry less. Backyard chicken keeping shouldnt be stressfull, let's get back to the simple days

IncubationMAsterclass.com is an online course designed to walk with you during your incubation journey to maximize your efforts.  Invest in yourself with Incubaiton Masterclass

Support the show

Feel Free to email us at - [email protected]

Join us on Facebook at - https://www.facebook.com/PoultryNerds

Sign up for News at PoultryNerds.com

EggFoam.com get your egg shippers and live shipping boxes and always get free shipping!

ShowPro feed supplement for all your feathered friends! Grow them bigger and healthier with the best ingredients.

Coturnix Quail hatching eggs from Bryant's Roost, including jumbo celadons!

Quail cartons and Supplies from Double R Farms

Please subscribe to our podcast and leave a review, we appreciate you. And if you have a subject request, email us. [email protected]