πŸ“– Complete User Guide

How to use Quail Keeper Max

A step-by-step manual for every tool in the app β€” from logging your first egg to printing a pedigree. Jump to any section below, or read it start to finish.

πŸš€

Getting Started

Create your account and you are ready to track in minutes. Every new signup gets 14 days of full access to every feature β€” no credit card required. When the trial ends you can pick a paid plan or keep tracking one flock for free, forever.

  1. 1Click "Start Free Trial" on the home page and enter your email and a password.
  2. 2Add your name and (optionally) your farm name β€” these show up on your dashboard and on printed pedigree cards.
  3. 3You start on a 14-day full-access trial automatically. A banner at the top of the dashboard shows how many days are left.
  4. 4When you are ready, open Pricing to choose Free ($0 β€” one covey, egg and basic health logging), Pro ($39/yr or $5/mo β€” unlimited coveys plus breeding, pedigree, hatch, feed and sales tools, CSV export, and the Captain Coturnix advisor), or Max ($89/yr or $9/mo β€” everything in Pro plus Captain’s proactive Daily Briefing and priority support).
Tip: Free Mode is great for 4-H and FFA projects β€” egg logging, basic health records, and the color-genetics calculator for one covey, free for life.
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Your Dashboard

The dashboard is your home base. The top stat cards show Total Birds, Eggs Today, Health Alerts, and Net Profit at a glance, with egg-production and finance trend charts just below. Everything else is one tap away from the feature cards.

  1. 1Use the Quick Log Eggs panel to record today’s collection without leaving the dashboard.
  2. 2Check the Reminders panel for chores, candling dates, lockdown, and hatch day coming up in the next 7 days.
  3. 3Read Captain’s Daily Briefing (Max plan) β€” a short list of pointers Captain Coturnix leaves after reviewing your data each day.
  4. 4Tap any feature card to open that tool. Cards marked with a lock are available on paid plans.
  5. 5Tap "Rearrange / Done" to drag cards into the order you like β€” your layout is saved to your account and follows you to any device.
  6. 6Scroll to My Farm Gallery to see photos of your flocks, birds, and breeding pairs.
Tip: Card order is saved per user, so set it up once and it stays put on your phone, tablet, and computer.
🐣

My Flocks

A flock (or covey) is a group of birds you manage together β€” usually by breed, purpose, or pen. Flocks are the foundation most other tools build on.

  1. 1Open My Flocks and click "Add Flock".
  2. 2Enter a name, breed, and the number of hens and roosters.
  3. 3Add a photo if you like β€” it shows on the dashboard and in your Farm Gallery.
  4. 4Assign the flock to a cage or location (optional) so occupancy is tracked automatically.
  5. 5Edit hen and rooster counts any time; losses you record elsewhere keep your headcount accurate.
Tip: On the Free plan you can keep one flock. Pro and Max are unlimited.
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Cages & Locations

Map your physical setup β€” cages, racks, pens, coops, brooders, and tractors β€” and see how full each one is.

  1. 1Open Cages & Locations and add each cage, rack, pen, or brooder, with an optional capacity.
  2. 2Nest items if you need to (for example, several cages on one rack).
  3. 3Assign a flock to a location from here or from the flock itself.
  4. 4Watch the occupancy-vs-capacity bars to avoid overcrowding, and check the "unassigned flocks" callout to make sure every group has a home.
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Egg Collection

Log daily egg counts per flock and watch your production trends build over time. This feeds your dashboard stats, your lay rate, and your cost-per-egg.

  1. 1Open Egg Collection (or use Quick Log Eggs on the dashboard).
  2. 2Pick the flock, the date, the number collected, and any that were damaged.
  3. 3Save β€” the production chart and your weekly lay rate update right away.
  4. 4Review the charts to spot drops early so you can troubleshoot lighting, feed, or stress before it becomes a bigger problem.
Tip: Lay rate is calculated from your hen count, so keep flock numbers current for the most accurate percentage.
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My Birds

Track individual birds when you want detail beyond the flock level β€” show birds, breeders, and anything you want to follow by name or band.

  1. 1Open My Birds and click "Add Bird".
  2. 2Record a band ID, name, sex, breed, hatch date, status, and a photo.
  3. 3Filter and search to find any bird quickly.
  4. 4Export your full bird list to CSV any time (paid plans) β€” your data is always yours.
🩺

Health Tracker

Keep a record of observations, medications, and treatments, and get alerts when something needs attention.

  1. 1Open Health Tracker and add a record β€” note the bird or flock, the issue, and any treatment.
  2. 2Set a follow-up or next-due date so it surfaces in your reminders.
  3. 3Watch the Health Alerts stat on your dashboard; critical and high-severity items are flagged in red.
  4. 4Resolve alerts as you handle them to keep your list clean.
Tip: Logging health records alongside your egg data helps you (and Captain Coturnix) connect a production drop to its cause.
πŸ›‘οΈ

Vaccines & Compliance

Paid plans

Keep vaccination, NPIP, certificate, biosecurity, and permit records in one place, with reminders before anything comes due or expires.

  1. 1Open Vaccines & Compliance.
  2. 2On the Vaccinations tab, log vaccinations, wormings, treatments, and checkups with a next-due date.
  3. 3On the NPIP & Biosecurity tab, record NPIP tests and certificates, biosecurity actions, and permits with a reference number and expiry date.
  4. 4Let the due-date and expiry tracking remind you before anything lapses.
🧬

Breeding

Paid plans

Manage breeding pairs, track lineage, and log hatch results to optimize your genetics program.

  1. 1Open Breeding and create a pair, giving it a name and an optional photo.
  2. 2Link the pair to the birds involved so lineage flows through to pedigree.
  3. 3Track each pair’s hatch results over time to find your most productive matches.
🌳

Pedigree & Family Tree

Paid plans

Tag each bird’s sire and dam and explore a four-generation ancestor chart β€” then print or save lineage cards for buyers.

  1. 1Open Pedigree and pick a bird.
  2. 2Tag its sire and dam; repeat for ancestors to build the tree.
  3. 3Click through the four-generation chart to navigate the family line, and view a bird’s offspring list.
  4. 4Use Print / Save as PDF to hand a buyer a clean lineage card.
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Color Genetics Calculator

Predict Coturnix color outcomes with a Punnett-square engine before you pair birds up β€” no data entry needed, free on every plan.

  1. 1Open Color Genetics.
  2. 2Choose the inheritance mode (recessive, dominant, incomplete-dominant, or Z-sex-linked) and edit the allele symbols if you wish.
  3. 3Turn on the homozygous-lethal option for mutations like Italian or Tibetan when relevant.
  4. 4Read the genotype and phenotype ratios and the Punnett grid, plus the Coturnix mutation reference table.
Tip: The calculator is deliberately single-gene so results stay accurate β€” hobby Coturnix color genetics are still debated.
🌑️

Hatch Tracker & Incubation

Run incubation batches with day-by-day countdowns, candling logs, lockdown reminders, and hatch rates for every set.

  1. 1Open Hatch Tracker and start a batch β€” record the set date, how many eggs you set, and the source pair if known.
  2. 2Follow the built-in Coturnix incubation guide: about 99.5Β°F and 45–55% humidity for days 1–14, then ~99Β°F and 65–75% during lockdown (days 15–17).
  3. 3Log candling checks (eggs checked, fertile, infertile, quitters) β€” fertility updates automatically.
  4. 4Watch for the day-7, day-14, and lockdown reminders so you never miss a milestone.
  5. 5After hatch, review your hatch rate and the fertility-by-source table to see which pairs produce best.
Tip: For the best hatch, set eggs that are less than ~10 days old and stored pointed-end down in a cool spot.
🌾

Feed & Cost Per Egg

Paid plans

Log feed purchases and instantly see your true cost per egg and per dozen β€” the number every keeper wants to know.

  1. 1Open Feed & Costs and record each feed purchase (type, quantity, and cost).
  2. 2Keep your egg logging current so the math has both sides of the equation.
  3. 3Read your cost-per-egg and cost-per-dozen, calculated from feed spend against eggs collected.
πŸ—

Meat Bird Tracking

Run grow-out batches with weight logs, feed-conversion ratio (FCR), and dress-out percentage β€” included with the paid plans.

  1. 1Open Meat Birds and start a grow-out batch.
  2. 2Log growth weights (in grams) and the feed used (in pounds) as the batch grows.
  3. 3See FCR (feed per pound of live weight) and dress-out % calculated for you.
  4. 4Use the target process date (~49 days) to plan, then record the process panel when it’s time.
πŸ’°

Financials

Track income and expenses so you always know your real profit. Sales you mark paid post here automatically.

  1. 1Open Financials and add income or expense entries with a date, amount, and category.
  2. 2Watch your Net Profit stat and finance trend chart on the dashboard.
  3. 3Combine this with Feed & Costs to understand your true margins per egg and per bird.
🧾

Sales & Customers

Paid plans

Track orders, reservations, customers, and payments β€” and post income to your books with a single click.

  1. 1Open Sales & Customers and add a customer.
  2. 2Create an order with line items; use status to handle reservations.
  3. 3Track payments, and when you click "Mark paid" the income posts straight to your Financials.
  4. 4Switch to the Customers tab to manage your buyer list.
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Captain Coturnix β€” Your Personal Advisor

Paid plans

Captain Coturnix is your personal quail expert. Unlike a generic web search, he knows your coveys, your egg production, your health records, and your breeding history β€” so advice is tailored to your actual operation.

  1. 1Open Captain Coturnix from the dashboard.
  2. 2Ask anything β€” for example, "How can I improve my egg production?" or "Why did my hatch rate drop this week?"
  3. 3On the Max plan, read his Daily Briefing on the dashboard for proactive pointers based on your latest data.
  4. 4Act on the suggestions, then check back as your numbers change.
Tip: The more you log β€” eggs, health, finances, hatches β€” the sharper and more specific Captain’s advice becomes.
⏰

Reminders & Notifications

Never miss a chore, candling date, lockdown, or hatch day. Reminders appear on your dashboard and can arrive by email.

  1. 1Add a reminder with a title, notes, due date, and an optional repeat.
  2. 2See everything due in the next 7 days in the dashboard Reminders panel.
  3. 3Mark items done as you finish them; repeating reminders roll forward automatically.
πŸ“₯

Importing & Exporting Your Data

Bring your spreadsheet history with you, and take your data with you whenever you want β€” it belongs to you.

  1. 1Use CSV import to bring your existing egg records in quickly.
  2. 2Export your records to CSV any time (paid plans).
  3. 3Your data is private β€” Quail Keeper Max never sells or shares it.
πŸ“²

Install It as an App

Quail Keeper Max works in any modern browser and can be installed on your phone, tablet, or computer β€” no app store needed.

  1. 1Look for the "Install App" button on the home page or dashboard, or use your browser’s "Add to Home Screen" / "Install" option.
  2. 2Once installed, it opens in its own window and lives on your home screen like any other app.
  3. 3Works on Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android, in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge.
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Account & Settings

Manage your profile, plan, and preferences from your account.

  1. 1Click your email in the dashboard header to open Account.
  2. 2Update your name, farm name, and password.
  3. 3View your current plan and trial status, and visit Pricing to upgrade or change plans.
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Getting Help

Stuck on something? Help is easy to reach.

  1. 1Open Support from the dashboard to send a ticket.
  2. 2Browse the FAQ for quick answers to common quail and app questions.
  3. 3Email support@2bcreations.com any time.
Tip: Captain Coturnix can answer most quail-care questions instantly on paid plans β€” try him first.

Ready to put it to work?

Start tracking your flock free for 14 days β€” then keep going on the free plan for as long as you like.

Get Started Free