Behind the Scenes Pt.7: Behind the Launch: How Zero G Quail Farms Began — and What It Means for You

Mission Brief

Zero G started as a laugh—“let’s get quail”—that turned into a launch plan. Today it’s a farm, a classroom, and a system you can copy. We believe our success is proven when our customers succeed. If your birds thrive, if your systems calm down, if your family gets steady eggs and a clear process, that’s the win.

The Spark: From Joke to Mission

What began as a playful dare between Brent and Tristi became an obsession with doing the simple things exactly right: hatching on schedule, choosing breeders with purpose, and teaching everything we learn. The fast feedback loop of Coturnix pulled us in—health and body composition first, production second, color after—and the results spoke for themselves.

The People: Why We Operate the Way We Do

Brent’s path runs through Kentucky → Georgia → New Mexico, with a long stretch in the U.S. Army (2008–2015) as a Forward Observer (Haiti earthquake response; Iraq). That FO mindset—measure, plan, execute, review—became the backbone of our farm. Add in years of competitive paintball (player and coach since 16) and youth show experience in the Arabian horse world, and you get a brain trained for quick diagnostics and honest records.

Tristi is the steady hand who turns plans into repeatable workflows and who keeps our customer experience clear, kind, and organized. Together (now 10+ years married, two boys, multiple cross-country moves), we’ve built a culture where small daily wins beat heroic weekend scrambles.

What We Stand For (and Teach)

• Programs with a purpose. Write your SOP and stick to it: body, vigor, temperament, production—then color.

• Linebreeding carefully. Fastest way to fix good traits—and the fastest way to lock bad ones if you’re not ruthless about selection. Keep parallel families; outcross deliberately.

• Incubation without superstition. “All incubators lie.” Verify temp and humidity at egg height, manage for air-cell growth, open vents at hatch, and keep notes.

• Shipped eggs are special case. Rest point down, candle air cells, incubate upright early; most failures are logistics/environment, not “bad eggs.”

• Closed loops. Feed bags become gear; bedding becomes compost; quail manure tea becomes plant fuel. We recycle systems as much as materials.

What We’ve Built (Proof, Not Hype)

This past year we hatched thousands of quail, moved 13,000+ lbs of feed, added 4 cage stacks, placed 2,000 live birds, and fulfilled 300 hatching-egg orders (several at 2,000+ eggs each). We showed up at 8 farmers markets, taught 80 students, launched our website, answered 20,000 customer messages, and took the conversation offline at Gulf Coast Homesteading (meeting friends like Kelli Knecht, Aaron, and Shane). We were nominated for ACBA Vice President—didn’t win, learned a lot, and kept building.

Why Our Origin Story Matters for You

Because you’re not buying feathers—you’re buying a system. Our blogs and classes are written to be handed to a helper on a cold Tuesday morning:

• Lighting for Layers and Lighting 101 Review → simple, low-watt photoperiod that prevents stress and waste.

• Choosing the Right Incubator → countertop to cabinet, what changes (and what doesn’t).

• Troubleshooting Failed Hatches + Shrink-Wrap Myth → stop guessing; match patterns to fixes.

• Starting a Breeding Program + New-Year First Eggs → standards, schedules, culling lanes; breed with purpose.

• Holiday Hatchers → realistic winter strategy (or a smart delay with a kit).

• Recycling on Our Farm → cost-savers and cleaner barns (yes, manure tea done safely).

How We Measure Success

We track weights, egg averages, hatch curves, and customer outcomes—but our scoreboard is simple: your success. If your hatch rate climbs, your housing runs drier, your breeder selection gets cleaner, and your notes replace your memory, then Zero G is doing its job. That’s the promise: clear plans, repeatable processes, honest expectations.

The Road Ahead

We’re ramping our feeder/falconry reach, expanding our breeding program with health and structure first, whispering about a few secret color projects, and exploring a property expansion/relocation to give the operation more runway. We’ll keep teaching—blogs, classes, videos—and we’ll keep the “Zero G: Just for Fun” series because joy is part of the fuel.

What It Means for You (Next Steps)

• Pick your lane for the year (self-sufficiency, breeding improvements, or “get your toes wet”).

• Grab the guides that match your lane; copy our hatch schedule; print the checklists.

• Run one improvement per set. Measure, adjust, repeat.And if you get stuck, ask. We believe our success is proven when our customers succeed—and we’re here to make sure you do.

Systems on. Birds steady. Let’s launch.