Quail baby bedding?

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emsevers

emsevers

Songster
11 Years
Nov 30, 2008
294
1
157
Carlton, OR
I asked this question in the "raising chicks" section but no one really answered so I thought I would try here. I have 15 two day old baby quail. Right now I have them on puppy training pads but I eventually want to switch them over to wood chips. So I was wondering when it would be safe to switch them? Thanks for any help.
 
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I have ALWAYS raised my quail on aspen or pine bedding from day one. never one problem. Just so you pack the bedding for the first day thick (so they cant get to the slippy plastic or glass container flooring) you're fine. So switch them over any time they'll LOVE it and soon be dust bathing. I have nEVER lost a quial to bedding problems and never had splay leg.


Newly hatched sleeping coturnix quail:
IMG_4796.jpg
 
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Thank you so much for the quick reply. I got a huge cube of the pine chips and I'm really excited to change it over. This is my first batch of quail and I'm loving them so far. They are so cute. Thank you so much. I'm sure I'll have many future questions as they start to grow.
 
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you're very welcome! i'm happy to help! I love these guys as well! if you haven't when you get a chance check out my informational link in my signature below. I compiled a TON of information that i've learned or experienced myself. And by all means dont be afraid to PM me directly....I have a few people that PM me with questions all the time they always feel bad but hey I asked a ton of questions too when I was first starting out with them and I had several people happy to help me and I am happy to help as well!
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Congrats on your cuties!
 
When my first buttons were hatched I made the mistake of setting them up on paper towels as I was advised to do. never again 4 out of 5 buttons with splay leg, there seems to be no traction for the babys that young.
I switcched the next hatch over to well aired pine shavings and only have 1 Pharoah with a foot issue but it looks more like a club foot as apposed to a bedding issue.
I use well aired pine shaving because when fresh from the package they will trigger my allergies, and I figure if they make my nose bleed they cant be good for baby biirds.
 
I put down about an inch of ground feed as the bedding, over paper towels. Gave them traction and was something to peck at. I use aspen shavings and was worried they'd eat them.
-Spooky
 
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Never ever had my babies eat them and if they did it didn't kill them *ha ha*. I think too many people are concerned about them eating the bedding, but i've never had that problem with any animal i've ever raised...i t hink they are smarter than people give em credit for.
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I agree, aired out pine (to the above poster who has nose bleeds from it wow that has to suck)! I used pine when I couldn't find aspen, now thankfully my local-ish farm store is selling aspen again so Im well stocked up on it.
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I've raised both buttons and coturnix in woodshavings (pine and or aspen). The only thing in my adult quails bedding i WONT Put in my baby quails bedding is Dry Stall. the adults eat it, but i think if I put something like that in the beding with newly hatched chicks they could eat it until they get an impaction, or eat it and starve to death from no nutrience. My adults use it as grit/dust bath. I use it as a GREAT litter/bedding mixture with aspen shaving and it really keeps coturnix poo smell down.
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I waited unti my quail were 5 weeks old before i introduced them to that though.
 
I keep mine on the rubber shelf liner until it gets too hard to keep it clean. Then I move them to a brooder cage with 1/4" wire on the bottom. Keeps their feet clean. When they're big enough, I put them on 1/2" hardware cloth in their hutch.
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The rubber shelf liner is great because you can rinse it off in the sink and throw it in the laundry to re-use. Just don't dry it in the dryer... it will shrink, or melt.
 
I used the shelf liner for the first days also. Just because I had a roll already and saw people on here used it for that. After thay my husband bought me a bag of sand for the bottom of thier cage. I put about 1-2 inches in and they love throwing it around and scratching in it. I rake it around daily and when it starts to look dirty I just shop vac it out and add new. Has worked great for me. I want to add that I do take the buttons out before shopvacing the cage, wouldn't want to suck one up in that thing.
 
Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

I keep mine on the rubber shelf liner until it gets too hard to keep it clean. Then I move them to a brooder cage with 1/4" wire on the bottom. Keeps their feet clean. When they're big enough, I put them on 1/2" hardware cloth in their hutch.
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The rubber shelf liner is great because you can rinse it off in the sink and throw it in the laundry to re-use. Just don't dry it in the dryer... it will shrink, or melt.

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!!! when I used that i'd air dry it on the fan it's amazing how fast that dries!!!

Ya know what i don't get. I read all the time about people saying about their feet getting covered in poo (caked and dried in poo). I've never had that happen?? I know im not doing anything differnet from any other person who beds them in woodshavings so I don't know why i've never had to deal with that.

the only time i ever had a coturnix have poo caked on a toe was when it cut it's toe on the wire and i didnt know about it until i saw a big ring of doo doo on the foot but that was on a wire floor.

I do raise small batches though so maybe that's why???? *seriously curious* LOL My biggest batch was like 30​
 

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