Baby Chukar Care

[DarkDoctrines]

Dearest backyard chicken community,

Would you be able to give me some tips on my newly acquired chukar partridges?

I have been raising and taking care of quail for some time, which went pretty good.

I recently bought 4 day old chukar chicks, however, which is going to so good. I am using the
same brooder setup I have for my quail, which is a plastic mesh bottom transparent container with
a feeder, waterer and a heat lamp.

The chicks are terrified! They don't move, don't play around or do anything quail do when they are babies.
They just pile in the corner and constantly peck it with their beaks, trying to find a way out when I am
around. ALso, I have not seen them eat or drink water. Finally, they make almost no sounds as well, they
just sit nervously in the corner, lie down all the time, or try to find a way out and escape.

Also, yesterday we took one of them for a "walk" in our kitchen, but it ran really, really fast and hid under
a piece of furniture - just like a mouse. I had to get it out of there by, well, moving the cupboards, beds
etc, again just like would do wit a mouse.

I guess my question for you would be, I know they are wild but is there a way to make them relax a little
bit? I hate to see them so stressed and miserable.

Thanks in advance,
Alex

 

[007Sean]

Dearest backyard chicken community,

Would you be able to give me some tips on my newly acquired chukar partridges?

I have been raising and taking care of quail for some time, which went pretty good.

I recently bought 4 day old chukar chicks, however, which is going to so good. I am using the
same brooder setup I have for my quail, which is a plastic mesh bottom transparent container with
a feeder, waterer and a heat lamp.

The chicks are terrified! They don't move, don't play around or do anything quail do when they are babies.
They just pile in the corner and constantly peck it with their beaks, trying to find a way out when I am
around. ALso, I have not seen them eat or drink water. Finally, they make almost no sounds as well, they
just sit nervously in the corner, lie down all the time, or try to find a way out and escape.

Also, yesterday we took one of them for a "walk" in our kitchen, but it ran really, really fast and hid under
a piece of furniture - just like a mouse. I had to get it out of there by, well, moving the cupboards, beds
etc, again just like would do wit a mouse.

I guess my question for you would be, I know they are wild but is there a way to make them relax a little
bit? I hate to see them so stressed and miserable.

Thanks in advance,
Alex

Not really anything you can do....chucker partridges by nature are 'high strung'.
As far as brooding them (talking from experince) a circular brooder is best, no corners to pile up in, that is a 'characteristic' of partridge chicks. Also a white light is better than a red light for them, the red light seems to make them skittish....just the opposite of most gamebird chicks.
HTH