Future parent to quail children

[Trisseh]

Awesome. I have no experience with buttons so just making sure. Haha.
Mine do like to flit around back and forth in their pen, too. It’s 8’ long so they can fly the length and back and they love it. Lol. Quail seem to be pretty content with very basic things.

 

[dorawinifred]

Mine love digging! I am raising them on the ground, which started off flat until they started digging little holes. It's great because I'm using the deep litter method, and my birds do a fantastic job of turning their bedding. They love their hiding places, too. If you're an avid beer drinker, the cardboard boxes that canned beer comes in are usually the perfect size for a DIY hidey house. When the house gets gross, you can just toss it out and make a new one.

For treats, I give them veggie scraps, fruit, dried mealworms, and homegrown sprouts. The sprouts take just a few days of watering so it's not too much extra trouble. Since it's summer right now, I've also given them a block of ice with carrot slices frozen inside it, which they loved!

 

[Kale the Quail]

I had one that couldn't stand no digging for a day. Her sand was getting kicked out of the box and when I brought her out to play she just started digging up the grass and the grass is still healing after 1-2 years

 

[Tree29]

Can anyone tell me if I can use a mouse bottle with the ball bearing for my quail chicks?

 

[Nabiki]

Can anyone tell me if I can use a mouse bottle with the ball bearing for my quail chicks?

I've heard that some people have success with those. Here are the quail tips that I give to new quail owners when I sell them birds.

Coturnix basic care sheet​

For new chicks less than 2 weeks old:

Housing:

Chicks will need to be kept in a brooder until about 3 weeks of age. There should be a warm side and a cool side. Keep the temperature between 85-95 degrees in the warm side. The younger the chicks, the higher the temperature they need. If they huddle together, they are cold and the temperature needs to be raised. If they are laying stretched out or panting, they are hot and the temperature needs to be lowered.

Food:

Chicks need a feed with around 28% protein. The amount of protein can be lowered once they are over 8 weeks old. The feed needs to be fine enough for them to eat. They should always have fresh water.


For adult birds:

Housing:

Coturnix quail are quite hardy and can handle freezing temperatures as long as they are dry and have shelter (boxes or some type of small container works). The minimum amount of space is one square foot per bird, but more is better. Remember to subtract the space taken up by food and water from their living space. They are ground birds and are happiest on the ground. If you give them a wire bottom hutch, make sure they have boxes of dirt for baths and to rest their feet.

Food:

Quail thrive on high protein food of around 28%, but can go as low as 20% once they are fully grown. Adult hens will need calcium either offered on the side or part of their feed. If it is offered on the side, it must be ground small enough for them to eat easily. If it is part of their feed, it should be about 3.5% calcium.


Feel free to contact me with any questions.

https://merriquail.com

https://facebook.com/QuailinPetaluma

 

[Ravenlover]

They may also use you as a hiding spot:
View attachment 2280023

Yes they do

 

[maadroj]

Can anyone tell me if I can use a mouse bottle with the ball bearing for my quail chicks?

I have California quail, but I use these in their clinical cage and they like these waterers even more than their auto-filling cups. The birds outside the clinical cage come over to drink from it through the bars. But it does leak a bit, possibly when they drink from it.

Recently I switched the main waterer to horizontal, side-mounted nipple waterers, which they figured out quickly, enjoy using, and protect the water from mulch, dust, and other flying debris flung by digging quail.

 

[maadroj]

They also need grit. It helps them digest their food. But offer it separately from their food.

Consider protection from predators in their housing design. I used 1/4 inch hardware cloth and an "apron" (1-2 ft of hardware cloth lain on the ground around the outer edge of the enclosure) to prevent digging in. I used plastic zip ties to hold hardware cloth down where screws weren't possible, but a squirrel has been chewing them all up! Now I'm slowly replacing them with wire.

Quail flush up when scared, so you also need to consider the height of their home. Some people keep it short so that they don't gather enough speed to hurt themselves, others use a tall enclosure.

Medical kit: it can be hard to find what you need in a hurry. Keep medical tape, painters tape, dewormer, antibiotic ointment, antibiotics, probiotics, and wound spray.

 

[Tree29]

There is a brown string like object protruding from a quail's vent, what is it?

 

[Nabiki]

There is a brown string like object protruding from a quail's vent, what is it?

Picture?