Okay, so around here I take care of incubation when we are going to have new chicks and my husband is in charge of getting the brooder ready and feed. Our baby quail just began hatching and lo and behold my husband didn't get any feed for the babies and didn't have anything ready for the brooder. I was able to clean and assemble our chick brooder supplies from when our chickens were babies, but there is no feed for the baby quail.
We currently only have regular adult chicken feed (all chicken feed, NOT laying feed since our pullets are not yet laying). We can get access to chick feed tomorrow as one feed store is open (but they don't have gamebird feed), and we won't have access to gamebird baby starter feed until the other feed store that has it is open on Monday. I also have some freeze dried mealworms that I use for the chickens I could possibly give to the baby quail.
I know the quail chicks don't need food technically until they are a good 24hrs out from hatching, but in my experience it makes for a sleepless night as the chicks will whine, and whine, and whine and cheep until they get their little bellies full.
Can I give the baby quail my adult (general) chicken feed with ground up mealworms just for tonight until I can get either chick feed tomorrow and gamebird starter feed on Monday? Or should I instead hold them off by giving them sugar water and some ground up mealworms for tonight, then some chick feed tomorrow once I buy it, then of course real gamebird starter when I can on Monday?
What would you do to keep these baby quail happy but not poisoned from their feed till Monday comes?
THANK YOU!
We currently only have regular adult chicken feed (all chicken feed, NOT laying feed since our pullets are not yet laying). We can get access to chick feed tomorrow as one feed store is open (but they don't have gamebird feed), and we won't have access to gamebird baby starter feed until the other feed store that has it is open on Monday. I also have some freeze dried mealworms that I use for the chickens I could possibly give to the baby quail.
I know the quail chicks don't need food technically until they are a good 24hrs out from hatching, but in my experience it makes for a sleepless night as the chicks will whine, and whine, and whine and cheep until they get their little bellies full.
Can I give the baby quail my adult (general) chicken feed with ground up mealworms just for tonight until I can get either chick feed tomorrow and gamebird starter feed on Monday? Or should I instead hold them off by giving them sugar water and some ground up mealworms for tonight, then some chick feed tomorrow once I buy it, then of course real gamebird starter when I can on Monday?
What would you do to keep these baby quail happy but not poisoned from their feed till Monday comes?
THANK YOU!
