New to having Quail Chicks.... Need advice, tips, etc.....

[chickiechickz]

I am a "newbie" to raising quail so here goes...

Ok, I incubated some quail eggs and right now I have 13 chicks that are 2 weeks old as of today. They are inside right now and are starting to STINK badly (I clean them every day and over the last few days I've been cleaning them 2x a day... it gets nasty QUICKLY). My other issue is that they are trying to flutter their way out of what I have them in (actually a few got out the other day but luckily I caught them and got them right back in). It may sound funny but I have them in a 30 gallon fish tank which was working awesome... UNTIL now because they have either gotten out OR keep trying to get out

. SO, needless to say I now have a cover on top BUT the poor little chicks are jumping and fluttering into it and I don't want them to hurt themselves! They are really sweet and obviously active which is good BUT they are getting very crowded very quickly. I'm not sure what to do... do I try to find a big bird cage or make something larger for them to be in? Should I seperate them at all? I have no clue on the sexes yet. I have a few different breeds... Texas, Pharoah, and Tuxedo.

I was wondering at what age can the quail chicks go outside? I live in Upstate NY and the temps are getting pretty cold here. Right now it's going into the 30 degree weather and this week at night going to 20 degrees.

I have a homemade rabbit hutch that is pretty solidily built with a nice heavy duty metal roof on it, it stays pretty warm inside plus remains dry which is also very nice especially with rain and/or snow. I just got 2 bales of straw and I also have one of those big heated dog bowls and I actually use one in my chicken coop to help with the water to not freeze. It works awesome and is SAFE which puts me at ease! I have heard SO many horror stories about coop fires and that scares me!

So... with all of that said.... Can anyone give me any sort of advice, tips, good facts to know about Quail, etc... ANYTHING?? Like I had mentioned.. I am a "Newbie" to Quail so ANY and ALL advice, tips, etc would be SO very much appreciated! I have read SO much online on ehow, wikipedia, basic facts, etc... etc.... BUT I'd really LOVE to hear about someone's actual experiences and point of views as well their tips and advice. Someone that I can "Chat" with and ask questions.

Ok, thanks everyone for your time and reading this. I appreciate your help and advice very much

Take Care,
Kim

Ps.... If anyone would like to see pictures of the Quail chicks and the hutch that I have I will try to upload some pictures.

 

[Kylesquails]

hi kiim
i have 14 chicks about the same age inside my house. they are starting to be a handfull, they stink! they have escaped a few times,i put some flyscreen on top of brooder.

i set up a cage with a heat light in it yesterday and i,m putting them in it today. its summer in australia, so its warm outside anyway.
good luck kyle

 

[chrishel]

Congrats on your chicks!

Unfortunately, you will need to keep the chicks indoors until they are fully feathered at 4-5 weeks old. Rule of thumb is 1 square foot per bird for final caging.

Right now, if you feel everyone is over crowded, you can get a plastic tote bin from Walmart or the like and split up the chicks. I have 3 bins I use. I start with one then about 2 weeks in, I spit everyone up randomly. My bins (from Walmart for $12 each) are about 1 foot wide by 2 1/2 feet long. I get shelf liner (12" by 5 feet) and cut them in half and they each fit perfectly in the bottom of the bins. My 3rd bin is a hospital/isolation bin that I use if needed for injured or aggressive birds.

The bins are clear and I use only one light (a desk lamp that I clamp to a table nearby) so when I split the chicks, I put the bins together so I they can hear and see each other and they can share the lamp. I use the top cover of the bin to cover both bins on half and wire for the other halves. I figure they won't jump up and "boink" themselves if they see a solid cover. I haven't had too many escapees or jumping issues. I do make sure they see me coming so I don't startle them when I check on them. As they get older and the hormones start, I notice that they tend to jump to get away from each other more than out of fear of me (in my case, anyway). I have the feeders from GQF and I notice some sit on top of the feeders to hide.

As they get older, I also put the water dishes on plastic containers (like sour cream containers) to raise them up out of butt range. It keeps poop out of the water dishes which helps keep things a little cleaner.

I have a rabbit cage I use indoors and stacking rabbit/animal cages from Klubertanz in my garage for the adults. I use a work light from Home Depot (the kind with a hook) and a regular light bulb for heat and light to keep the girls laying through the Winter. I also give them cardboard shelters (I lean cardboard against one wall) to give the hens a hiding place to allow them to rest.

I've tried vent sexing chicks, but I've never been successful. I've always had to wait until they are about 5-6 weeks then I can tell by crowing (beer sexing) or vent (males have red, bulbous glands on their tail end). You will probably need to vent sex your Texas A&Ms and Tuxes. The browns can be visually sexed.

I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions!

Welcome to BYC! You have definitely come to the right place for info. Everyone is happy to help. We all do things a little differently, but we all have hints and things we do that you can use and incorporate for what works best for you.

 

[steveovergard]

Here is the way that I work my quail . I have done this with hundreds of birds. I hatch them inside and keep them in a brooder box inside the house for no more than a week. Shorter in the summer. Once they are a week old, I transfer them to brooder box in the outside stall. If they manage to get out of the brooder box, the stall will keep them from getting any further. I give them a heat lamp when it is below 60 outside. I use the 90 watt red flood lights. As they grow older , they need less and less heat so you can adjust that as needed. When they are 10 days to 14 days old, I transfer them to a wire cage on the ground and keep giving them a heat lamp but less and less. Once they are 3 weeks old, they do not need any heat lamp except on the coldest of cold nights. At a month old I send them out to live in the outside aviary.

If your chicks are in an aquarium, a 40 watt bulb is all they need if you are keeping them inside.

On space, you will need to give them more and more space as they get older, but when they are small, it is good to keep them a little more packed because they benefit from body heat of the other chicks.

Water is critical. Without water, a chick can die in a few hours. If they spill the water , especially in an acquarium, they can get wet and die in a few mins. from being cold.

Good luck . Quail ROCK !