quail brooder

[cmobley]

Ive raised a couple batches of cots but ive always used a big rubbermaid container with pine shavings or sand in the bottom. I have a large 2x3 pen with 1/2 hardware cloth all around. I know their little feet will fall through so i lined the bottom with that rubber drawer liner. My thinking is instead of having to buy shavings which i hate or sand which works better but cost money i could take this liner out clean it put it back in. Has anyone tried this method and if so how did the food work out i know they love scraching and slinging their food maybe set it over a box to catch the mess or just stick to the solid bottom containers with sand.

 

[selkiepelts]

They are in the incubator now and none were cracked in shipment, temp and humidity gauge in incubator and so far so good

 

[cmobley]

I dont use any shavings now. They are just a complete headache. All i use are called pig pads theyre just a gray colored mat we use at work for soaking up spills they lock the moisture under them and work great. If i do use shavings its just a hand full or 2 then for cleaning up you just roll up the pads and toss em or burn em set 2 more in good for another week. Very easy and simple and no spilling and tipping over waterers.

 

[selkiepelts]

Coturnix, have four eggs due via the post tomorrow(ish..)

 

[Em Ty]

I use the 250W bulbs with a dimmer and it works great. I just turn it down slightly every 2-3 days as long as everyone's happy. With that set-up, you can raise the light up and turn it up to heat a larger area or drop it down and turn the dimmer down to heat a smaller area. It also lets you handle both warm and cold weather with one bulb.

My cots are at 15 days and I'm kicking them out in a week to 10 days so I can brood the next batch. The weather's finally broken here, so I can get them out of my basement and into the greenhouse, as soon as I build the greenhouse.

 

[cmobley]

my cots are hatching this morning i have 2 so far this will probably be my last quail hatching for a while. Im goin back to chickens.

 

[dc3085]

I just use old towels the first three days, shake em out hose em off and wash them. Then i put them over 1/4" wire till about day 7 at which point theyre fine on 1/2".

 

[cmobley]

Thats a great idea i think ill use that itll be alot easier then finding somewhere to dump out stinking sand. I live in town so my options on disposal are limited but i do have the greenest lawn in the neighborhood lol.

 

[dc3085]

Composters love the feces. I have a couple people i found on CL that bring me buckets and i just text them when theyre full and they come collect them and drop off another bucket.

 

[cmobley]

I have a 85 acre farm 2 hours north of where i live i do alot of foodplots for deer season i think im gonna get a large garbage can save it up take it up there have free foodplot fertilizer.