Sess, you said you keep them indoors. They may just be bunching up for warmth. check out this link MSU Temperature Recommendations. you may want to put a low wattage light bulb or a heat lamp in there just to give them a bit more warmth.
Payroll, I noticed that your pen opens from the top. Do you have any problems with escape attempts? I am going to be building a coop to house 18 quail and I really like your setup. It seems like a top opening would provide easy access to collect eggs.
Definitely coturnix. It looks like that hutch may be big enough for four quail. Once they get a little bigger you won't have to worry about them slipping through the bars and teasing the cat. The ribbon is a great temporary fix though.
I live in Georgia and I keep my chicks outside in...
I have heard of people using a rabbit waterer for their quail if you still have one left over. And sorry, I missed that you mentioned they were coturnix quail.
If it was me I would use the rabbit hutch as long as there is 4 sq feet. No need for a runner.
Quail need about 1 sq foot per bird. A rabbit hutch seems to be a pretty common accommodation for quail. If you plan to have a run you need to predator proof it. Quail are a tasty snack for many predators like foxes.
I love handling my baby quail. They may not love it as much, but doing it...
That is a 56 gallon tub made by Rubbermaid. It is the biggest one I could find. I had a tub that was about half that size, but I was worried about having 40+ chicks while they were incubating. I knew it wasn't likely, but I can't help being prepared.
I will have to try fermenting the feed...
I just recently had my first hatch on June 19th. I had 42 eggs. I paid for 24 but was given 48. I was told that many of them were old. Knowing that, I think it was a pretty good first hatch when only 18 hatched and made it to the brooder. Here is my current brooder set up. The temperature...
Its funny how as a society we are becoming more and more distant from where our food really comes from. People don't associate a Big Mac with a cow or a store bought egg with a chicken.
Ignorance is bliss...
That is awesome. Thanks for the great pictures. I am new to raising any kind of animal and I decided to start with quail. I have my incubator set up and I am picking up Texas A&M quail on Saturday. I hope to see development like that when I first candle.