➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

[CoturnixComplex]

I've tried and tried many times to treat the wry neck chicks I have had to no avail. It seems that it's easier to treat and overcome in chickens than it is with quail or pheasants.

Ditto! I have only ever had two, severe cases though. Vitamins seemed like they helped them rest more comfortably but that was about it.

@Texas Kiki your babies are lovely! You definitely have ~70+% pansies, they can look more wildly different from each other than most colors.

I believe they're golden-based, so it kind of makes sense. Lots of variation in the regular goldens too.

 

[Kiki]

Kind of. It is sort of Quasimodo-ish. When it wants to it can move it’s head and neck all over though so it’s not like things are stuck. More like there is just curve to its spine. I keep meaning to get a picture to post on here. I’ll try to remember after work.

Please do.
What color is it?

 

[Kiki]

I've tried and tried many times to treat the wry neck chicks I have had to no avail. It seems that it's easier to treat and overcome in chickens than it is with quail or pheasants.

I'm thinking this hunched one is not wry neck.
Is this considered wry neck for quail?

 

[Kiki]

At 8 weeks, I'm not seeing much difference between the original quail and the Jumbos. The Jumbos look larger, but that may be a self fulfilling prophecy. Or the originals were jumbo sized. I don't have a point of reference. What should I be looking for? I know, 12 oz live weight versus 16 oz live weight ain't much. Maybe I was expecting more with an inviting name like jumbo quail? Like jumbo shrimp? Or a miniature elephant? ("I am not a shrimp, I am a King Prawn!" )

The 6 month olds have fat on them. Feeding Purina Game Bird 30% protein.
The 11 week old Jumbos were on the smaller end and about the same size as the originals. Made the 1.5 lb cockerels look larger than they were. (The chickens didn't crow this morning. The aggressive male quail was yelling his fool head off. He's in solitary since the other males didn't like getting mated. If I don't see mating from the selected male for the breeder pen, he may get called back. We wait a week.)

Final surviving count to butcher for the jumbos: 11 female and 9 male. I'll have to check my records for the lost ones.

Tried to separate the largest females with the largest male. Touchy feely. Now to wait for eggs. 3 roosters left to butcher. And 3 cockerels.

My single jumbo is no bigger than his next door cage neighbor...by looks.
I two was expecting them to be huge but they're the same size.

 

[007Sean]

I'm thinking this hunched one is not wry neck.
Is this considered wry neck for quail?

No, wry neck is obvious. Hunched back, I don't really know what would cause that...in severe cases of wry neck they are hunched over but so is their head and neck, almost tucked under them with the head between their legs.
I had a ring necked cockbird that had severe wry neck, wrong or right, I kepted him alive for 9 years. His wattles turned white instead of red and his eyes were white too!
That was the worse case I've had, the others, their necks just turned either left or right and the head slightly tilted upward.

 

[ChristineR]

I bought some Valley Quail hatching eggs on ebay several weeks ago. My life has been crazy lately and I forgot to put them in the incubator for a couple weeks. I finally put them in my Mini Brinsea and then promptly forgot about them until a few days ago before I went camping. It looks like three hatched this weekend - yesterday, I think. Holy cow! They are skittish and FAST! Any tips for caring for these little guys? I use a Brinsea EcoGlow brooder for all my babies, so that's my plan for these guys, too. I was planning on grinding up game bird starter for them. I'm not sure if those three are the only ones that are going to hatch or not. I put a dozen eggs in. I left them in there until I get home from work today.

 

[007Sean]

I bought some Valley Quail hatching eggs on ebay several weeks ago. My life has been crazy lately and I forgot to put them in the incubator for a couple weeks. I finally put them in my Mini Brinsea and then promptly forgot about them until a few days ago before I went camping. It looks like three hatched this weekend - yesterday, I think. Holy cow! They are skittish and FAST! Any tips for caring for these little guys? I use a Brinsea EcoGlow brooder for all my babies, so that's my plan for these guys, too. I was planning on grinding up game bird starter for them. I'm not sure if those three are the only ones that are going to hatch or not. I put a dozen eggs in. I left them in there until I get home from work today.

Valley's tend to get pasty butt easily. Other than that no different than raising anyother quail.

 

[ChristineR]

Valley's tend to get pasty butt easily. Other than that no different than raising anyother quail.

I've never raised any quail. Is it pretty much like raising chicks?

Edited to add: I have adult quail. I've never raised babies.

 

[BantyChooks]

I've never raised any quail. Is it pretty much like raising chicks?

Yes, very suicidal chicks.
Keep them on paper towel for the first bit rather than shavings, keep their waterers shallow and small, and be very careful with the Ecoglow. They manage to get stuck in the most impossible of places. Keep them in a brooder with solid sides, too. Again, they can get stuck anywhere.

I'm not sure about valley quail in particular; after a certain age, they may require some way to keep them from flushing upwards and breaking their necks on the roof. Sean knows more than me.

 

[007Sean]

Yes, very suicidal chicks.
Keep them on paper towel for the first bit rather than shavings, keep their waterers shallow and small, and be very careful with the Ecoglow. They manage to get stuck in the most impossible of places. Keep them in a brooder with solid sides, too. Again, they can get stuck anywhere.

I'm not sure about valley quail in particular; after a certain age, they may require some way to keep them from flushing upwards and breaking their necks on the roof. Sean knows more than me.

All excellent advice @BantyChooks , an on the ground aviary is best but they can be raised on wire as long as the cage/pen is big enough, like Bob's, Gambles, and Mountain quail, Valley's need more room than Coturnix quail.

And Banty you are very correct about the Ecoglow. If you use a heat lamp make sure it's a 'red bulb', white light tends to make them nervous, and very skittish. Also, some peeps mention that the Ecoglows don't put out sufficient heat? I don't know that for fact, as I don't use one.