1 week old with hatchlings

[stew1]

Can I put hatchling quail with 7 day old? I have 2 7 day old and 2 so far that hatched this morning, im using a big storage tote that has plenty of room but read that they can be mean to each other. I can set another one up but think it would be a waste to run 2 250watt bulbs for 2 quail. I wish they would make a 125 watt red bulb. At least I cant find any. Thought about hooking up a dimmer but don't know how well the bulbs would take it. Any way thanks in advance.

 

[dc3085]

I dont know how cold it is where you are keeping your chicks but I only use 90w bulbs and they are on a dimmer so I can lower the heat each week as it decreases. The floor temp under the light shouldn't be higher than 105ish or it will bbq chicks.

You shouldn't mix different ages of quail until they are all fully grown and in their adult feathers. Quail pick on anything unusual and will kill any bird they think is weak. It's a survival instinct left from the wild and you'd be surprised how brutal a quail can be.

Some people will mix chicks and say it went fine but I've raised quail too long to fall for that. No one is going to come back here and tell you that the big birds ate the little ones right after you just told them that's exactly what would happen.

You should never just "mix" quail together. They don't understand you don't run out of food so they will defend their "territory" with ferocity. Anytime you mix quail together you should integrate them properly by leaving them in full view of each other for a week or two, then combining them in a cage that is new to all of them. This way no one feels threatened.

 

[stew1]

I can get a smaller regular bulb but not a infa red that shines red, I can also keep moving it away, right now the hot spot is about 106 and the other end of the tote is around 60. I do not believe you should heat the whole brooder and think regardless of how hot the hot spot is they will not cook themselves if they have a cool spot. I read that a white light will stress them a lot so choose not to use a white light. If im not mistaken dimmers don't turn down watts, they pulses. If im right (which not sure I am) that would be hard on a bulb that is not meant for dimming, right? not saying it wouldn't work but may shorten the life of the bulb. I will just put them in a different brooder but wish some one would make a 125watt infa red bulb that shines red not white. Thank

 

[dc3085]

I can get a smaller regular bulb but not a infa red that shines red, I can also keep moving it away, right now the hot spot is about 106 and the other end of the tote is around 60. I do not believe you should heat the whole brooder and think regardless of how hot the hot spot is they will not cook themselves if they have a cool spot.
You're actually doing that perfectly. It's highly recommended to keep a warm and cool area in the brooder to help the chicks acclimate to temp changes better and give them a place to cool off if they over heat. I thought to cover that in my response and didn't, I'm glad you're already ahead of the curve.

I read that a white light will stress them a lot so choose not to use a white light. If im not mistaken dimmers don't turn down watts, they pulses. If im right (which not sure I am) that would be hard on a bulb that is not meant for dimming, right? not saying it wouldn't work but may shorten the life of the bulb. I will just put them in a different brooder but wish some one would make a 125watt infa red bulb that shines red not white. Thanks

Lol sure it probably does wear the bulbs out faster but I go all year or more without replacing even one. The dimmer works well, or the last several thousand chicks I raised would have cooked. Regardless of it's actual mechanical function, the bulb puts out less heat when it's dimmed.

Red lights have some benefits but it's not like white lights generate a bird you could tell apart from a bird raised under red. The important thing is that the light is full spectrum. Even then many hundreds of thousands of chicks are raised under regular white lights every year and without killing them and using a microscope you won't be able to identify a bird raised under regular white light from one raised under red or infrared bulbs. Of course it's better to use an infra red bulb but to say white light causes stress in chicks is going a little far.

 

[bmmkh]

Definitely agree with the person above, we raised quail for several years and you should not mix different ages. They are very aggressive.

 

[stew1]

maybe ill give my 125 infa reds a shot then, they are a white light but not a bright white. Im new to all of this and some times wonder if I don't over read and think things. I just don't like screwing up on little things. I like the idea of dimmer switches but don't like the price of red brooder bulbs. I was a little off on the ages, they are 4 days apart. Ive been so bizzy my days are starting to run together. There is still quite a size difference between the 2 tho. The eggs came from 2 different places so might just be the line of quail or the little suckers really do grow that fast. I would rather have them be together tho cause I have 3 more batches to hatch and am 1 brooder short if I have to separate them. I got a lil cared away on buying eggs, all are coturnix except 1 batch of Georgia giant/Tennessee red bobs. I have 5 big pens that are 12 sqft and 1 10 sqft pens but didn't think about brooders for all the different groups. Summer needs to come early. How soon will they be able to handle the Midwest temps? I know there is a lot of factors on that but a rough idea would be great. They are wire bottom with solid walls on 1/3 of the cage. Solid tops hanging on the east side of my garage, full sun till noonish. Thank again

 

[dc3085]

The bobs you will need to brood under red lights FYI, white lights do promote aggression in bobs, chukars, and pheasants. Thats probably where a lot of the flack over white lights comes from other than the health aspects. My brooders are in a room with an overhead florescent fixture that has full spectrum bulbs so I don't have to worry about buying special bulbs (although infrared lights are said promote growth better in young birds). After the first week it's best if you use a ceramic heat "bulb" or something that doesn't provide visible light at night so the chicks have a sleep period but are still warm. You should also brood bobs at 97* the first week instead of 95*, if the bobs are fighting but it's minor you can "cool them down" by killing their light for a minute or two. Nobody wants to fight when they're cold.

You can try mixing the ages but the problem is quail can usually kill or ruin a bird before you can interfere. Everything is fine then all the sudden they go all Ted Bundy on the one(s) they don't like.

Re the weather, at 4 weeks they'll be fully feathered and you can wean them off the light, but cover their cages in plastic sheeting so there is no draft, especially from below. As long as it isn't below freezing the entire day they should adjust quickly. Its pretty much going to be a judgement call though.

 

[st8yd]

We have coturnix and have mixed numerous times 3 batches 5 days apart with no problems. But we have not put them with older birds till they were 5 days old.
I am not disputing what is generally said about this nor am I highly experienced. Merely stating what we have done.

 

[Bryam]

If they are 2 days difference you are fine, but a week is too big of an age gap. Brood them separately is my recommendation! Better to be safe than sorry. Quail chicks can be very mean to each other!