2nd run at quail. need info please

[jwatts]

2 years ago i tried my run at coturnix quail, i hatched a bunch bet they didnt seem to last me. i was devistated!! I would like to try it again but am a little nervous about it. Im looking for some info on raising them from newborn. I believe i was using the wrong food the first time, I was using game bird feed. Not game bird starter. Do you think this could have been the problem they were dying off in the first few days? Should i brood them on wood shavings? paper towels? any help would be greatly appriciated. thank you for your time.

 

[TwoCrows]

No, I doubt the reason for them not making it was the use of gamebird food instead of gamebird starter.

If they are dying off on the first few days, then it could be a few things. First things first, start with a good brooder. Make sure it has solid walls and flooring as well. Do not cover the lid of the brooder with anything but screen or wire. You want good oxygen and heat exchange. Quail are very susceptible to dying in drafts when they are young. So use a cardboard box or a plastic storage container will work well.

Place the heat source off to one side and the water and feed on the other side, so they have to step out from under the heat to eat and drink. Start the temp at 95 degrees for hatchlings, (temp at quail head height), and lower the temp by 5 degrees each week until they are 6 weeks old. Use an infra red bulb if you have one so the sleep cycle of the babies is not disturbed.

Use a chick waterer or a small water font with marbles or stones in the base so the babies do not drown. Quail are very tiny and fall in the water very easily and drown. You can also use jelly jar lids with tiny stones in it as well. Dip their beaks in the water when they are first put in the brooder so they know where the water is.

You can brood them on shavings, sand, hay or even wire, but make sure it is not a slippery surface. Lay down paper towels for the first 3 or 4 days and sprinkle food all around the feeder area on the floor so the babies can find the food. Quail are not quick to find food or water. You can remove the paper towels when you are sure everybody knows where the food is kept.

Keep the brooder as clean as possible to prevent any cocci, which will show up after 2 to 4 weeks of age. Good luck!

 

[gingerly1983]

Great info!

 

[quail98]

I have a question i have coturnix chicks hatching today and need to no wen they can go outside i have a very nice coop that is insulated and heated except the wire floor wich dosent get much draft with my clean out pan under it i also have carpet on the wire floor in the corner were the light is for them to b on

It gets low as 30 now and highs up to 60 or so

 

[laseterlass]

Wait till they are fully feathered. 4 weeks minimum

 

[quail98]

K thanks for the info

 

[jwatts]

No, I doubt the reason for them not making it was the use of gamebird food instead of gamebird starter.

If they are dying off on the first few days, then it could be a few things. First things first, start with a good brooder. Make sure it has solid walls and flooring as well. Do not cover the lid of the brooder with anything but screen or wire. You want good oxygen and heat exchange. Quail are very susceptible to dying in drafts when they are young. So use a cardboard box or a plastic storage container will work well.

Place the heat source off to one side and the water and feed on the other side, so they have to step out from under the heat to eat and drink. Start the temp at 95 degrees for hatchlings, (temp at quail head height), and lower the temp by 5 degrees each week until they are 6 weeks old. Use an infra red bulb if you have one so the sleep cycle of the babies is not disturbed.

Use a chick waterer or a small water font with marbles or stones in the base so the babies do not drown. Quail are very tiny and fall in the water very easily and drown. You can also use jelly jar lids with tiny stones in it as well. Dip their beaks in the water when they are first put in the brooder so they know where the water is.

You can brood them on shavings, sand, hay or even wire, but make sure it is not a slippery surface. Lay down paper towels for the first 3 or 4 days and sprinkle food all around the feeder area on the floor so the babies can find the food. Quail are not quick to find food or water. You can remove the paper towels when you are sure everybody knows where the food is kept.

Keep the brooder as clean as possible to prevent any cocci, which will show up after 2 to 4 weeks of age. Good luck!

Thanks a million twocrows!! im hoping this time will be a better run. Last time i used a white bulb. This time ill use a red heat bulb,game bird starter,marbles in the water, paper towels for the first 3-4 days. Anything else i should be doing? Im just trying to cover all the steps. I thought my first time they were as easy as chicks,boy was i wrong..

 

[TwoCrows]

It is a pretty easy process really, brooding chicks. Once the babies figure out how to eat and drink, they will take care of the rest of the growing if given the proper environment. A few things in their environment that are important are...keep the drafts down and keeping the litter or floor dry. The draft thing is easy if you use a brooder that has solid walls along with the floor. Again, do not cover the top of the brooder with anything but wire. Keeping the litter dry is very important to keep disease down. Babies have not yet developed their immune systems and are very susceptible to bacterias, viruses and other nasties. I always brood my chicks on wire. The floor stays dry, the poop falls thru the wire and the environment stays clean. Change out the water daily and keep poop out of the feed. As they age, you may need to elevate the feed and water to keep gunk out of these areas. Watch your temp and how the babies react to the changing temps. In the future, you will learn what they need from how they are acting.

If you follow these basic steps, you should raise healthy babies. Sometimes there are a few babies that don't have the make up to make it to adulthood, but generally these guide lines will get most of them there.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[beakmaster]

my first hatchlings are 4 weeks, before that we bought ours. We tried wood shavings at first but the chicks were trying to eat them. 3 paper towels stacked works great cause you can lift the mess out. Also, a 10 gallon aquarium works great for a brooder till they are about 2 weeks. good luck!

 

[quail98]

I've done the aquarium to lol