Another Newbie Coturnix Quail Question :)

[cooltindog]

My 10 Coturnix are close to six weeks old. I just ordered hatching eggs from a different supplier. Do I need to seperate/quarantine the hatchlings from my existing quail after they hatch and brood? If so, how far apart and for how long? Thanks, Carl

 

[TwoCrows]

You will need to mix the new chicks in slowly as you can't mix them in directly with out a lot of chaos and blood shed. So the slow intro will work also as a quarantine. Once the chicks have grown to 6 or 7 weeks of age, put them on the other side of your pen and section it off, existing flock on one side, new birds on the other, so everybody sees, but nobody can touch. You can use hardware cloth to separate. Leave them this way for about 3 weeks. This will allow for some of the pecking order to be worked out without any contact. You can mix them in after 3+ weeks. Make sure to not cram your birds together, give them enough space and add more food and water stations. If there is too much competition, birds will go hungry and dehydrate. The number one cause of egg binding comes from dehydration because they are afraid to drink or are being run off.

 

[cooltindog]

Thanks for the advice. I ordered the additions to get a broader bloodline. I am planning on integrating the 2 "families" in a couple months (?). I have not been able to find any info on how to best do this. My current coop is set up to be quartered, with 5 quail in each 1/4, 1 roo and 4 hens, but I don't have any experience in raising game birds (or other birds). So, I have been sifting through the internet and creating a composite plan based on the info I gather. I really appreciate your help!