Baby Chukar Care

[DarkDoctrines]

Dearest backyard chicken community,

Would you be able to give me some tips on my newly acquired chukar partridges?

I have been raising and taking care of quail for some time, which went pretty good.

I recently bought 4 day old chukar chicks, however, which is going to so good. I am using the
same brooder setup I have for my quail, which is a plastic mesh bottom transparent container with
a feeder, waterer and a heat lamp.

The chicks are terrified! They don't move, don't play around or do anything quail do when they are babies.
They just pile in the corner and constantly peck it with their beaks, trying to find a way out when I am
around. ALso, I have not seen them eat or drink water. Finally, they make almost no sounds as well, they
just sit nervously in the corner, lie down all the time, or try to find a way out and escape.

Also, yesterday we took one of them for a "walk" in our kitchen, but it ran really, really fast and hid under
a piece of furniture - just like a mouse. I had to get it out of there by, well, moving the cupboards, beds
etc, again just like would do wit a mouse.

I guess my question for you would be, I know they are wild but is there a way to make them relax a little
bit? I hate to see them so stressed and miserable.

Thanks in advance,
Alex

 

[007Sean]

Dearest backyard chicken community,

Would you be able to give me some tips on my newly acquired chukar partridges?

I have been raising and taking care of quail for some time, which went pretty good.

I recently bought 4 day old chukar chicks, however, which is going to so good. I am using the
same brooder setup I have for my quail, which is a plastic mesh bottom transparent container with
a feeder, waterer and a heat lamp.

The chicks are terrified! They don't move, don't play around or do anything quail do when they are babies.
They just pile in the corner and constantly peck it with their beaks, trying to find a way out when I am
around. ALso, I have not seen them eat or drink water. Finally, they make almost no sounds as well, they
just sit nervously in the corner, lie down all the time, or try to find a way out and escape.

Also, yesterday we took one of them for a "walk" in our kitchen, but it ran really, really fast and hid under
a piece of furniture - just like a mouse. I had to get it out of there by, well, moving the cupboards, beds
etc, again just like would do wit a mouse.

I guess my question for you would be, I know they are wild but is there a way to make them relax a little
bit? I hate to see them so stressed and miserable.

Thanks in advance,
Alex

Not really anything you can do....chucker partridges by nature are 'high strung'.
As far as brooding them (talking from experince) a circular brooder is best, no corners to pile up in, that is a 'characteristic' of partridge chicks. Also a white light is better than a red light for them, the red light seems to make them skittish....just the opposite of most gamebird chicks.
HTH

 

[123Kamal]

Dearest backyard chicken community,

Would you be able to give me some tips on my newly acquired chukar partridges?

I have been raising and taking care of quail for some time, which went pretty good.

I recently bought 4 day old chukar chicks, however, which is going to so good. I am using the
same brooder setup I have for my quail, which is a plastic mesh bottom transparent container with
a feeder, waterer and a heat lamp.

The chicks are terrified! They don't move, don't play around or do anything quail do when they are babies.
They just pile in the corner and constantly peck it with their beaks, trying to find a way out when I am
around. ALso, I have not seen them eat or drink water. Finally, they make almost no sounds as well, they
just sit nervously in the corner, lie down all the time, or try to find a way out and escape.

Also, yesterday we took one of them for a "walk" in our kitchen, but it ran really, really fast and hid under
a piece of furniture - just like a mouse. I had to get it out of there by, well, moving the cupboards, beds
etc, again just like would do wit a mouse.

I guess my question for you would be, I know they are wild but is there a way to make them relax a little
bit? I hate to see them so stressed and miserable.

Thanks in advance,
Alex

Hi, Any expert my chukar chicks are age 5 days but not eating and drinking, some time they are good fasting moveing and some you thinking it’s die, when I touch them than looks live, it’s very hard and crazy me what I do???

 

[Zenmonkey]

You don't mention which quail you have. Buttons / kings and coturnix / japanese are really quite domesticated compared to many game birds. Chukars and ring neck pheasants in particular may come from a line bred more for flight and hunting than as "pets".

Make sure they have some quiet. Cats and dogs can really have them on edge. Anything that casts a moving shadow from above may trigger a hawk response. This includes when you appear over top of the enclosure.

 

[007Sean]

You don't mention which quail you have. Buttons / kings and coturnix / japanese are really quite domesticated compared to many game birds. Chukars and ring neck pheasants in particular may come from a line bred more for flight and hunting than as "pets".

Make sure they have some quiet. Cats and dogs can really have them on edge. Anything that casts a moving shadow from above may trigger a hawk response. This includes when you appear over top of the enclosure.

This post is nearly 5 years old, I really don't think those are chick's anymore! OP hasn't been on since July of 2024....you may or may not get a reply!

 

[Zenmonkey]

Wow, that's crazy! Thanks for pointing that out!

I saw the post from @123Kamal on Sunday and I didn't realize they weren't the OP.

So, yeah. My question about the quail is completely irrelevant. My apologies!

 

[007Sean]

Wow, that's crazy! Thanks for pointing that out!

I saw the post from @123Kamal on Sunday and I didn't realize they weren't the OP.

View attachment 4123840

So, yeah. My question about the quail is completely irrelevant. My apologies!

No worries!