Blue Scaled Quail

[mel3]

Thanks

 

[idhound]

Thanks for the great info. So if I have the gambles, valley and scaled all in the same cage does that mean I have to separate them, if I want to bread the three pairs. But not inter bread them.

yes they will interbreed if left in same cage

 

[dc3085]

Thanks for the great info. So if I have the gambles, valley and scaled all in the same cage does that mean I have to separate them, if I want to bread the three pairs. But not inter bread them.

If you keep them all in the same cage you will eventually come home to one or more dead or wounded birds. All three of those species breed in the wild in solo pairs and can be very territorial. For your birds health and safety during mating season they should be put into isolated pairs.

 

[mel3]

What do I feed my quail chicks.

 

[idhound]

What do I feed my quail chicks.

game starter or good feed that is 24% protein or higher, good turkey starter or grower will work. DONT feed medicated chick food it will kill your quail babies. stay away from all medicated feeds when raise game birds. i use IFA game starter mash. until 2 weeks old then switch to IFA turkey grower mash until 4 weeks then i feed turkey grower pellets from then on will toss in little scratch and local mill laying mash if females are laying once adults. if you can't find game starter use unmediicated chick mash and buy bag of cat food grind up cat food mix with chick mash remember UNMEDICATED. hope this helps. if your out west you might be able to find IFA dealer @ IFA.com. i usually dont promote brands but they are the best i have found next to my local mill. they sell IFA brands. i use his laying mash for chickens and IFA for gamebirds Quail (coturnix, mountains, and bobwhites)

 

[mel3]

Do I keep my quail chicks together with mother when they hatch. Or can I put them all in a metal tub with a heat lamp on them.

 

[WaterfowlWierdo]

Most quail will not brood their young. so you are best off putting them in a brooder with a heat lamp

 

[idhound]

Do I keep my quail chicks together with mother when they hatch. Or can I put them all in a metal tub with a heat lamp on them.

Most Likely you will not have any female quail go broody in captivity so you will have to gather eggs and incubate them and raise in brooder. i know my mountains do not go broody as well as my bobwhites never sit on the eggs. so you best bet is to gather and incubate.

 

[Ntsees]

Regarding a broody female quail (referring to native U.S. quail), it depends on which batch/bloodline of birds you have and how much space and privacy you give them. When I had my first mountains years ago, I had a hen mountain that would make a nest and brood her eggs. However, I wasn't able to see if the hen would actually sit the entire ~28 days because I had to switch out the eggs she was sitting on with eggs that were ready to hatch in the incubator (which were also her eggs but laid earlier). The exciting part was that she took care of the chicks as a mother hen would. My current mountain hens, which are from a different batch and are a disappointment, don't sit on their eggs. Contrary to my mountains, my valley hens sit on their eggs to full term and raise the chicks without fail. They did it last year, and they'll do it again this year in a few months. (fyi: don't expect a hen quail to sit on her eggs in a wired cage; my valleys brood because I give them my entire backyard)

 

[mel3]

How big should my brooder be.