Bobwhite Quail Brooder

[CayugaJana]

We are incubating 225 bobwhites right now. I’m trying to figure out the best way to set up a brooder with supplies I already have. I want to use a large squarish kiddie pool

I plan on taking this to my basement and filling the bottom with shavings and figuring out some sort of hardware cloth “lid” to go over it. We have a large outdoor flight pen we are building for when they are older. But while they are smaller, what do you guys think about the size? Do I need to make sections to divide them up to prevent piling up? Let them roam between the sections? Those buggers aren’t the nicest fowl to each other.

 

[bhaugh]

It might be hard to heat. Bob's are kinda fragile because they are so small.

 

[CayugaJana]

I have several heat lamps and yes they do seem fragile. I’ve hatched ducks before. And the ducks are a lot more robust than quail. Although ducks are messy messy messy.

 

[bhaugh]

You'll have to do something with the sides cardboard maybe? They will fly out by 3 weeks. My two week olds fly out of mine

 

[CayugaJana]

You'll have to do something with the sides cardboard maybe? They will fly out by 3 weeks. My two week olds fly out of mine

I’m thinking of making a hinged top made of hardware cloth and wood.??? But I might need to section that too so they don’t fly out when I open. They can jump and flutter quite a bit already. I have 35 I hatched that are 9 days old now. I wanted to do a trial run first.

 

[CayugaJana]

How old are they before they are fully feathered?

 

[bhaugh]

They feathered out pretty quick but I hatched in the fall and use my summer brooding plan which is 2 weeks on the light then one additional week off the light in my house then their outside. The birds feather out faster I find without light. But it's cold out now so extra time with the light.

 

[CayugaJana]

They feathered out pretty quick but I hatched in the fall and use my summer brooding plan which is 2 weeks on the light then one additional week off the light in my house then their outside. The birds feather out faster I find without light. But it's cold out now so extra time with the light.

I made the mistake of letting it get a little too warm and kept a regular light on. They picked at one of the quails butt so much it died. I turned off the light and pulled back the heat lamp and they quit.