What would be the right number of chicks / square foot of brooder?
I built a brooder 1' x 2' out of tubberware. Put in 16 newly hatched chicks in there. 2 seemed weaker and being stomped on, one already died and one I put back into the incubator just to separate her. She probably won't make it.
But the question I have is, even with the remaining 14, they don't seem to get any rest. When some got tired and laid down, a bunch of others would run and and jump on them. My first time raising quail so I have lot so question. With chickens they all seem to want to get up, eat together and play and then huddle together to sleep. Quails seem to be a lot more aggressive with each other. Is this what you observe? Or I wonder if my environment is not right. I have a red heat lamp, water and chick starter (grounded). Have couple thermometer and they read around 95-97 degrees. The chicks found food and water OK.
I found 3 chicks last night that were extra aggressive, biting on the foot of some poor sleeping chick and dragging it around. I pulled those 3 and slightly clipped their beaks with a nail clipper. Very tiny clip but still saw some blood. They seem OK after a few seconds. Did I do the right thing?
I built a brooder 1' x 2' out of tubberware. Put in 16 newly hatched chicks in there. 2 seemed weaker and being stomped on, one already died and one I put back into the incubator just to separate her. She probably won't make it.
But the question I have is, even with the remaining 14, they don't seem to get any rest. When some got tired and laid down, a bunch of others would run and and jump on them. My first time raising quail so I have lot so question. With chickens they all seem to want to get up, eat together and play and then huddle together to sleep. Quails seem to be a lot more aggressive with each other. Is this what you observe? Or I wonder if my environment is not right. I have a red heat lamp, water and chick starter (grounded). Have couple thermometer and they read around 95-97 degrees. The chicks found food and water OK.
I found 3 chicks last night that were extra aggressive, biting on the foot of some poor sleeping chick and dragging it around. I pulled those 3 and slightly clipped their beaks with a nail clipper. Very tiny clip but still saw some blood. They seem OK after a few seconds. Did I do the right thing?
