Coturnix Quail Basics- Information and Pictures Galore

[Lobzi]

Gamebird starter - 26-30% protein. Crushed into powder and scattered everywhere for the first few days. Quail chicks do not have the food reserve that chickens do, they need to be taught to eat much sooner. Immediately.

Shallow water (avoid drowning) - dip every single beak in water after removing from incubator

Red heat lamp - decreases stress compared to white bulb. Have an area 100 degrees that they know where to go to warm up and then have areas that they can go to cool down if necessary.

Cleanliness - quail chicks are more susceptible to coccidiosis than are chicken chicks. Keep it clean and neat.

Other areas of consideration - if raising wild breeds (Mountain, Valley, Bobwhite etc.) then provide lots of space. Much more than a chicken chick. They are little pickers. Also with these breeds, do not let them have too much natural sunlight because this can bring out their aggressiveness.

Wow, thank you so much for that through sharing of info. Im doing wrong temp, watering and feeding wise. I can see why Im not having much success. I will hopefully be able to save the 4 remaining survivors.

 

[orumpoultry]

JJ gives more great information.

Nikki, you had asked about doves and quail. The reason they're typically housed together in aviaries is because they get along so well. There's nothing beneficial from it. Since you can eat dove also, they make a good companion breed.

 

[shiori]

Hello..

I was wondering if anyone can help our little quail eggs out.
I had 10 eggs (all viable) with 4 that hatched on day 15~ (I'm on day 24 now)
The remaining 6 eggs are wiggling and dancing around since about 4 days ago.
They have not pipped (none that I can see) and no chirps but def moving around.
Any advice as to how long I should wait before giving up or what I should do?

I prefer not intervene with nature but it is also hard to ignore if they need help...

Any advice?
Thank you for your time.

 

[dc3085]

If they can't make it out of the shell on their own, they probably aren't fit to unfortunately. Any coturnix that hatches more than a couple days late is all but sure to have problems.

Regarding teaching quail to eat....they don't need you to. If you pull them out of the incubator before they've been in it 24 hours they won't eat because they aren't hungry. The first 24-36 hours after hatch they're running on the nutrition from the absorbed yolk and don't require any feed. After the first 24 hours giving them access to food in the brooder is all that is required. I haven't tried to teach chicks to eat in more than a year and nothing about the way I hatch and raise birds changed. It's us that thinks they need the intervention, not them. Same thing goes for grinding feed pretty much. Aside from the fact that all the food that turns to powder while being ground, is wasted, it's also no help to their respiratory systems.

Chickens actually greatly benefit from eating sooner than later. New production incubators are being used by some farms where the incubator is attached to the brooder with a tunnel containing a slow moving conveyor. The brooder light attracts the chicks from the incubator toward the conveyor which deposits them in the brooder with feed and water present. Companies producing broilers can butcher them as much a couple days sooner (representing huge savings on the year) which would indicate that chickens benefit growth-wise from immediate feed consumption after hatch.

 

[shiori]

Thank you for your reply~ I'm sad and torn to see them wiggle around and not "make it" - and not do anything...

..today I hear actual pecking in two of the six eggs (for the 1st time) and less wiggling for the rest.

** Imma sap!! **

 

[lauradrake21]

It's tricky when they havent pipped, but i helped four of seven that had, I also could not see them struggle. 6 of the 7 have been as healthy as. Only one was obviously a runt, as it were, but he has also fought back and although smaller, holds his ground, eats and drinks like the rest. Now they are 11 days old and feathering up nicely, they have been so easy!

Thing is I got my humidity way too low when hatching so felt it was my obligation to correct my error, and deemed that nature did actually "want" them out. If they havent even pipped it is a different story though, especially as you wouldnt even know when to break the egg without damaging the chicks. I tend to think they would survive but you would have to hand hold them through the first few days, they would probably be weak, and I wouldnt use them to breed in the future, unless you also think you got your humidity etc wrong, in which case they could be strong enough to survive but the eggs have gone too hard for them???

I would try at this stage as you dont have anything to lose. If they die, I would think at least I gave them a chance to see the world, but I am a stupidly sentimental sap! =) Let us know what happens.

 

[shiori]

Hello, I'm at day 25 now with three rocking and rolling Coturnix Quail eggs - down from the six yesterday...

I'm happy that there are three but sad that the other three may not be doing so good. But nature has a special way with things - and trust I do~

Thank you for your comments! It is really awesome to know that there are others out there that care and think about this stuff too!
I'm newly hatched to Quailing~ ^.^ *as if nobody can tell~*

 

[Austinspoultry]

Leaving my mark

 

[orumpoultry]

Hello, I'm at day 25 now with three rocking and rolling Coturnix Quail eggs - down from the six yesterday...  
I'm happy that there are three but sad that the other three may not be doing so good.  But nature has a special way with things - and trust I do~

Thank you for your comments! It is really awesome to know that there are others out there that care and think about this stuff too!  
I'm newly hatched to Quailing~  ^.^  *as if nobody can tell~*  e

Day 25? Were your temperatures low?

 

[jeepster]

Day 25 does seem a bit long. I have not had one go past day 19. Most of mine hatch out on day 17