Feeding baby quail

[cawooduck]

I bought a 50# bag of gamebird starter the other day, $19 for the bag, and well worth it. A 25# bag of catfood is $9, so they almost even out. With everything going on in my life (and those little garbage disposals called quail chicks!) its tough to find the time to grind up cat food for 87 chicks, although i did do it for the first two days after my hatch on Monday, the chicks loved it!

Find a catfood that is 30%, read the label on the bag and it will tell you, then grind it up and feed!!

I will admit that i raised five wood duck ducklings last year from hatch to fledglings on flock raiser, and they are healthy as can be!!
However i do spoil them now (well, all my wildfowl) and feed them Mazuri Waterfowl food, but at $32 a #50 bag, it gets expensive when they go through a bag every few weeks!!

Goodluck and take care!!...........Jason

 

[gabrielle1976]

Thank you all

I got my quail eggs in the mail today 4 were cracked , I waxed two. Im crossing my fingers all will be ok but I have some questions on that as well so I am gonna hijack my own thread.

1. when I put them in the bator do I just lay them down ?
2. 100 is fine?
3. 50% humidity?
4.16-18 days yes? Stoping at day 14
5. what do you do when they hatch there sooooo tiny the babies would have to be like little gum balls with fuzz where do I put them I was gonna put them in a small cat kennel but they could just hop right out the front Im assumeing from the size of the eggs is a big 30 gallon tub ok withtout a top for awhile?

 

[ShadyGlade]

I brood quail in a long 20 gallon fish tank with a small desk lamp as a brooder light. at first I cover the screened top with a bath towel over foil to hold in heat. they are all here in the computer room so they're fun to watch while on line. We have marbles in the water so they don't get wet & chilled and their feed is in a lid from a metal tin. When they get larger they'll graduate to the tin instead of the lid.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I have mine in a rubbermaid tote. They will stay there until they are big enough to go outside. I feed mine flock raiser, which is 20% protein I believe. I feed this to all my birds, buttons, coturnix, ducks, chickens. It is a good all-purpose food.
When they are babies, I wet their feed and keep it in a bowl in the fridge so it doesn't spoil. It dries out a lot in the fridge, so when I feed them it is no longer wet. This makes the feed smaller, reduces waste, and ensures that everyone is able to eat it.
I use parakeet feeders that I bought for my buttons for their water. They are perfect! The part that they drink from is so small, a button quail chick can't even get into it. It is similar to this one http://www.petco.com/Shop/AlternateImages.aspx?FamilyID=6098&sku= but it is all plastic. I just have some holes drilled in the sides of the tub, and have the feeders set on the floor. I stick wire through the holes to keep them from getting tipped over.
Your incubation methods sound right-on to me

 

[otakalhasas]

I brood quail in a long 20 gallon fish tank with a small desk lamp as a brooder light. at first I cover the screened top with a bath towel over foil to hold in heat. they are all here in the computer room so they're fun to watch while on line. We have marbles in the water so they don't get wet & chilled and their feed is in a lid from a metal tin. When they get larger they'll graduate to the tin instead of the lid.

I know this is a really old thread, but I am curious - what wattage bulb do you use in the desk lamp? 75W, 100W, or larger. I have some quail eggs due to hatch next week and I'd like to try the desk lamp/aquarium idea rather than a brooder box with an electric hen that I use for my chickens.

Hope to hear from you! Thanks!!!

 

[mporche]

I start all my bobwhites on 28% Gamebirds starter.My survival rates are very good.