Gamble Quails WHAT AM I DOING WRONG???

[TwoCrows]

They should be on some solid flooring, either the ground with some litter strewn on it or even a wooden floor with litter on it. Wire is what they don't do well with.

 

[Lacrystol]

Liter do you mean like cat litter??? What about fine pine???

 

[Lacrystol]

Liter do you mean like cat litter??? What about fine pine???

 

[TwoCrows]

"Litter" as in wood shavings or grass hay...things of this nature. Sand also works well. It is the only bedding/litter I use.

 

[ylly]

I would medicate them as to the directions. Hopefully you will not lose anymore before it kicks in. They look nice.
Good luck !

 

[Lacrystol]

Well we Past Wednesday, that means it's been more than a week (by one day) but at least we Broke the 1 week death. I still have all six, LOL. Two of my boys are getting really Bright Red heads, YES THEY LOOK LIKE GAMBLES. I think putting branches in there cage has really helped among the other things we did. LOL.. They are eating about 1/2 of a quart of container of gamebird feed plus the eggs, vegetable, fruits with mealworms. I'm stll concerned about there drinking. They hardly drink any water, worries me because if they have a bacteria infection of some kind they are not drinking the medicine to get rid of it. This is day three of treatment, I have it in a red chicken water bowl a quart. Perhaps they need something other then this??

I'm so excited to see the Bright red heads. OMG. Plus they have the spotted chest, they are really looking good. LOL. I'm sooo excited, now if we can get the girls to lay eggs. That will make my week. LOL.. They seem to really enjoy sitting on top of the branches at night but by the opened wire. I would think they would enjoy the darker spot more but nope.. I haven't heard much singing going on but then again I read they do this in the morning. Perhaps they do it before I go to work.

 

[TwoCrows]

What I do if I need to medicate birds thru the drinking water is I do not give them anything wet like fruit, veggies, eggs and things that they can get moisture out of during treatment. Very dry food only. This way they have no choice but to drink the water. They may be getting enough moisture out of the veggies and not drinking enough. If you are using a standard water font for poultry, then they should use it when they get thirsty enough. If you are sure they are not drinking enough yet, just extend the meds a few extra days.

So glad to hear they are doing better! After you finish up their treatment, get them on probiotics in the water for a week or so after to replentish all the good bacteria that was lost while on the antibiotics. You can use human grade stuff if you don't have any poultry probiotics.

 

[Lacrystol]

OK, it's been a week and 4 days and I have NOT lost any more quails here's what they look like today:






Now question, Two of the Boys are getting there Red heads but the one that paired up with the girl, No red head???

 

[TwoCrows]

They look fantastic! Good job!

How long have they been on the antibiotics now? You don't need to continue past 10 days, but go at least 7. A few extra if you think they weren't drinking it on those first few days. Get some probiotics in them for a week to help replace the good bacteria. And get them back on all those veggies and goodies they so love.

You may not need to pair them off this year. It depends on the birds themselves. Many times first year Gambels are not aggressive enough to bother each other. They have not chosen mates or have gotten used to their hormones. So you can try leaving them all together and see how it goes. As long as they have enough room to each "play house", then you might be ok till next spring. Just keep a close eye on them all this summer to make sure they are behaving. You may or may not need to separate. Come next year, you will have to separate the pairs from each other.

If you have any left over males or females, you can either get or hatch more mates, or let them have their own space. You won't be able to leave a lone male or female around a mated pair next year.

Good luck with these gorgeous birds! They look great. I just love Gambels.

 

[TwoCrows]

Oh and another thing...the females like to chose their own mates. Although you can pair them yourself. In the future when breeding season rolls around and you go to separate them out, try to keep the pairs together that belong together. They mate for life.