help need information on bobwhite quail?

[quail lover2440]

I'm a first time quail owner and i'm wondering some different things about bobwhites like hatching, brooding, raising, breeding, and the pen conditions ect

 

[TwoCrows]

Wow, that is a lot of needed information all at once! LOL

But just the basics....

Bob eggs incubate for 23-24 days. Temp, 99.7 degrees. Humidity 55% to 60%. Lock down on day 20 and up the humidity to 70%.

Brooder temp: Start them out at 97 degrees and lower the temp by 5 degrees each week till 6 weeks old. Feed gamebird food, something with 24% to 28 % protein. Crush up the feed for the first 2 weeks of life so they can eat it easier. Sprinkle food all around the feeder area for the first few days so they can find the feed. (put down paper towels during this time. You can remove them after a few days) Use an infra red bulb in the brooder to keep them calm and allow for a normal sleeping pattern. Keep the heat off to one side and the feed and water to the other side so they have to leave the heat source to get to the goods. Do not cover the lid of the brooder with anything but a screen or wire for good heat and oxygen exchange. Use a chick waterer or put marbles in a regular water base so they do not drown.

They can be moved outside at 6 weeks old. You can sex them at 12 weeks. They mature at 6 months old, however generally won't start laying til the following spring after their hatch.

Depending on how aggressive your birds are, the first year, you can keep them all together as a group. However after one year old, during the breeding season, (spring thru fall), they will need to be pair off, one male to one female and separated from each other as they will hurt or even kill each other during this time. Do not keep lone females with a mated pair. They mate for life. After the breeding season is over, you can mix the entire group back together for the winter covey.

Bobs require at least 4 square feet per bird. They are large, hyper and can be excitable. You can keep them in pens or aviaries. They are prone to night frights and flushing upwards. So provide cover in pens or aviaries in the form of small tree branches or large brush piles to hide in.

You can not handle them without a lot of stress on them. Keep that to a minimum.

 

[TwoCrows]

Oh, and welcome to BYC and the quail forums!

 

[quail lover2440]

Thanks for all the information

 

[DoubletakeFarm]

There will be a lot more info when Twocrows finishes the book she's writing "All about Bobs".

Puleeese?? I'd pay money for it!

 

[TwoCrows]

There will be a lot more info when Twocrows finishes the book she's writing "All about Bobs".

Puleeese?? I'd pay money for it!

OMG NO! LOL..LOL

Just keep some Bobs for a year or two and they will have you professionally trained in no time!

And trust me...they will leave no leaf unturned!! LOL

 

[SavageChick]

I'd pay money for this book as well, and I don't even raise Bobwhites. The woman is a wealth of quail knowledge.

 

[quail lover2440]

Ok and I'd pay money for the book too

 

[PetRock]

Me, too! I didn't plan on raising quail but received 34 bobwhite quail eggs with my new incubator. 19 hatched and they are now 9 weeks old. Of course, I didn't have a pen for them so now these free eggs have cost me hundreds of dollars in building supplies and many hours of labor constructing a raised, two level pen. I found one of them scalped today. I separated him/her and treated with Vetericyn. They are currently in the top 4 x 8 ft pen and we still have the doors to finish on the middle level pen. Is that too many birds for that amount of space? I was only planning on keeping 1 or 2 breeding pairs (1 on 1, correct?) and processing the rest. They don't have access to the ground. Would it be better for them to be on the ground? I have an aviary space that could be modified to give them that access but it is not as secure as the pen. Thank you for any advice you can give me!

 

[TwoCrows]

Me, too! I didn't plan on raising quail but received 34 bobwhite quail eggs with my new incubator. 19 hatched and they are now 9 weeks old. Of course, I didn't have a pen for them so now these free eggs have cost me hundreds of dollars in building supplies and many hours of labor constructing a raised, two level pen. I found one of them scalped today. I separated him/her and treated with Vetericyn. They are currently in the top 4 x 8 ft pen and we still have the doors to finish on the middle level pen. Is that too many birds for that amount of space? I was only planning on keeping 1 or 2 breeding pairs (1 on 1, correct?) and processing the rest. They don't have access to the ground. Would it be better for them to be on the ground? I have an aviary space that could be modified to give them that access but it is not as secure as the pen. Thank you for any advice you can give me!

Yes, space is your problem here. They are getting to that age where they require 4 square feet per bird. That's why the scalping. And yes, they are paired 1 on 1. They would definitely appreciate being on the ground, however if they will do fine in pens. However, because Bobs can be nervous and flushy, you might want to cut some branches with leaves from a nearby tree and prop them up in the corners of the pen with the leaves hanging down. That way they can hide and feel secure and this should help keep them calm enough to not want to flush up when scared. If you keep them in an aviary style set up, you can use branches to make a brush pile. (I use fake christmas trees. Got tired of cutting branches.

Good luck with your Bobs!