How long do quail need to be in the brooder?

[Jocasta]

Hiya. I have forty three week old quail. It was pretty hot here and they all seemed pretty feathered up so I put them all in the garden. As luck would have it (or not) the weather took a turn for the worse and dropped 10 degrees. Was feeding them yesterday and noticed what I thought was a dead quail in the corner of the nesting area. I removed it and discovered it was still alive, but barely and extremely cold. I brought it and stuck it straight in the incubator (quickest way to warm it up that I could think of), and syringe fed it some sugar water with a pinch of salt. It looks absolutely fine now although is considerably smaller than the others so I think I'm going to give him a few more days indoors.

A few questions.

How long should quail be under the heat?
With regards to the little guy I have indoors, how long do you think I should keep him in for?
Should I bring some others in to keep him company?

TIA

 

[TwoCrows]

First of all, where are you that it dropped to 10 degrees!! Are you talking celsius? Three weeks old is WAY too young to be with out heat of the lamp. Bring them all back in and keep the brooder lamp on them till they are about 6 weeks old an FULLY feathered. They should still have temps of low 80's or so at three weeks. Lower the temp about 5 degrees each week until room temp or if it is really cold where you live, continue lowering the heat till you reach somewhere close to the coldest temp you all are having.

 

[Jocasta]

No, it's not 10 degrees, it's dropped by ten degrees. We were going through a heatwave and it's gone from high 70s to high 60s - dropped by 10f. Sorry, should have made that clearer. Due to the heat, I figured they'd be fine.

Thanks for responding, I'll get them back under the lamp x

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

they should be kept at 85 this week, then drop down to around 80 by next week, then 75...when you hit 70 - you can put them outside on wire, but they'll need it (enclosure) a bit closed in and not at the mercy of the elements.

 

[joe125]

What species of QUAIL are we talking about here?

 

[Jocasta]

The parent stock were japanese courtenix, jumbo whites, tuxedo & jumbo golden. I have a few I believe to be pure japs and a couple of white ones with a black dot on their heads, and the others are a variety of colours.

They are actually four and a half weeks old, typo!

The outdoor temp is mid 80s today and likely to be for at least the next week. The spot in the garden is very sheltered, they're almost entirely boxed in and they've got a thick garden fleece cover that I was putting over them at night. All of the others were doing really well out there, but I've brought them back in under the light for now, although I have been turning it off for several hours during the hottest period of the day. The little guy has made a really great recovery! I'm just glad that I saw him when I did. (I think "he" is actually a she as she's courtenix colouring with a clear breast - that indicates female right? Although sexing mixed breeds is a little more complicated...)

Oh, and they do appear fully feathered.

Thanks guys

 

[joe125]

Oh...4+ week old coturnix should be fine in the weather conditions you describe!

You can tell people what to do with their thermometers