how much time daily?

[saddina]

Ok so we were planning on building the pens once school lets out in 2 weeks, and buying the bator (settled on a brinsea 20) and spending a lazy summer enjoying the hens, quail and kids....

We found out yesterday our oldest boy, who's 9, is going deaf, and instead of a lazy summer, we're taking ASL crash courses and dr's appts, speech apts, etc.

But... he still wants his quail (he likes the crowing sound), so with time being at a premimum this summer, I need to know about how much time it takes a day. I know butchering goes pretty fast, it
s the daily work I need to know about.

If it helps, checking on the hens twice a day takes me ~ 5 mins total.

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

I'm very sorry about your son

I lost count as to how many quail I have - 30+ in 3 different cages. The basement birds (brooding chicks) I feed and water in the morning - 10 minutes. Then I feed the outside cages and collect eggs - 10 minutes. When I get home from work, I re-water if needed and collect more eggs - 10 minutes. On either Saturday or Sunday, I clean - an hour max. As long as you keep up with it, the time is minimal.

I should add that my cages have wire bottoms. The chicks' cage has a tray with newspaper and pine shavings. The outdoor birds are also on wire but I built their cage to fit the aluminum lasagna (catering size) pans (3) so I dump them in the garden, wash, and replace.

 

[citalk2much]

Very sorry about your son

I find quail fast and easy I feed and water each morning 5 to 10 minutes. In the evening a gather eggs and once a week I clean cages. Water bottles help a ton they keep the cages dry cuts down any smell cleaning cages no time at all over in about an hour. I have 8 button cages and 2 coturnix cages

 

[monarc23]

longest part for meis once a week shoveling under hte pens and throwing the poo over the hill in the woods and liming under hte pens

takes about a half hour if I work fast

I feed and water twice a day they're HOGs lately

takes about 5-8 mins a day to feed and water just the quails


I have about 39?

 

[saddina]

Good, that's what I had thought, but I didn't want to assume and be wrong.

I do think it's the first time he's ever said he likes a sound, so I'll go with it and get him a few.

 

[Boyd]

My kiddo's take me about 5 minutes twice a day, and every other week I empty out the rubbermaid totes under the cage to catch their poo..... this I've started to spread in my off rows in the garden

I go out, top off their water dish, add food and look for eggs. Easy squeezy lemon Peazey!

 

[ugly ducky]

I'm so sorry about your son. If you will PM me your mailing address and when you will be ready, I'll send you a batch of Coturnix eggs for free. The Coturnix roos mature fast, crow a lot, and loud! I'd like to do this as a gift for your son. I wish him the very best!

 

[saddina]

That would be lovely, about 3 weeks I think, we've 2 more of school, and a week to build a cage (I learned with the chicks to have the cage before the birds

). He's a great kid, (I know all parents think that about thier kids), when he saw the dirty jobs episode about the chicken farm and how crowded and miserable the birds were he cried for them, and decided to give up McNuggets (he asked if they came from "sad chickens", when I said yes, he said "they should call them angry meals then").

 

[Appaloosa Hill Farm]

Quote:
He sounds like a lovely child with a wonderful heart.

I'm sorry he's been dealt this difficult hand so early in his life. Our quail are very easy to care for! We have 11 split into 2 pens. The feeding and watering takes about 5-10 minutes (depending on how many little hands I have "helping" me

) and the cage cleaning takes about 30 minutes twice or so a week. My birds are on wire with slide out trays on the bottom. I have pine shavings on the bottom with a bit of Stall Dry sprinkled in.

 

[kerr_in_ca]

Your son is lucky to have you learning ASL with him and supporting his interests. He will go on to do great things, I'm sure. How are you doing? Are there support groups for parents of deaf children in your area?

I haven't started with quail yet—I'm waiting to see if wherever I move this summer will be a situation where I can have them—but one of the things that attracts me to them is the idea that they don't seem to be too much trouble. I think the responsibility caring for animals is good for kids—it was for me, anyway—and I'm glad yours have the opportunity.