Informative Post Hunt!

[casportpony]

Is it considered cheating if one submits their own posts? Asking for a friend.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Is it considered cheating if one submits their own posts? Asking for a friend.

This will become a "track Kathy's comments" thread since everything you say is educational. Lol

 

[jolenesdad]

YALL

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-send-a-bird-for-a-necropsy-pictures.799747/

How to Send a Bird for a Necropsy​

They need the whole bird, refrigerated, not frozen. If you live in CA, there are four labs that do necropsies on poultry (chickens, turkeys, waterfowl) for $20. I know that they do out of state necropsies, but I think they charge for those. You could call them and ask what they charge for out of state "backyard poultry". The lab I use is the one in Tulare, CA. If you are in CA, call them and ask for their FedEx account number, it will save a bunch on shipping charges.

CAHFS
18830 Road 112
Tulare, CA 93274-9042
(559) 688-7543
(559) 686-4231 (FAX)
[email protected]


The other labs are listed here:
http://www.cahfs.ucdavis.edu/services/lab_locations.cfm

If it's Friday, unless you want to overnight for Saturday delivery, I would suggest shipping on Monday for Tuesday delivery. What you need to do, if you haven't already done so, is put your bird in your refrigerator, NOT the freezer! Then you need to find a box, line it with styrofoam (I use the 4'x8'x1" stuff from Home Depot. You can also get smaller pieces at an art store like Michael's, but is way more expensive. Click here to see foam options. You'll also need at least one ice pack. Here are some pictures that I took of the last bird that I sent:

Box lined with foam on four sides and bottom. Seams of foam taped sealed.


Box, sides, bottom and and top.


Frozen ice pack in ziplock baggie.


Brown paper on top of ice pack.


Hen in ziplock baggie on top of brown paper.


Brown paper on top of hen.


Ice pack on top of brown paper.


Lid on top of brown paper.
​

Inside the box you should also include a submission form in a ziplock baggie. Do not tell anyone at FedEx that you're shipping a dead animal... that seems to really worry them. Just make sure that nothing will leak.

Hope this helps!

-Kathy

 

[Kiki]

Is it considered cheating if one submits their own posts? Asking for a friend.

You may cheat.
I was going to cheat myself.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

YALL

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-send-a-bird-for-a-necropsy-pictures.799747/

I was just about to post this!

 

[casportpony]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/skinny-chickens.1081105/page-2#post-17102940

Poor hen body condition can be caused by a variety of issues. To confirm that your birds are truly under condition, try performing a body condition test.
To perform this test, locate the keel (or breastbone) of your bird. Place your palm over the chest and keel of the bird. The keel sticks out from the bird’s chest and is surrounded on each side by the breast muscles. You can score the body condition of your bird by the way the keel and breast muscles feel.
If your birds score 0 or 1 using the charts below, then there is a body condition issue.

To help birds gain more weight, ensure that they are eating a balanced and complete diet. A 16% complete layer diet, like Purina Layena is ideal for laying hens and should make up at least 90% of the total diet.
If you would like to accelerate weight gain, consider feeding a diet higher in protein, such as Purina Flock Raiser, which contains 18% protein. You can even consider switching them back to a complete non-medicated starter diet, like Purina Start & Grow, which contains 20% protein. In either case, be sure to supplement with oyster shell, as these feeds do not contain high enough levels of calcium to support proper egg production.
If you do not see an improvement in weight gain over the next 30 days, it is wise to consult your local veterinarian to make sure that there aren’t medical issues holding your birds back.




You can find more information on these charts and body condition scoring here: http://bit.ly/1XVhP1V

 

[Xouie]

I hope this works. This is the best quail care sheet, bar none.

Incubation Tips​

Quail incubation is 17 days.

Incubator choice:

The best incubators have forced air circulation and an automatic egg turner, but other than that, it depends on how many you want to hatch. Don't trust the thermometer or hygrometer on your incubator! Have at least one calibrated thermometer and hygrometer inside. I use three thermometers because every incubator has warm and cold spots.

Incubation:

Temperature should be 99.5-100 degrees, humidity about 30%. Eggs need to be turned every 3-6 hours, which is why you should have an egg turner in your incubator. On day 14, the eggs should go into lockdown, which is where you take the egg turner out and prepare for the eggs to hatch. You should have some sort of grippy flooring such as shelf liner or rough paper towels to help the chicks learn to walk.

Hatching:

When the eggs begin to hatch, the humidity should go up to around 45-55%. Try to keep it there or a little higher. Don't let it get too high, or the chicks might drown. Once they are dry move your chicks to a brooder.

Brooding:

Chicks will need to be kept in a brooder until about 3 weeks of age. There should be a warm side and a cool side. Start the temperature at 95-100 degrees on the warm side and start lowering the temperature a couple degrees each day. If they huddle together, they are cold and the temperature needs to be raised. If they are laying stretched out or panting, they are hot and the temperature needs to be lowered.

https://merriquail.com

https://facebook.com/QuailinPetaluma

Coturnix basic care sheet​

For new chicks less than 2 weeks old:

Housing:

Chicks will need to be kept in a brooder until about 3 weeks of age. There should be a warm side and a cool side. Keep the temperature between 85-95 degrees in the warm side. The younger the chicks, the higher the temperature they need. If they huddle together, they are cold and the temperature needs to be raised. If they are laying stretched out or panting, they are hot and the temperature needs to be lowered.

Food:

Chicks need a feed with around 28% protein. The amount of protein can be lowered once they are over 8 weeks old. The feed needs to be fine enough for them to eat. They should always have fresh water.

For adult birds:

Housing:

Coturnix quail are quite hardy and can handle freezing temperatures as long as they are dry and have shelter (boxes or some type of small container works). The minimum amount of space is one square foot per bird, but more is better. Remember to subtract the space taken up by food and water from their living space. They are ground birds and are happiest on the ground. If you give them a wire bottom hutch, make sure they have boxes of dirt for baths and to rest their feet.

Food:

Quail thrive on high protein food of around 28%, but can go as low as 20% once they are fully grown. Adult hens will need calcium either offered on the side or part of their feed. If it is offered on the side, it must be ground small enough for them to eat easily. If it is part of their feed, it should be about 3.5% calcium.

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

https://merriquail.com

https://facebook.com/QuailinPetaluma

 

[Nabiki]

I hope this works. This is the best quail care sheet, bar none.

Thanks. I actually published it as an article in the quail articles section.

 

[casportpony]

Thanks. I actually published it as an article in the quail articles section.

Oh, before I forget, this link does not work for me:
https://merriquail.com/

 

[Nabiki]

Oh, before I forget, this link does not work for me:
https://merriquail.com/

That's weird. What error do you get? I just clicked on it and it took me to the page.