Man can baby quail chicks eat!!!

[crimsonmama]

I've nine of the little fluffers and boy are they going through the chick crumb! They are just over a week old now and getting their proper wing feathers through. I clean them out everyday! They eat nearly non-stop! I take it they can't overeat? It's just I am sure they wouldn't find as much food as they are eating naturally in the wild??!!

And they drink alot of water too! I have two water bottles I have to top up twice daily. Not cos of empty but cos somehow they get mess everywhere!!

They are funny cute little things!

 

[Palletto26]

They are growing rapidly, so they will eat a lot of food, I hope you enjoy them, I've got some new arrivals myself, 4 Five day old Americauna chicks, they too have been eating lots.

 

[Binki]

Grats to you both and lovely pics ! Sooo cute :3

Hehe yes let them eat freely and I did notice that quail, even adults, seem to drink very often

 

[JaeG]

Awww, so cute! In the wild they'd be eating bugs which can be extremely high in protein (I know crickets are 60%+ protein) rather than the grain based food we have available to feed them, so they probably would be eating less volume wise, but their parents would be working hard, that's for sure!

Elevating the water helps with the mess. Either a block of wood or something to get it out of the firing line, although they will still manage to get some grot in it. I usually pile up straw around a big block of wood so they can climb the straw. They are messy but so endearing, and so great for kids. Our kids adore their quail.

 

[MatrixJak]

What breed are these? I am guessing Coturnix?

 

[crimsonmama]

Yes mine are Coturnix quail

 

[BobDBirdDog]

as for the mess in the water, try nipple water system next time, it is clean and you only need to clean the container weekly.

 

[BobDBirdDog]

Awww, so cute! In the wild they'd be eating bugs which can be extremely high in protein (I know crickets are 60%+ protein) rather than the grain based food we have available to feed them, so they probably would be eating less volume wise, but their parents would be working hard, that's for sure!

Elevating the water helps with the mess. Either a block of wood or something to get it out of the firing line, although they will still manage to get some grot in it. I usually pile up straw around a big block of wood so they can climb the straw. They are messy but so endearing, and so great for kids. Our kids adore their quail.

In warmer weather I usually have them outside and place a lamp in the brooder to attract the night insects. Free food and they love it, going crazy trying to catch the night bugs.

When cool or warm, I also buy a can of sardeins in water and mush it up and put that in a small bowl and let them feed for extra proteins. they will eat at it, and what they dont eat I leave out to attract flies which lay those eggs then the maggots come, they love these as well.

It sound gross to us, but birds eat these things in the wild every day as part of their diets.

 

[crimsonmama]

as for the mess in the water, try nipple water system next time, it is clean and you only need to clean the container weekly.

I got a poultry waterer for my older chicks now as they drink alot with nine of them! I did see nipple water things but wasn't sure if they would know how to use them? Do adults use them too?? Even with the poultry waterer they still get mess in the trough!

 

[Dani xxx]

They make less mess if u raise it on a brick or something less bedding kicked in ! X