Need a littel help

[texan4ut]

My Jumbos are 3 weeks old today. Here is a couple of pictures thinking one is male one is female would like your opinion. Plus do you think I can put them in the coop and out of the brooder. No heat lamp in the brooder the past week but in the house. Lows here in Texas won't be much lower than upper 60's to low 70's I have 17 and the 4 x 2 Brooder is kinda crowded at the size they are now although they are happy. Thanks

 

[orumpoultry]

This time of year I out mine at 3 weeks. They're typically fully feathered by then. In larger groups I never have a problem. Smaller groups tend to get colder during temperature fluctuations but still survive.

 

[quail raiser]

I built my brooder on the end of a 2ft wide 2ft tall by 6ft long hardware cloth pen bout 3ft off the ground. That way when they out grow the brooder box i have a slide up door to let them out on the wire and leave the heat on in the brooder. They can go back n the brooder if it gets too cool for them.

 

[quail raiser]

But I'm in louisiana and most of the year you can probably hatch eggs by just leaving them outside with our heat and humidity, so they don't really get too cold very often lol

 

[orumpoultry]

But I'm in louisiana and most of the year you can probably hatch eggs by just leaving them outside with our heat and humidity, so they don't really get too cold very often lol

Truth! It's like that in my part of Texas...

 

[texan4ut]

Pictures didn' load

 

[orumpoultry]

Those guys are ready for some sunshine.

 

[Fat Daddy]

Yes top is male and the bottom female..... If you move your birds out side this early. Give them a tupperware or the like with some sand in it. They not only really dig roll'n around in it, but they can pile in it for warm too..... those birds look older than 3 weeks thou....

EDIT TO ADD: Your birds likely feathered faster because you cooled them off at a faster than normal pace.... this usually comes at the expense of size.... they slow down the normal rapid growth to put on feathers. At weeks 4,5 and 6, a good line of jumbos will normally gain 2 oz a week....

 

[texan4ut]

Thanks fat daddy. I already have 13 inch clay saucers set up for the pens. I have been putting a paper plate filled with sand and they go crazy. I had been slowly decreasing the heat on the heat lamp with a dimmer , however I got it a little low and it went out. Birds didn't seem to mind. Got add some foam padding to the roof of my quail pen and they are gong to get a new home.

 

[Fat Daddy]

I rarely eat a coturnix these days. So I don't really care about huge birds... I'm mostly after eggs and just like the birds. So I too sometimes move them outside earlier than is conducive to building the biggest bird possible.... They are adaptable little birds to say the least... We have found that if you have a good line, one group can be a bit stunted by high heat, cold, forced feathering, ect, and the their off spring still has the same potential to be huge if that's where you want to go.....