New to cortunix quail, let's talk closures

[Kaybear1950]

So we want to raise the 15 chicks we just bought to be breeders to make meat birds. We are building a run but it will be on the ground and I just read that might be a no no. If we put the run on a cement base with hay, would that still be a no go and require deworming? The place we bought them from had them on the ground.

 

[Fishkeeper]

Should work just fine. That's technically not on the ground, it won't be full of bugs.
Some people keep them on the ground and they do just fine. It depends a lot on your area, what inverts you have and if there are other poultry nearby, and to some extent the bloodline of your quail.

You might want to ask the breeder if they're wormed, and if the breeder eats their birds/has seen worms.

 

[Kaybear1950]

Should work just fine. That's technically not on the ground, it won't be full of bugs.
Some people keep them on the ground and they do just fine. It depends a lot on your area, what inverts you have and if there are other poultry nearby, and to some extent the bloodline of your quail.

You might want to ask the breeder if they're wormed, and if the breeder eats their birds/has seen worms.

Thank you! That sounds great. All my feed for my other poultry (chickens & muscovys) is 20% protein of i get game bird starter with 30% protein is that okay? I know they needed a little extra protein.

 

[Kaybear1950]

So the breeder says he gives all the birds 1% diatomaceous earth.

 

[Fishkeeper]

Don't give them DE. It has no health benefits. It's just a very fine, sharp-edged substance, which can kill insects by clogging their breathing holes. It can also cause serious lung damage in large amounts, and poofs into the air easily due to its small size.

If you think they have worms, give them an actual de-wormer. If they don't have worms, they don't need any sort of anti-worm agent.

I'd suggest giving them a sandbox to dustbathe and scratch in. It's also good to sometimes give them greens or live insects as treats, new foods are excellent enrichment.

Yes, gamebird starter is a good food for quail.

 

[Kaybear1950]

Don't give them DE. It has no health benefits. It's just a very fine, sharp-edged substance, which can kill insects by clogging their breathing holes. It can also cause serious lung damage in large amounts, and poofs into the air easily due to its small size.

If you think they have worms, give them an actual de-wormer. If they don't have worms, they don't need any sort of anti-worm agent.

I'd suggest giving them a sandbox to dustbathe and scratch in. It's also good to sometimes give them greens or live insects as treats, new foods are excellent enrichment.

Yes, gamebird starter is a good food for quail.

Thanks! I am confident we don't have worms and I wasn't sure if cement equals ground or not. Thanks for the answers! They officially have 3 sand boxes to 15 of them. I had never heard of that product so thanks for letting me know what it could do.

 

[Fishkeeper]

DE has its uses, it's a good non-toxic way to kill insects in certain situations, but it shouldn't be used with birds or in enclosed spaces with animals. Birds have delicate lungs and air sacs and are particularly sensitive to irritants.