Newbie confusion

[angiec]

I finally did it. I've been thinking about it for a while and I finally ordered a hovabator which comes with 30 bobwhite eggs. They've been incubating for 10 days and I'm anxiously waiting for the big day!

Of course I've been reading here and elsewhere - perhaps reading to the point of confusion. Per the incubator instructions and per The Beginners Guide to Raising Quail publication, the humidity should be 60% during incubation but everyone on here seems to agree that 45% is the correct level.

The publication that I have also states that medicated good should be used but everyone here says to use non medicated. See the confusion??

So, I've been keeping the humidity at about 45% and I'm read with non-medicated gamebird starter food. The brooder is ready and we're coming right along on the coop.

For the coop, we're sectioning off about 1/3 of my orchid room so they will have plenty of room. I plan to have some natural habitat with limbs for them. I'm having fun with their enclosed area - making it bright and cheerful for them.

Heres a photo that I've loaded a photo on my Pinterest board.
http://pinterest.com/pin/268456827761014092/

Thanks to everyone and this site for all the info that I've received.


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[creekrocket]

I bought my hovabator and hatched all but three eggs four weeks ago. I set 36 eggs....
That incubator was right on with degrees and humidity. Good luck.

 

[angiec]

Thanks. That's good to know!

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[James the Bald]

I will add my "experience" with medicated food, and you can take it however you'd like. I raise my chicks with Dumor Chick Starter. I was getting low, and went to pick up more, but they were out. I saw some Gamebird feed at the local feed and seed and picked up a 50lb bag without really reading the bag. It wasn't until I got home that I realized that it was "medicated". From having a dog, I know that it's not good just to switch their food, so I began to mix the food gradually. Once they were on the medicated food, their droppings stunk badly... so bad, that I didn't put it into my compost pile. When I rand out of the medicated stuff, I swiched them straight back to the Dumor, and I'll never make that mistake again. First off, there was nothing wrong with my birds, but "all sales final" sign on the door makes it hard to return it.

 

[Woofless]

I use feed specifically formulated for gamebirds and it is medicated with amprolium. Feed it to quail and chukar. Every hatchery or producer that I've done business with uses the same stuff and they were the ones who pointed me to local sources for feed.

Never had a problem with feeding medicated feeds nor have I heard of anyone having trouble...I have used non-medicated in a pinch for a week or so at a time and I personally didn't notice a change in odor....I raise birds in groups of 200+ and if there's a sudden odor change, I do notice it lol. For people raising large numbers of birds commercially, the risk of coccidia is greater simply because there are more birds in a given area, more chances for cross-contamination from one bird area to another, etc. Therefore the general line of thought is to go ahead and medicate as a preventative, rather than trying to deal with an outbreak & the resulting bird losses.

For hobbyists raising smaller numbers of birds, the disease risk is generally lower and easier to manage in other ways (sanitation etc)....you can probably get away just fine with using non-medicated feed as long as the brooding/housing setup is clean and adequately sized, etc. As long as the protein level is adequate for quail (27-28%) you should be fine.
Can't help on the incubation question as that's one area I haven't ventured yet- but good luck!

 

[angiec]

Thanks for all the helpful information. I purchased a bag of Manna Pro Gamebird Showbird crumbles. It has 24% protein - that's the highest I could find. Is there something higher or is there a way to supplement this? I've heard of people adding crushed catfish pellets etc but not sure if that's the best practice.
I know that chick food is a repeated topic but I don't think I've ever read of a food that has the full needed protein.

 

[Woofless]

Finding gamebird starter formulas with the higher level of protein can be tricky and they don't always sell it at the larger "chain" farm stores. I would be pretty hesitant about starting newly hatched chicks on 24% for any length of time- I think other species of quail do OK on it but I have heard time & time again from numerous large scale bird producers, books, online sources, etc- Bobs need the high protein when they are growing otherwise you may run in to trouble. I have never tried it any other way because it's been drilled into my head not to skimp on the protein since the first time I bought a box of quail lol, and when you're raising over 1000 birds at once, it can get pricey if you try to "experiment" and end up losing a bunch ....but then again I am no authority on the subject and you may want to research it more for yourself.

If you are near a rural area and can find a "real" agricultural feed dealer, grain elevator, custom feed grinding place, etc....that would be a good starting point. Kent feeds, Hubbard, Nutrena/Naturewise, Agway, Ranchway, and I believe Purina all manufacture feeds with at least 27% protein. Those are just brands I've seen around- there are different feed brands in other parts of the country, but pretty much anywhere I'd say to find a feed dealer not a farm department store IF the line of feeds they carry makes a gamebird 27+ feed, they ought to be able to get it for you if they don't have it in stock. Many are labeled as "pheasant starter" and if you find the stuff with 30% protein that's usually labeled as turkey starter but you can feed either to quail. With bobwhite chicks, the higher the protein level the better so if you can find turkey starter, buy it. The hatchery in Nebraska that I used to buy chicks from told me turkey starter was best but it is nearly impossible to find in my area, whereas the whole state is pheasant crazy so pheasant feed is everywhere. I feed Hubbard pheasant starter to my quail and chukar then move to grower (24%) & flight developer (20%) at 8 and 12 weeks,,,,and have done fine for the last 4 yrs.