Newbie with Questions on Caring for Coturnix Chicks

[Saintpaulia334]

Hello!
I have never owned quail or any kind of poultry before, but I recently decided to look into getting quail.

After researching, I think I know most of what I need to know, but I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t missing anything and I still have a few unanswered questions.

I am planning on purchasing 10 day-old coturnix quail chicks this Sunday! I found a person about 1.5 hours away from me on Craigslist and they say that they will have babies hatching tomorrow (Saturday). Do you think that they will be fine on the drive home and should I do anything special to keep them comfortable?

I have a basic brooder setup in the form of an old bird cage. I am planning on keeping it in my living room or in the garage. I will be going to Tractor Supply tomorrow in order to purchase the heat lamp and 24% protein feed (the highest they have), as well as the food and water dispensers. Is there anything else that I should get?

When they grow up, they will be housed in an outdoor rabbit hutch (0.5 inch hardware cloth) in my backyard.

Please let me know if you have any other advice for me. I am very excited and will keep you updated!

 

[Chip76]

Not sure how quail usually travel, but I always transported my quail in a plastic tub with a fluffy towel. They seem to like that.

Enjoy your new babies! They are so adorable and fun to watch!

 

[igorsMistress]

Hello!
I have never owned quail or any kind of poultry before, but I recently decided to look into getting quail.

After researching, I think I know most of what I need to know, but I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t missing anything and I still have a few unanswered questions.

I am planning on purchasing 10 day-old coturnix quail chicks this Sunday! I found a person about 1.5 hours away from me on Craigslist and they say that they will have babies hatching tomorrow (Saturday). Do you think that they will be fine on the drive home and should I do anything special to keep them comfortable?

I have a basic brooder setup in the form of an old bird cage. I am planning on keeping it in my living room or in the garage. I will be going to Tractor Supply tomorrow in order to purchase the heat lamp and 24% protein feed (the highest they have), as well as the food and water dispensers. Is there anything else that I should get?

When they grow up, they will be housed in an outdoor rabbit hutch (0.5 inch hardware cloth) in my backyard.

Please let me know if you have any other advice for me. I am very excited and will keep you updated!

Hi there.

That many quail in a rabbit hutch may be too many. How large is it? What do you plan to do with extra males? One male per 5 hens is a good mix, more than that and they'll fight. 2 males in a small space will also cause fighting.
For brooding, a heat plate is better than a lamp in my opinion. It allows the chicks to get under for warmth but they can get out and cool off which is important. Also, it will keep them on a natural light cycle.

A box with a towel or shavings and a lid is perfect for the ride home. Quail are very dusty and they stink. No way around it, they stink. Depending on your outside temps you can brood them right in the rabbit hutch.

 

[Saintpaulia334]

Hi there.

That many quail in a rabbit hutch may be too many. How large is it? What do you plan to do with extra males? One male per 5 hens is a good mix, more than that and they'll fight. 2 males in a small space will also cause fighting.
For brooding, a heat plate is better than a lamp in my opinion. It allows the chicks to get under for warmth but they can get out and cool off which is important. Also, it will keep them on a natural light cycle.

A box with a towel or shavings and a lid is perfect for the ride home. Quail are very dusty and they stink. No way around it, they stink. Depending on your outside temps you can brood them right in the rabbit hutch.

Good Morning!

The rabbit hutch is 5 feet by 2 feet, not including the upper area (as I am not sure if they will be able to climb the ramp, I’ve seen conflicting information that).

I am not sure about the males, I was thinking to try and give them away if there are too many.

Thank You for your advice about brooding. I will probably keep them in the garage at first, just to be safe.

 

[Saintpaulia334]

Hello!
I just wanted to share the new chicks. I ended up getting 12 of them yesterday. There seems to be a nice mix of colors. All seem to be doing well and have survived the night. The only odd thing is that their favorite sleeping place seems to be the food dish, but I guess that they are just most comfortable there. Anyway, here are a few photos!

 

[Fenrisulfr]

Very cute

They are sleeping in the food dish, because the warm light is too near of it.

But very cute