Newly hatched quail and water bottles

[Susan Skylark]

Can newly hatched quail effectively use a water bottle (assuming low enough and small enough for them to move the ball)? I should have asked this earlier as my chicks are a day old now! Keeping the water bowl clean last time was a mess but I’m paranoid they aren’t getting water. It also took forever to train the 3-4 day old birds to use the water bottle because they preferred the bowl. Thanks!

 

[Nabiki]

I think they'd be too young. Have you tried something like these?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PP6PJ2N

 

[Susan Skylark]

I can now answer my own question, 3/4 were just using it great (and all together). I think quail are like sheep: one brain between the lot of them, regardless of number!

 

[Nabiki]

I've always found that once one of them learns, the rest see it and copy.

 

[Susan Skylark]

I think they'd be too young. Have you tried something like these?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PP6PJ2N

Those look nifty too but not sure they’d work in my expensive designer plastic tote brooder

 

[Susan Skylark]

I also ‘showed’ them all what to do.

 

[Nabiki]

Those look nifty too but not sure they’d work in my expensive designer plastic tote brooder

I use them in my designer tote brooder all the time. I put them on a tile so they're stable. They have flat bottoms and tiny openings so they can't drown in it and while they do make a mess in it, they don't get everything around them wet.

 

[Susan Skylark]

I use them in my designer tote brooder all the time. I put them on a tile so they're stable. They have flat bottoms and tiny openings so they can't drown in it and while they do make a mess in it, they don't get everything around them wet.

Good to know, hard to tell from a picture (and glad to know I’m not the only one with a redneck chic brooder: ugly but it works!).