Oh My Gosh (Quail) Quick ??????

[Dottie Pratt]

My farther in law just called got to go get 20 Quail he bought for me.!!!!
Please help!!!
How do I house them???
What do they eat?
Ages are mixed from what he said. Also said they were brown. Not buttons.
Thats all I know.

Dottie

 

[Mrs MIA]

Monarc23 has put together this post...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=102281

Lots of wonderful information.

 

[Dottie Pratt]

Great Thanks!!!! Looks like I've got work to do today!! Ha ha
I have 8 hens(bannies) 2 ro0o's and 5 mallards. Guess i'm going to get more birds now not this spring like i hoped. Oh well I'm exicited!!!

Love it.

Dottie

 

[linebacker]

Congratulations!

While you set up your accomodations for them they can be housed inside a plastic tote lined with paper towels so they will get traction and not have leg problems, with a little supplemental heat (heat needed depends on age). Do every thing you can to keep them from getting wet. A plastic drinking bottle with holes cut out (large enough for them to get their heads in to drink, but not allow them to get their entire body in) and you can just put their foods in plies on the paper towels or in a small jar lid.

Brad

 

[monarc23]

oh wow what a suprise! i wish my parents would do things like that for me ha ha!!!

yep as Brad said if the chicks are under 4 weeks old I'd keep em under a heat lamp. You'll pretty much know what age they are by their feathers.

If you visually see what i call "blood feathers" most call them quill feathers (because they look sort of like porciupine quills) then that lil guys probably only 1 week old. If the chick has feathers most of it's body feathers but they're still mostly in the quills then the chicks probably only around 2 weeks old, at three weeks the chicks blood (quill) feathers are almost completely gone with only remaining feathers, and at 4 they're pretty much a fully feathered bird except for the head feathers which take longer to come in. I put my 4 week old chicks outdoors but it was in the dead of summer.

I'm not sure what arkansas temps are like, so you'll have to assess that for yourself what you'd like to do with them. I'd say anything below 50 is too cold for 4 week old chicks to deal with without heat lamps. If you get snow in arkansas (i seriously dont know haha) then unless those birds were alerady outside before your dad bought em, i'd keep em indoors until the seasons get warmer.

here is a chick at 8 days old to give you an idea of what a chick that still very much so needs under heat lamps looks like:

If their chicks I personally think it's simpiler to stuff marbles, clean rocks or even paper towels in a shallow small bowl (even a lid or cap) and the chicks will drink out of that without drowning or getting wet. You gotta stuff it full though with rocks, marbles or paper towels. I actually use craft stuffed animal/pillow stuffing (clean stuff ofcourse). works great.

congrats on newbies!

By the way thank you Mrs AK for pointing out my post hehe!

 

[Dottie Pratt]

Ok there here!!!!
of the 20 looks like atleast half are less than 8 day's old alot of the porkepine (can't spell) featheres.
I have them in a large plexeglass box with a wire top lid.
I have a heat lamp so I will set that up next or before dark. They are in the barn. No drafts.

Father inlaw said the man told him they should lay in about 3 weeks.
He is bringing bobwhites in about 3 weeks also.

Thanks for having the info of Quails it helped so much.

Dottie

Oh I have straw down is that OK?

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
yay congrats on the newbies!

laying in 3 weeks? Nope, they start laying at 6-8 weeks old and if your babies are under a week that's deffinatly more than 3 weeks from now.

As for straw, that's fine as long as it doesnt get moldy so I'd change it atleast once a week if not more depending on the smell and how wet they may get it. Esp since htey're outside, make sure that they do not *i repeat* do not get wet at all...or they can chill and die very easily.

your'e very welcome by the way what i made it for was to help!

Niki