Quail: At what age do you... questions

[hoondogsrunamuck]

Hi all, my quail are about a week and a half old now and are eating and pooping monsters! Still in love!

Questions I’m having a hard time finding answers to:

1) At what age can you offer them water out of auto-fill style poultry drinking cups without the fear of them drowning?

2) When can they start eating live mealworms? And until then can I give them broken up pieces of dehyrated mealworms?

3) I’ve read that some people will grind there food even when they are mature as it helps keep the mess down, thoughts?

4) What age do you quit grinding it up and offer crumble?

Thank you in advance,
Raquel

 

[Nabiki]

My chicks are about 3 days old now, and I've moved them over to a cup type waterer. They're just prone to drowning themselves in the first few days.

I wouldn't give them mealworms until around 5 weeks. Be careful not to overfeed on those since they're high in fat. Treats shouldn't be more than 10% of their diet.

My older birds won't eat the finely ground food. They prefer crumbles.

I start offering crumble at around 2 weeks.

 

[hoondogsrunamuck]

My chicks are about 3 days old now, and I've moved them over to a cup type waterer. They're just prone to drowning themselves in the first few days.

I wouldn't give them mealworms until around 5 weeks. Be careful not to overfeed on those since they're high in fat. Treats shouldn't be more than 10% of their diet.

My older birds won't eat the finely ground food. They prefer crumbles.

I start offering crumble at around 2 weeks.

Oh man, what a lifesaver, thank you VERY much!

Of course then other thoughts popped into my head like should I be offering ground oyster shells already and will they be okay without dust baths while in the brooder? Seems like that’s a disaster waiting to happen unless maybe I put a couple at a time in a separate area and let them go to town for a bit...?

I feel like I really had a handle on the incubating part and when they go out to their coops but this middle part is a black hole.

 

[Nabiki]

No dust bath in the brooder. Wait until they're 5-6 weeks old.

Oyster shell should be offered around 6 weeks. That's about the earlies they start laying.

 

[hoondogsrunamuck]

No dust bath in the brooder. Wait until they're 5-6 weeks old.

Oyster shell should be offered around 6 weeks. That's about the earlies they start laying.

Again, I really REALLY appreciate your advice!

 

[TomGren]

Oh man, what a lifesaver, thank you VERY much!

Of course then other thoughts popped into my head like should I be offering ground oyster shells already and will they be okay without dust baths while in the brooder? Seems like that’s a disaster waiting to happen unless maybe I put a couple at a time in a separate area and let them go to town for a bit...?

I feel like I really had a handle on the incubating part and when they go out to their coops but this middle part is a black hole.

I've had my quail chicks dust bathe as early as 6 days old. They know exactly what to do but will sent the dust flying in every direction. So in my opinion as long as you're happy to clean out the brooder once they're done it's fine

 

[hoondogsrunamuck]

I've had my quail chicks dust bathe as early as 6 days old. They know exactly what to do but will sent the dust flying in every direction. So in my opinion as long as you're happy to clean out the brooder once they're done it's fine

Hah, that’s exactly the concern but I would like them to have some fun...

Appreciate your input!

 

[HuffleClaw]

Mine love dust baths in the brooder. Makes them happy

 

[hoondogsrunamuck]

Mine love dust baths in the brooder. Makes them happy

Uh oh, the pressure is mounting to hold a dust bath party!

 

[shrimpsilkies]

I also kept a dust bath in the brooder starting around a week but it’s not necessary at all, gets messy very quickly. They might just decide to dust bath in their food if they can get in it or in the wood shavings. Once they don’t need to be on heat all the time you can pop a few of them in a separate plastic container with sand or soil in it and they’ll start dust bathing.

Grinding up food when they’re adult can just lead to them digging in it and getting it everywhere in my experience. On the other hand they will also remove and discard pellets that are too large, so a crumble sized food is perfect.