Quail: At what age do you... questions

[hoondogsrunamuck]

I grind up the crumble for the first 3-5 days. My crumble starts pretty small, but the first few days they only eat the powder and leave the chunks if I don’t grind it. After that, and for the rest of their lives, they don’t like the powder and only eat it when they’ve eaten all the big chunks. You can also sift the crumble and feed the chicks powder and save the big pieces for later.

I put water in a pasta jar lid with rocks for 2-3 days, but I always have a parakeet waterer nearby, so they start using it right away. The little parakeet waterer can’t be drowned in, but the new chicks can’t always figure out that it holds water. At 3 weeks I move them to a nipple waterer.

I don’t put sand baths in the brooders because they’re too messy, but when I have chicks in with my adults to brood, they do use the sand bath, but the adults don’t allow them in for a few days, they all take the job of lifeguard at the “pool” very seriously. Then suddenly everyone brings chips into the sand bath, and it becomes the chick bedroom. I have one handicapped adult and if she’s having a rough time and tumbling out of the sand bath, I’ll remove it until the chicks are more evasive and don’t get squashed every time she comes/falls out.

Ok, this sounds like my speed of quail keeping. I’m looking forward to seeing the lifeguard situation play out! Thank you.

 

[FloorCandy]

Ok, this sounds like my speed of quail keeping. I’m looking forward to seeing the lifeguard situation play out! Thank you.

Be careful, not all adults will brood chicks. I have a docile group of albinos I keep inside and they all love and care for chicks. Some adult birds will kill them accidentally or on purpose. It’s good to watch for their behaviors and how they act with other birds. I would often introduce a good sized runt who wasn’t ready to go outside when the rest of its hatch did, to these guys for a week or so to get them ready for outside. One day I cleaned the chick pen and I only had 2 left after the rest sold, I tossed them in with the albinos while I cleaned, and the albinos all started happily brooding them. I felt it improved the quality of life for both sides. Now I give them chicks from each hatch to care for, for a couple weeks, when it gets crowded I swap in new chicks. Beware they lay far fewer eggs while brooding, like 1 or 2 per week.

 

[hoondogsrunamuck]

Be careful, not all adults will brood chicks. I have a docile group of albinos I keep inside and they all love and care for chicks. Some adult birds will kill them accidentally or on purpose. It’s good to watch for their behaviors and how they act with other birds. I would often introduce a good sized runt who wasn’t ready to go outside when the rest of its hatch did, to these guys for a week or so to get them ready for outside. One day I cleaned the chick pen and I only had 2 left after the rest sold, I tossed them in with the albinos while I cleaned, and the albinos all started happily brooding them. I felt it improved the quality of life for both sides. Now I give them chicks from each hatch to care for, for a couple weeks, when it gets crowded I swap in new chicks. Beware they lay far fewer eggs while brooding, like 1 or 2 per week.

Okay thanks, I’ll keep all of this in mind. I mean, my first hatch is still in the brooder but how cool it will be to watch it all play out and be a good steward.

 

[FloorCandy]

Okay thanks, I’ll keep all of this in mind. I mean, my first hatch is still in the brooder but how cool it will be to watch it all play out and be a good steward.

I find quail to be a wonderful and interesting hobby. With the benefit of meat and eggs.

 

[hoondogsrunamuck]

Oh my gosh you guys are the BEST!

Yesterday I quit stressing over the ground waterers getting clogged up with pine shavings and cleaning them 3x/day & installed the cup style waterers. Then this morning I just gave crumble, no blender!

So much info on incubation is available, and advice on keeping them once out of the brooder is also abundant, but this middle/brooder part is kinda blank.

I dig seeing how everyone has a different style and respect all the variations. It’s all being logged into my bird brain.

THANK YOU!!