Quail chicks attempting mass suicide.....

[fitzy]

kinda off subject, but it looks like theres nothing to stop any drafts....might wanna put something around the edges.

 

[tharrell]

There is a blanket around it. Took it off to take the pictures. Anyway, I moved the waterer to the opposite end of the cage and so far there has been no one attempting to drown themselves. I hopeful that this has solved the problem. My other batch of quail didn't do this but it has been so cold here that this is the second day it has snowed most of the day. I hate Colorado....

 

[JJMR794]

Keep The Light Away From The Water Font!!! The Water Warms Up And Radiates Heat--- The Cold Babies Are Drawn To It For Warmth. Also If They Are Cold Add More Heat--- Do This By Higher Wattage Lamp, Additional Lamp, Solid Sided Brooder, Or A Combo Of All.

 

[PetersonD]

Instead of a large base with rocks, you might consider getting some drown-proof waterers with narrow troughs. GQF has some. Go to https:www.gqfmfg.com There are drown proof drinkers of various sizes available from many other places, too. With a large base, even with rocks, the chicks can get up on their and become wet.

 

[saddina]

Go to the pet store and get one of these:

They can only get thier beaks in. I've not had a wet one since. (Since I brood in a 20 gal tank I put sticky velcro on the tube & wall to lock it in place).

 

[goodheart101]

But when I got a wet chick, they would squak until I blowed dried them with the hair dryer, they would stand there and let me blow dry them. Then they would go back in the cage, a few hours later go in the water and squak again until I blowed dried them again. They loved it. I loved it too watching them just stand there and suck up the warm air. But you gotta watch getting it too close to them, otherwise you blow them away....

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
OR SLOW COOK 'EM....

 

[goodheart101]

When they were just a few days old, I truly believed they went into the water, just to have me blow dry them. And the last one born sometimes would squak at night just to have me come and pet him. I would give him a little petting and he would lay down and go to sleep for a few hours and get up and squak again until I went and petted him. He would look so cute there with his brown body and yellow tipped wings (looked like he had a pair of mittens on) squaking away until I gave him a little petting, then he would fall over and go to sleep with his little butt up in the air. Oh so cute.

 

[Akane]

Yep they do that. Quail do not hesitate to run right through the water even after repeated soakings. They won't stop and think about it like chickens and then avoid getting wet. If you use a more open dish they'll all pile on it and stand in the water to drink. I had some coturnix even manage to drown themselves in a chick waterer filled with marbles. I finally filled it with grit so the gaps they drank from were no bigger than their beaks. I don't even use chick waterers for quail anymore. I use hamster water bottles for the coturnix and then for the buttons after they are a few weeks old. With button quail I start out using a small lid so it's only a cm deep and then a soda or bottled water cap because they can't push the ball on even the smallest hamster bottle.