Quail chicks

[RhodeIslandReds]

I just hathced 6 quail chicks there nice and healthy there almost a week old now. Just wondering when I could put them on another bedding than paper towel?
What type of bedding would you quail experts use for them at that age?

Thanks,
RiRs

 

[CoopCrazy]

I use pine shavings from day two .. First day they are on papertowels .. Then pine shavings I havent had any problems with this..

 

[mudmonkey]

Mine are 10 days now. I kept them on paper towels for the first 3 days. Then a thick bedding of pine shavings. They are doing great. They do eat some of the shavings some time. Not sure if that's normal or not.

 

[Quail_Cottage]

my first hatch was 4 birds, and I kept them on paper for a week then switched to pine shavings. Second hatch was 21 birds and had to change the paper morning and night for the first week, then switched to shavings. Only problem is they do like to kick the shavings into the waterer

and then it starts to wick out and soak everything. Mine are in a plastic tub and I put paper towels down under the shavings. makes it so much quicker to clean out. Good luck

 

[RhodeIslandReds]

Sense they like to put shaving in the waterer can I use a rabbit type waterer for them?

Thanks for all the help,
RiRs

 

[mudmonkey]

Quote:
I've tried a few things for delivering water to them over the last 10 days. The shavings in the water dish drove me crazy. I tried the rabbit type water bottle but they didn't really go for it. Yesterday I got a watering tube for a bird cage (see image below). I hot glued the base inside a large plastic jar lid (so it could stand free and so that the shavings stayed away from the trough). They were scared of it at first, but with a bit of coaxing they are all drinking out of it today.
I'll continue to keep this system.

 

[Quail_Cottage]

i tried the rabbit/hamster feeders...no one was vaguely interested....even from few days old.....so I put the water up on a wooden block to lift if clear of most of the shavings. That bird cage waterer looks like a good idea, but how big is the reservoir? Only ones I saw at pet store were tiny...mine get through a quart water nearly per day in each brooder box (7 birds in each)! It sort of looks like the pop bottle waterer things I've seen on ebay/poultry supply websites.

 

[mudmonkey]

Quote:
Yes, the 10 buttons I have drain them quickly. I ended up putting a second one in (just glued the bases back to back on the lid). It looks like I'll have to refill it ever couple of days (they are still chicks tho...).

 

[JJMR794]

(THIS IS GOING TO ROCK SOME FOLKS....)

I start them out on old towels for the 1st week. when I clean the brooder they go onto old newspaper from there on until they move outside to the grow out pens. I use the rubbermaid totes as brooders. I have a stack 3ft high of old white hospital bath towels. i start all chicks on a bath towel and as the brooder gets soiled i simply set up a new clean brooder and line it with newspaper (after the 1st 72 hrs or so the tendons in their legs and hips are set--- so spraddle leg is no longer an issue) When i'm done with the towels i rinse all solid material off of them, soak them in bleach water then launder them in an old washing machine i have just for this. Once clean they go out on line to dry then get folded and placed on the bottom of the stack to be used again...... and again.... and again...

I have friends and family save all newspaper and egg cartons and collect them for use here on the farm. I use the "slicks" (advertizement pages) out of the newspaper for padding eggs for shipping after shredding them... always have a lg garbage bag or 2 full of shredded newspaper here. Regular newsprint is quickly degradeable so it disintegrates in the landfill quickly. The slicks make great packing material and the towels and brooder bins are re-useable --- kinda got it down to the cheapest and most useable system

 

[kingmt]

I just put some nipples something like Kullas sales in the bottom of some 2 liter bottles & bent a small piece of clothes hanger to hold the bottles much like a rabbit water. They seem to be working very well. I have been using a nipple on a PVC water I built & it works great. I should post a pick but that just seems like to much work. Maybe I'll get one posted.