Quail Forum Information

[Mrs MIA]

The eggs are never the same from one day to the next. Some will have a greenish tint to them, too. I even got one that was pure white. I was

wondering how my bobwhite got in the coturnix cage until I realized that it had a slight green tint to it. Don't know what causes the spots, but they are pretty!

Mine like finch/canary seed as a treat. Cucumbers, grass, grapes... boiled eggs.

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/NDG/Quail/JapQ/BRKJapQ.html
This website has photos of the males vs. females. You will also start to see the males stand on their tippy toes and gargle out what sounds like a cat-call... that's their crow.

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

Thanks for the info. Wasn't sure about the seeds. I give that to my buttons but wasn't sure about the coturnix. They've already started "crowing" - the older ones have been doing that for a few weeks now. Scared the you know what out of me the first time I heard it! Now I don't even need to set my alarm clock in the morning.

What about the cold though? I know being in Alaska yours are most likely kept in your barn but do you heat it?

 

[Mrs MIA]

I was keeping them outdoors until we started dipping below freezing, then moved them back indoors. The breeders coop where I house them got down to freezing last night, even with a couple of brooder lamps on, but everyone did just fine. I think that if you were to give them little houses with lots of straw or hay or shavings to burrow into, they'd be able to handle it well. I have about 10 birds in one cage, and they just snuggle together if they're cold.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Mrs. AK---I have a small box to put in the cage that is just big enough for the 3 of them to go in. Should I fill it with straw?? I have some on the bottom of the box, but it's like I would do for my chickens.

<edit> I just checked out the feathersite llink you put on, and it looks like I do have two female and a male!!

Another question, I know that they need 16 (?) hours of light to lay eggs. If they don't have a light in the winter, then they won't lay, correct?

 

[Mrs MIA]

Most likely they will not lay over the winter, but that's ok. They will be stronger and healthier next Spring when you want to hatch babies.

With the box, perhaps a little bigger box, with a couple of inches of straw in the bottom would work. I know mine like to burrow down into the shavings to sleep.

 

[shelleyd2008]

That's good, I really don't need a million quail eggs(

) to want to incubate and brood over the winter. I will have my hands full with the eggs I already have! Plus my dad wants to hatch some of his chickens' eggs, since we will be brooding chicks anyway...So it's good they shouldn't lay. Maybe I'll cover them to give them some more dark time, just to make sure!

 

[shelleyd2008]

I need help!!! I have 6 A&M, and 19 button quail eggs in the hatcher.

Problem #1: I have one lonely little button quail chick in there, that has crooked toes. Can they be fixed?

Problem #2: How long can I keep it in the hatcher? It has been sleeping quite a lot, after crying all morning.

Problem #3: There are 2 button and 1 A&M eggs in there that have been pipped since about 7 am this morning, so about 10 hours ago. Is there any hope for these chicks? Is it possible to help them out of the shell?

I think this little chick was early. I set the eggs on Oct. 4, but can't remember if it was morning or evening. That would make this day 14 or 15, right?

Can quail chicks take a while to hatch after pipping? I have heard that they are usually pretty fast?

PLEASE HELP!!! I don't want to try and help, and mess up the rest, but I also don't want to not help, and loose them all!!

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
Yes, the toes can be fixed. Use a band-aid (the sticky part) and a piece of thin cardboard cut in a triangle the size of the foot, and very carefully place the toes flat and press the sticky band-aid down to firmly hold the toes in place. It usually only takes 24 hours to straighten them.

Quail should only stay for 24 hours in the hatcher at the most. They dehydrate quickly, and need to eat, so if there's a lull in the hatching pull them out quickly and put them in the brooder.

It is possible that the pipped eggs will still hatch... I would just leave them be. Remember, if they don't hatch, there was probably a reason for it. The only time I help is if they're zipped all the way and I can see them struggling because the membranes stuck or something. They can take a while from pip to hatch, so just be patient.

 

[Mrs MIA]

What's your humidity at right now?

 

[shelleyd2008]

It is so dry here that I can't get it over about 45%, and that's only rarely. I borrowed another bator off a friend, and i think this is gonna be used as a hatcher, till I have to give it back. I need to get it set up first, so I don't think it will help these any.

It seems like they are early. This morning was either the very beginning of the 16th day, or the middle of the 15th. Can't remember if I set them in the morning or evening.