Stupid Quail

[macnugget]

I lost a 2 chicks this weekend to just being stupid. I had 2 quail climb inside the jar chick feeder and somehow got into the jar and baked them selves under the heat lamp. I was very sad since it was 2 of niki that I just hatched I've had them do this before but got out.

 

[NancyDz]

Quote:
I would take the jar out, just use the bottom of the feeder until they are too big to climb in.


Nancy

 

[kingmt]

Quote:
I would take the jar out, just use the bottom of the feeder until they are too big to climb in.


Nancy

I second that. I just use the bottom for bantam chicks.

 

[monarc23]

awh that's a bummer! Oh well live and ya learn

yeah i dont use the top part on my feeders even on my adults because they use that feeder like a jungle gym! LOL!

 

[macnugget]

its the first time I ever had a problem. I went camping for the weekend so i just filled it up so i didn't have to worry about filling it. wont do that again

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
Once all my birds start laying if you want more send me shipping and i'd be happy to up your monarc quail numbers

 

[macnugget]

I will, I really liked that golden the brown well it was a brown the other three are doing great I just put my 2 wk olds out last night after the miss hap and found one brown that was so small it looked like it had just hatched so I put it in with the other three and they are are getting along fine. I don't know if the rest of you are putting your quail on craigslist I've done it the last 2 hatches of my browns and I've been selling out of day old birds. I just got my website up still have to add some but I'm getting there.



http://web.me.com/nicholasrizzo1/Hidden_Acre/Welcome.html

 

[shelleyd2008]

Wow, that's awful!! Maybe you could put some 1/2" hardware cloth over the holes of the feeder, so they can't get into it? That would help with food waste as well.

 

[Akane]

You think they can't kill themselves with just a feeder base? My coturnix were very inventive.

I haven't had much trouble with my breeders where I use all sorts of feeders without problems but it seems the more I put in a cage the more inventive they get so the 80-90 destined to be meat were really good at killing each other. They've killed or nearly killed each other with about every type of feeder no matter what I do. When I took the jar off my feeder they all inhaled the food and then tried to climb in it before I got it refilled. They then tried to go out the holes at the same time promptly getting several stuck in the holes and slowly suffocating each other. 2 did an exceptional job of it and I thought for sure I was going to squish that one to death trying to fit them back out the way they came in.

So I go to trough feeders. I clip them to the side of the pen to keep them up off the bottom and hopefully cleaner and fill them up. In the rush to the feed several of the early ones wiggle underneath lifting the feeder slightly in order to get the spilled bits. The others pile on top. Now the ones on the bottom are trapped by the weight of those on top and sticking their heads out the bars panting.

So I raise the trough feeders. Next day I find 3 quail in the empty feeder. 2 wiggle out and one is quite stuck with a wing out either side and it's body jammed under the center bar. I spend 5mins working it back out.

So I get trough feeders with feeding holes and set them flat on the ground. The top requires a good 10-15mins per feeder because it keeps popping loose and I have to start over trying to slide it on. One day I don't get it all the way on but the gap at the end is smaller than a hole so it should be safe for full grown quail right? Wrong. I find one dead that evening with it's head and a wing in the gap.

So I take the top off the trough feeder, leave it on the ground, and fill it like that. Now it's just a metal dip in the ground basically that holds the feed. It requires frequently cleaning and there is some waste but they have yet to find a way to kill themselves.

Right now I'm testing out small bin feeders in one of my bins. It's hard to find bin feeders that are solid instead of the mesh bottom since most are designed for rabbit pellets not the fine bits of poultry feed.

You don't even want to know all the different attempts at giving them water that met with a quail death.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Okay, Akane, I'm never buying eggs from you, your quail are obviously psychotic!!

On a more serious note, they used to make the bin waterers for rabbits, that did have the solid bottoms. We had some when I was younger, but I wouldn't know where to get them now, as water bottles make much better sense.

I hope your suicidal quail learn their lessons, they probably figure since you are going to kill them anyway, they'll just save you the trouble