ticks and any others have you had experience with.....

[roosters97]

bobwhite, I am getting 25 and letting 20 go, keeping 5.I know I know thats not alot but it's a start right?



http://www.angelfire.com/or2/quail/pricelist/pricelist.html

 

[ticks]

Yea, 25 is a good start. I started with 25 pheasant this year. Even though you have 25, you will think you have many more. They drink a lot! They should have quail waterers or drinkers. The quail drinkers have a skinnier fount so they can stick their heads in but not drown. they look like this http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product/quail_waterers.html I read that quail like to be kept a little hotter than pheasant. Probably around 97-98. Bobwhites are fairley skittish so if they start to jump, some people will put bubble wrap on top of the cage, I bet there is different ways.

Here is a way to keep healthy bobwhites: By Bob Warner
The most important thing to know about keeping quail healthy is that preventing disease is more economical than curing it. Whenever birds are removed from their natural habitat and raised in confinement, the chance of disease becoming established is greatly increased. Several factors play a vital role in disease outbreak. Stress tends to increase susceptibility of birds to disease. Many factors cause physical or mental stress to the birds. The most common "necessary" stress is handling and shipping of birds. The most common "unnecessary" stresses seen are predators, overcrowding, and inadequate food, water, or shelter. Another common problem is raising birds, year after year, on the same grounds. This practice does not cause a direct stress on the birds, but does permit certain disease-causing agents to build up that increase the chance of disease outbreak if stress does occur.
Begin with clean pens and equipment. You must thoroughly clean and disinfect the pen and equipment before and after each group of birds. Use a power washer or a hose and a scrub brush to clean the pen, feeders, waterers, and carrying cages. Use a quality disinfectant that contains some type of phenol after cleaning for best results. Wet litter is a breeding ground for diseases, so you must remove old or wet litter to eliminate a source of disease carry-over. Litter, such as pine chips or shredded straw, must be kept clean and dry at all times. Install fresh, dry litter to the shelter area and keep it dry. Clean waterers daily and fill with fresh, cool water. Clean the feeders at least once weekly.
You must be certain that feed and water are present at all times and are easily accessed by the birds. Provide a fresh, commercial, nutritionally balanced feed. Feed stored for long periods will lose some of its nutritional value and may become moldy and toxic to the birds. Provide a fresh water supply at all times. Keep waterers free from feed and fecal contamination, since that contamination introduces harmful bacteria to the birds. Be sure the water is cool in the summer by providing shade and prevent it from freezing in the winter. Quail consume up to 2.5 times more water than feed, thus when water consumption decreases, food consumption decreases also. A reduction of water and feed consumption is usually the first indicator of illness in the birds.
Be certain that you have sufficient room and shelter in the pen. A good rule of thumb is 1-1.5 birds per square foot. Height of the pen is not a factor. Good shelter will help to keep the birds from chilling and overheating. The shelter area should be twenty-five percent of the pen. Quail need shade from the hot sun and shelter from the pouring rain. Overcrowding increases cannibalistic feather picking, which creates stress in the birds. Overcrowding also retards growth and feed efficiency.
You must isolate the quail from other livestock. Chickens, cattle, turkeys, and swine are subject to some cross-infection. You must separate younger birds from older ones since younger birds immune systems are less developed than older birds and more susceptible to disease. Care for the youngest birds first and the oldest last to prevent disease transmission. Use only clean, disinfected crates or boxes to transfer birds.
Stress from shipping can affect the performance of birds. Be certain you have electrolytes containing vitamin A in their water to relieve the stress from transit and a new environment. Give birds electrolytes for the first 3-5 days after receipt and any time you put a lot of stress on them. It is a good idea to not use birds for dog training as soon as you receive them or for several days after transit.
If you do develop sick birds, you must diagnose and treat them for the specific disease. Remove individual sick or dead birds daily and dispose of them through incineration or burial to prevent a threat to other birds. Disease prevention is not easy. You will not prevent all disease problems from occurring, but if you are willing to do what it takes to keep your pens clean, disinfected, and stress-free, you will experience fewer problems.

 

[ticks]

Maybe Sam and Charlie can chime in.

 

[ticks]

How is it going for you roosters?

 

[roosters97]

we just ordered them,yesterday,he hasn't wrote back

oh ya did I tell you that there chicks?

 

[ticks]

I expected they were chicks.