What to do with runts?

[CascadeQUAIL]

It seems every hatch I have a runt who is very far behind all of their brothers and sisters. My first covey I made the mistake of nursing it back to life every morning and holding it and getting attached and well, now I have a quasi-pet who isn't very well developed.

My most recent hatch has another runt, out of 20 the only problem is one is clearly undersized and not getting it's feathers at all.

What can I do about moving the covey outside and turning off the heat?

The majority of them are almost ready, but the runt is still almost always under the lamp. It seems cruel to throw them outside knowing that the runt won't make it, but I can't keep them crowded in the brooder for 1 baby who may never fully develop. I also can't keep making special runt catch up pens for every covey that I move through the brooder.

Any tips on managing the runt in your brooders and coveys?

 

[Ebony Rose]

As soon as it becomes evident that it's not going to survive without herculean efforts, I cull. I don't want to pass on poor genetics through eggs or sperm from such a bird, and the likelihood of getting enough meat for a meal is slim, at best, from a birds such as you've described; IF it should manage to survive without becoming a pet.
I started my covey with store-bought, day-old chicks. Genetically speaking, they were bargain basement quality, bred only to breed more so that they could sell chicks. Through rigorous selection I have improved the genetics on this same line of birds (great great offspring) to be healthier, and slightly heavier than the original birds. My first many hatchings from those original birds were weak, unhealthy, and I had an overabundance of spraddle leg issues that I attributed to malnourishment of the parent birds; Half of the hatch was lost before the chicks ever made it to day-2 of life, and most were quitters (dead in the shell). My hatch rate is now in the high 90%, and most that do not hatch are found to have been infertile during egg autopsy. I've not had issues with spraddled legs or weak birds in many generations now.
Long story short, being choosy now with which birds will live to breed will go a very long way in your enjoyment of your flock, and in the health of your flock overall.

 

[FloorCandy]

Turns out Runty Jeff is in fact a boy.

Having got attached to him I'm struggling to do the necessary. Never name your runts!

We have runty shadow, he’s/she’s 7 weeks, hoping it’s a hen. The kids are attached, so basically I’ll just tell them a different one is shadow if he ends up a boy lol.

 

[Quailobsessed]

I name all of mine. I get too attached to sell them

 

[JacinLarkwell]

The closest I get to names are shortened versions of their colors (Golden Boy, German girl, Jumbo Gal)

 

[Nabiki]

At what point do you cull? My partner made me feel like a monster for wanting to cull a perfectly healthy chick because I did not want it for meat, eggs, or breeding.

I have a customer who raises reptiles. I "cull" them by selling them to him and his pets eat them.

 

[Pandaisy]

I wouldn't call a quail which is not growing healthy. I raised one and tried to keep her alive because I grew attached to her. She still passed away at only 9 to 10 weeks old. I wouldn't do it again.

 

[hedgemoo]

My first runt was a very late hatcher with wobbly legs. I put him in with the others. He wobbled and hopped to the food by himself. His growth was behind, but he was full of beans, fitted in with the group and gave as good as he got. He spent a long time half size, but now they are seven weeks and nearly full weight he, or she(!), is almost caught up. "Runty Jeff/Janet" has the most personality of the lot and is always the first to popcorn out of the hutch for some free range time. I'll not breed Jeff, but if she's a she, she can stay.

Second runt was a flopper. Couldn't stand upright or coordinate eating and drinking and died after a few days pointless nursing.

What I take from this is to treat them as normal hatchlings and they will shape up or not.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

My first runt was a very late hatcher with wobbly legs. I put him in with the others. He wobbled and hopped to the food by himself. His growth was behind, but he was full of beans, fitted in with the group and gave as good as he got. He spent a long time half size, but now they are seven weeks and nearly full weight he, or she(!), is almost caught up. "Runty Jeff/Janet" has the most personality of the lot and is always the first to popcorn out of the hutch for some free range time. I'll not breed Jeff, but if she's a she, she can stay.

Second runt was a flopper. Couldn't stand upright or coordinate eating and drinking and died after a few days pointless nursing.

What I take from this is to treat them as normal hatchlings and they will shape up or not.

That's how I see it. I would keep the first example, but not the second. If I am what is keeping them alive (besides obvious chick needs like heat, food and water), then for me it's a no go. I won't go through the heartache again

 

[hedgemoo]

Turns out Runty Jeff is in fact a boy.

Having got attached to him I'm struggling to do the necessary. Never name your runts!