Go into lockdown

[Marigold]

Well it's up to you,either will be OK. If you put them in the morning just leave a good sprinkle of food all over, you'll need to clean them up at teatime anyway, and anything they eat will be more than if they were in the incubator won't it, and they'll have a chance to drink. 5.30 will be better than 6.00 if you decide to wait. Brooder will be nice and warm by tomorrow.

 

[Seal36]

Ok I think I am going to wait for tomorrow afternoon just because then I am in all evening and then I can watch them and make sure that they are all ok as I don't want to leave them in the brooder without me being there to check that they are all ok from Tom.

 

[Seal36]

I decided to put the chicks in the brooder this morning instead as they were running laps around the incubator. I have provided them with some chick crumb that they seem to like and are eating but they just walk through the water I have been giving to them. Is that normal thanks from Tom

 

[Marigold]

I'm glad you've done that, they sound as if they are doing really well and needed the transfer. Yes they do walk all over the water but will get the hang of it. You can try adding a drinker if you have a suitable one. They make an awful mess in the water and you have to keep changing it.
Tonight, or ASAP, you need to throughly disinfect the incubator. Dispose of the cloth and use a fresh one next time you hatch.

 

[Seal36]

I do have a suitable drinker and feeder so can I use those now as they are making such a mess.

I have cleaned the incubator and the brooder tonight.

What do you do to the chicks when you need to clean the brooder out?
What do you have in the bottom of your brooder as is have some j clothes on the bottom of the brooder. Is that ok?

They are really active and seem to be having fun in the brooder.

Thanks for all the help from Tom

 

[Marigold]

If you have jcloths on the floor, just remove the feeder and drinker and then carefully roll up the top layer of cloth from one side to the other, so it contains all the mess. Be very careful not to roll any chicks up in with it, and count them afterwards! You can wash out and re-use the cloths. When you have used up all the layers you will need to get a spare set ready and roll these up all together, then remove the last dirty ones and replace the new ones by unrolling them. When the chicks are a bit bigger you may want to change to something like woodshavings or Aubiose on the floor, though its difficult to poo pick quails as the droppings are so tiny and all over the place.
So glad they're all doing well. It's fascinating watching them, isn't it? When they are a bit bigger you could put the drinker on a little tile or block of something, level with their beaks, and it will get a bit less messy than down on the floor level.

 

[Seal36]

I just put one layer of j cloth down then replace it with a new layer whilst I'm washing the first layer. Let that one dry and then replace when it is dirty. I have put there food on a party plate to try and reduce the mess and it has not worked, as they are very messy. The drinker and feeder I have to the minute is too tall for them. They are so cute to watch. A couple of questions

1. How often should I clean then out in a day, I was thinking once in the morning and once at night,

2. Can I handle them.

3 how much food should I give them

Thanks for all the help from Tom

 

[Marigold]

Put layers of newspaper over the floor under the cloths to make it more absorbent. I used several layers of jcloths on the floor so it was easier to clean them out without getting to the bottom. Do it when you feel it needs it, twice a day would be good.,
Let them run over your hands but don't hold on to them.
Never let them run short of food, they need to be able to keep nibbling all the time.

 

[Seal36]

I have got a layer of newspaper, then an anti slip matt and then the j cloths. I will make sure that I clean the brooder 2 times a day just so the hygiene is good. I have been putting the food on a paper party plate so that the food is contained a little bit more but they still make a load of mess.
Just got a few questions. Thanks for all your help

How long do they need to stay in the brooder

How long does the heat need to stay with them

I wash the j cloth and then re use them when they are dry, is that a ok thing to do.

When do the girls start laying and the boys start crowing

Thanks from Tom

 

[Marigold]

Are they going up live in the butterfly house? If so I expect the temperature in there us higher than outside, especially at the present time. You are aiming to get them used to the same temperature as in there, rather than outdoors in the British summer, us that right?
My coturnix were well feathered by about 3-4 weeks and at that stage I put them in a cage with a little Ecoglow electric hen, which I turned off during the day and only used at night if it was cold. I had got them used to gradually lower temperatures by raising the lamp. I'm not sure how you can best do this in your setup. I expect it will be OK to turn off the lamp for an hour or so when you're there to watch them and see if they mind. If they huddle together they are too cold. But for the fist couple of weeks, keep it on all the time unless we get a heat wave.
Coturnix girls begin laying and the boys crow at around 6-8 weeks old, I'm not sure about CPQs but probably they're similar. Incredible, isn't it!
Yes washing the cloth is fine. Have you got a chick feeder for the crumb? They won't make such a mess if you use one.

 

[Seal36]

1 of them is going to live in the butterfly house the other ones are going to live in chicken coops outside with friends. I have decided to clean them out 3 times a day as they are making loads of mess at the minute. I do have a feeder for the chick crumb but it looks to big for them to get into.


The ones that live in the coops when can they go to there new homes and when can they live without the heat on outside.

Thanks for all the help from Tom

 

[Marigold]

When you say 'in chicken coops,' do you mean with chickens for company? This won't work as the chickens will attack or even kill them. A small chicken coop and run might be suitable but quails have different needs to chickens, and the run would have to have 1/2" mesh, not the larger kind often found for chickens, or they would escape. They would also need dry conditions to live outside, ie as a minimum a roofed area with protection at the sides from wind and rain. They don't need nestboxes but need a place to go in the coop where they can shelter together and some places to hide in the run. They can tolerate cold but damp is dangerous especially in winter. I used to put mine outside from April to October, depending in the weather, and kept them in a dry cage inside during the winter,
Given suitable conditions and good weather, they can go to new homes from about 4 weeks old, ie when off heat in the brooder. Again this depends on several things, mainly how well they are readily to cope with the changed conditions outside compared with in the brooder. They will need to have been off heat entirely in the brooder for several days at least before they go outside, as temperatures do drop at night compared with indoors.
You would be best to keep at least two of them to introduce to the butterfly house, as introducing one single bird of any poultry species is very difficult. Newcomers always get bullied by the adults already there, males in particular regard newcomers as a challenges especially other young males,

 

[Seal36]

one set of the chicks will be going into an empty outside aviary with an indoor area and the others are going to live in a chicken coop and then have access to an outside run. Thats all i know about them at the minute.

So after 4 weeks i will turn their heater off completely and then they can go to their new homes at around week 5?
When should I start lowering the temperature in their brooder?

I will Speak to them about having 2 quail rather than just one.

Thanks for all your help from Tom

 

[Seal36]

How much food will the chicks go through a day. I have started them on a feeder as they were making too much mess and it hold 0.7kg so should I fill it up and then re fill it when it's low.

When can I move them onto grower pellets or will that be for the new owners to give them.

Thanks from Tom

 

[Marigold]

I don't know how much they will go through, but you need to make sure they never run out whilst you are away. Keep them on chick crumb, which is high protein, until they are at least six weeks old, nine weeks is better because the high protein content supports their growth and maturation. Then rhey gradually need to be changed to a mixture of pellets, sunflower seeds and mealworms. Pellets alone won't have the right amount of protein for them.
Before they go to a new home you might enquire more closely how they are going to be kept, as they do have different needs to chickens as I said.

 

[Seal36]

Thanks for all your help. The homes they are going to are good ones as I have been asking them questions and they will both be in their own enclosures with no other birds in them. One is living in an aviary and the other will have a rabbit hutch with an attached run. Just have a couple of questions to ask,

1. The birds are starting to fly and sometimes bump their head on the top of the brooder is there anything I can do to stop this happening.

2. When can I move the quail onto the wood shavings and would I still I need a anti slip matt underneath the wood shavings.

Thanks for all your help from Tom

 

[Marigold]

I'm glad they're doing so well, I had been wondering how they were getting on. That's good news about the homes you have found for them. Yes quail do fly upwards especially when startled. Not much you can do about it but I don't suppose they hurt themselves since they'd haven't had much space to gather speed from takeoff. Have you worked out how to gradually reduce the temperature? Now its warmer weather and I expect they are feathering up, it needs to come down steadily from now on, ready for when they come out of the brooder perhaps switching it off during the day might work, if you could try this for the first time or two when you are there to observe if they're warm enough.
Yes, shavings whenever you like, whatever works best for you.

 

[Seal36]

I'm glad they are doing well too.

My next day off is Friday so I will see how they do during the day with the lamp off. Can they wait that long?

I'm glad all the homes are good too and I think im going to stick with j cloths for the time being as they are very easy to clean.

Thanks for your help from Tom

 

[Marigold]

Its hard to say without seeing them, but if the weather is warm you could try switching off first thing in the morning for an hour whilst you are getting up, then on again during the day, then off again when you get home. The way to tell if they're OK is to observe them with the lamp off and see if they huddle together because they're cold. As they'll be two weeks old by Monday it would be good to try to reduce the temperature gradually as much as you can, so they are off heat indoors entirely by 4 weeks old. They will still need some more acclimatisation before they go outside at their new homes as the temperature in the garden will drop several degrees lower than in an unheated cage in a house. Just watch them and use your common sense, don't risk chilling them but on the other hand, don't overheat them either when they get their feathers.
Sorry I can't be more help as I've never used a brooder with a lamp you can't adjust up or down. a lot depends on the weather temperature of course.

 

[Seal36]

I turned the heater off at 7:02 and then came back to check on them at 7:12 and they were all huddled together under the now turned off lamp. So I don't think it is warm enough for them but I might turn it off at 12 and see how they do then. I was thinking I could turn it off from 12 to 3 when they are ready and then have it click back on at 3. Does that sound ok. Thanks for all your help from Tom