Quail

JanetMarie

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All the eggs (46) are together. This was on March 31, when I set the 2nd batch of eggs. I decided not to let the first batch of eggs wait for the 2nd batch to get here. Lock down for #1 is Friday, and they are due on Sunday!

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CrealCritter

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10 hatched from the first group. I mixed essential amino acid powder in their food (I make all the poultry food from scratch), and also scrambling a chicken egg for them every day.

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I've wanted to try quail but I need to build a quail house first. Those would become snacks for the wildlife we have around here, if I didn't have them in a building of some kind.

Great work on the hatching 👍

Jesus is Lord and Christ 🙏❤️🇺🇸
 

JanetMarie

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Not good news with group #1. Around half of them have been getting weaker and weaker.

They like to hide in their chick cave more than chicken chicks, as is more instinctive for quail to do, and I think they were hiding too much and haven't been coming out enough to eat. I've put towels for more canopy coverage over their brooder, and place the chicks that will tolerate it by the food and water, and some start eating and drinking more. Others are not eating still, as if they've forgotten what food is.

There are two small odd ones in that group that are doing great, so it may be genetics.
 

Alaskan

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With quail, they are enticed by bouncing feed.

Pick up the food dust, and drop it onto a paper towel at their feet. Pick up and repeat. Usually the bouncing feed crumbs will get them to eat.

Also... maybe for the first week, we had to grind the food finer. What was available at the feed store was too large for them.

I never used a heat plate or cave for quail. For quail I have only ever used a heat lamp.
 

frustratedearthmother

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I don't use a cave for quail chicks either. They go from incubator into brooder. Floor of the brooder is covered with paper towels for the first week so their little feet don't go through the hardware cloth. Game bird crumbles go straight on to the paper towels for that first week also. Then they graduate to a feeder.
 
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