Brooding quail.

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jimbo&rooster
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Brooding quail.

Post by jimbo&rooster » Thu Feb 13, 2014 1:00 pm

Ok, so the science teachers here at the school, are getting ready to hatch some quail, 480 of them to be exact. Now, understanding that not all of them will hatch/survive, I told them I would take any of them that they couldnt give away and they told me to expect about 200-300. HOLY COW! Now, I have room for them, and I am formulating a plan for a brooder, but do yall have any thoughts or advice? I think I'm gona turn an old horse stall into a brooder (essentially place the brooder inside the stall). But what have y'all learned to help get the best bang for your buck?

I also saw some cool plans for a flight pen recently that im going to put together.

Any tips and tricks would be awesome.

Jim

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nitrex
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Re: Brooding quail.

Post by nitrex » Thu Feb 13, 2014 4:46 pm

Make sure you have plenty of heat for that many chicks and don't have any square corners. When quail get the slightest chill, they will start to pile on top of each other an suffocate. Also, within a few weeks they will be flying in the brooders so be sure to keep them from getting out.

Good Luck! I've raise several batches of 200 with great success.

Nitrex

sckwest1
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Re: Brooding quail.

Post by sckwest1 » Thu Feb 13, 2014 5:15 pm

Could you share the flight pen plans please?

jimbo&rooster
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Re: Brooding quail.

Post by jimbo&rooster » Thu Feb 13, 2014 6:21 pm

Well I may have over stated by saying cool.but essentially the guy had used an old swing set frame and covered it with netting. He had like 20-30 quail in it. My plan is to use 16ft 2x6and build 4 A-frame and connect them whith 16 footers which will essentially have a 16ft width 48ft long. Then cover it with netting.

Jim

Wildweeds
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Re: Brooding quail.

Post by Wildweeds » Thu Feb 13, 2014 7:24 pm

I've got lots of quail experiance.First thing to go and look for is an old round stock tank,I have 2 of them a 6 footer and an 8 footer.Then make a lid for it with 2x2's and 1/4 inch plywood,Make 4 doors in the corners.I got an old floresent tube fixture and put 4 heat lamps in it,2 on one circut and 2 on another.The reason for 2 circuts and so many bulbs is if the breaker blows or a bulb burns out your still covered.I hung the fixture from the ceiling and had it adjustable through an open slot across the center of the trough.You can easily brood 600 in the 8 footer for about 2 weeks,containing them like that helps keep them in the heat zone.Turning em loose in a box stall with a couple of lights really doesn't work all that great,been there and done it in a square room with rounded corners,it worked better to raise them in there after they were good and hearty.Alot of folks use marbles or rocks in the waters,I used to also.It's a pain in the butt,a scrap of old garden hose I found works better.I cut a piece big enough to fill the trough and keep the birds from falling in,getting wet,getting chilled and then dying.I always make sure the water I give is at ambient temperature.One peep from a chick that signals "I'M COLD!" Starts a pile up,and pile ups are BAD!.Not a big deal to pile up with a dozen birds,real bad results when you have a couple hundred with the instinct to ball up when they hear the signal to help.I feel the best bedding material is wood pellets,I've done,shavings,straw,alfalfa,sawdust.Wood pellets absorb water excellent and they arent' as messy in the feed/water containers as the others.

I used 1/4 inch plywood to round the corners in my square room,I used 2 foot tall strips to make sweeping rounded corners and then filled in the void behind with sawdust/shavings.

jimbo&rooster
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Re: Brooding quail.

Post by jimbo&rooster » Thu Feb 13, 2014 9:19 pm

I guess I should clarify. I'm not just gonna put them in the stall I'm going to build a box. But the box will be in the stall cause after raising some stinky ducks in my man cave they WILL NOT be in my house. Haha

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mm
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Re: Brooding quail.

Post by mm » Fri Feb 14, 2014 6:15 am

I built a brooder box with 2 x 12 wood and I made sections in it and used heat lamps with brooder bulbs all from home depot. For a cover I used plex glass on part of the top and hardware on the part where I put the lamp. I put tin foil around the lamp to make the hood bigger and direct the heat in the box. I put paper down in the box as it has a solid floor and change it often. I use chick water bases on my waterers. When they start to get feathers I move them to the same type box with a hardeware cloth floor. I was doing about 30 or 40 at a time like this and they did well but I did it in the spring and temps were not low like it is here now.
mm

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CHJIII
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Re: Brooding quail.

Post by CHJIII » Fri Feb 14, 2014 11:04 am

Just remember, quail will find any excuse to die.

digger
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Re: Brooding quail.

Post by digger » Fri Feb 14, 2014 5:10 pm

Jimbo,
The coons and other critters willl likely enjoy a buffet at the described flight pen. Weasels can get in a very small ground level hole and they will kill just for fun, lost 50 bird one night and he didn't eat any of them.
Other critters that dig under and breakin can make life tough. Point is do some research on preditor control so you don't learn the hard way like most have. Electric fence, traps etc. If you have a mesh floor it has to be fine enough coons can't reach in and pull legs off birds. Talk to some folks that have done it, they have lots of stories. Birds are fun, hope you have a great time raising birds and training.
,

Wildweeds
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Re: Brooding quail.

Post by Wildweeds » Fri Feb 14, 2014 5:59 pm

Do a search for Oklahoma quail ranches,they have a real nice flight pen design that appears to have affordibility and performance all rolled into one.

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