New Quail in Johnny House - Health

[ROTTnBRITT]

Wondering if anyone has any procedures they follow to increase vigor and mortality when they get a new batch of quail for the johnny house.
Medicated feed, Medication in water, Apple Cider Vinegar, Supplements.....

[cjhills]

Wondering if anyone has any procedures they follow to increase vigor and mortality when they get a new batch of quail for the johnny house.
Medicated feed, Medication in water, Apple Cider Vinegar, Supplements.....

Don't feed medicated feed to game birds. Game bird Feed or wholegrain and seeds. you might lose a few right away, but they should do fine on food and water.....Cj

[polmaise]

All new females of course , I presume ?
Spray perfume on the new ones and the others...
Well, it makes it like a ....... house if nothing else . Healthy atmosphere during Lockdown

[Featherfinder]

Polmaise, is there any particular brand that keeps them from smelling fowl?
...a feather in your cap Sir!
I'm just winging it here but do you store yours in a beaker?
OK, no more flocking around. I must fly!
Sorry for migrating off topic.
Actually, I'm with CJ - NO man-made chemically enhanced feed!
Some of my trainer birds find their way back to the table. There's such a foul smell when eviscerating's chemically induced birds! It puts me right off eating them - that sour, smelly, damp, stink!
I too have lost a few birds in transition but it's well worth it. I've used corn and wild bird seed mix.

[birddogger2]

I have had pretty good luck with the following regimen:

When I get the birds home, I medicate their water with LS 50 for about a week. I may also add some electrolytes to the water if it is hot and the birds were heavily stressed due to transport.

After the initial dosing with LS 50 antibiotic, they get only regular, unmedicated poultry feed(typically i get Tractor Supply 16% pelleted feed. I have a small pan or tub, with about 5" sides inside the bird pen. I fill the pan about half full with coarse construction sand and replace as necessary. The birds dust in the sand and (I believe) also consume some to aid in breaking down their feed.

I think the construction sand is KEY to the bird's continuing health.

Of course, if is start seeing unhealthy or dying birds, I will do a course of LS 50 antibiotic in their water, clean out and sanitize the cage and put the birds back in with new clean sand.

It is not at all unusual for me to have birds that are two years old and still very healthy. I have about 30 nice, fat birds in the cage presently. I purchased sixty birds over a year ago and used them fairly frequently last summer and fall. I have a recall cage next to the quail pen and they will come to the pen from the training field which is nearby. I was also using them occasionally this winter, until the virus thing shut us down. They recall pretty well, but I always lose a few here and there, to foxes and other predators. Some stay out for two or three days, or more, before recalling when the weather gets nasty.


RayG

[Featherfinder]

Geeez Ray....over a year old?!? You're doing something right!
I'd do what Ray said.
Thank you Sir.

[shags]

IME the sandbox in the pen is key to keeping good quail, just as Ray says. We use river sand that has different sizes of grit from powdery for dust baths to the size grit the birds eat for digestion.

Since we've put in a sandbox, our birds are much hardier. Last year we released 6 one day in November for training. Did the training, one bird recalled and we assumed the rest croaked because quail just croak. In January, after two big snow storms and our usual nasty weather, we were still training on the November birds. They acclimated fine and were often found under apple or osage orange trees where they had plenty of food.

[cjhills]

I forgot to mention the sand box. I also think that is probably the key. I use baby chick grits. I have never medicated them. Probably don't hurt... Cj