The Care of Baby Quail, and Pheasants

 

BABY CHICKS NEED: FEED, WATER, HEAT, LIGHT & SPACE.

 

FEED:

 

Use a commercial starter for the first 8 weeks, making sure it has a high protein content (We suggest Purina Game Bird Startena). Cover the floor with Pine bedding (not cedar, as it is toxic to small game birds) for Quail and Pheasants. Put a ¼ inch screen over feed to ensure the chicks do not fluff themselves in the feed, not only wasting the majority of it, but to keep chicks from defecating in it as well. Change the bedding in your starter brooder every two to three days for the first week. After the third day, start putting the feed in narrow troughs low enough so the chicks can see and easily reach it. Use a 1 foot feeder for every 50 chicks to ensure they do not run out. Be sure that the feed that you get is a brand name and has a short shelf life. Feeds will get old and will lose vital nutrients and may have mold forming which is dangerous for baby chicks.

 

WATER:

 

Have a one gallon chick watering system for each 50 chicks. For the first two days use a commercial electrolyte replacement solution (The one that starts with a G), or add 3 Tablespoons table sugar to each quart of water for extra energy. Use plain water after that unless temperatures exceed 99 degrees inside brooder due to outside temps. As soon as you put newly hatched chicks in brooder from incubator, dip their beaks in the water solution before you turn it loose. Your chicks will likely be weak and thirsty when they come out of incubator, and a taste of water right away will help them find it on their own sooner. Place marbles or shiny stones in water to deter the chicks from drowning. *DO NOT MIST CHICKS WITH A SPRAY BOTTLE AS THEY WILL GET TO COLD AND DIE. NEVER LET YOUR CHICKS RUN OUT OF WATER!!!

 

HEAT: 

 

The temperature where the chicks are should be 90 – 95 degrees for the first week. Reduce the temperature by increments of 5 degrees per week until you get to 70 degrees. They shouldn’t need heat after 70 degrees. Use a dual thermometer method to ensure accuracy of temperature variations inside brooder the first two weeks. DO NOT GUESS.

A good source of heat would be a 250-watt heat bulb (Red bulbs are better than white due to a calming effect it has on the newborns, and will cause less picking and cannibalism.) Hang it 18 inches from the floor of the brooder area. The area directly under the bulb will be more than 90 degrees, but the chicks will adjust themselves to the area that they like. Use one bulb for each 100 chicks in warm weather spaced 2 foot apart. Make sure the chicks have a cooler area to move to, in case it gets too hot for them under the heat from the bulb. Especially important in the first weeks after hatching.

LIGHT:

 

If you use a heat bulb, this will also serve as the light you will need. Otherwise, be sure to give your chicks light. Use a 75-watt bulb on dark days. Have a small night light for nights – 15-watts or similar – to keep them from piling up thus crushing one another.

 

SPACE:

 

(QUAIL) Try to provide at least ¼ square foot per chick( ½ Square foot for pheasants and larger game birds), when starting 50 chicks use an insulated brooder box to make an enclosure about 2foot wide by 4 feet long. For 100 chicks make a box 2 foot by 8 foot long with two lamps (DO NOT EXCEEDE 100 PER BROODING AREA).

IMPORTANT MATTERS THAT NEED CONSIDERATION:

BROODER BOX: We would recommend that you use a lined 1 ½ inch thick Styrofoam enclosure, as it is better insulated from the outside temperatures. The lining MUST be in place to keep the chicks from pecking at the “beads” along seams and worn areas, and it getting stuck in their digestive tracts thus killing them.

 

GRIT:

 

Starting after the third day, start sprinkling baby chick grit on their feed daily, as if you were salting your food (Alternately, you could use Diatomaceous Earth (food grade) mixed into their feed for better digestion) Avoid putting out too much at any one time, as the chicks may fill up on it instead of food.

 

PICKING:

 

 Baby chicks will often pick at each other if they are too hot, too crowded, without fresh air, or short of room. Occasionally, bright light also causes them to pick at one another and at themselves, especially in the game bird breeds. However, sometimes they pick for no reason. To stop this behavior, try putting in fresh cut green grass clippings or sprouts several times a day and darken the room. The grass and sprouts stimulates the chicks natural scratching and pecking instincts and give them something else to do than pick at one another.

 

* SPECIAL CONCIDERATION: Always wash hands thoroughly after handling birds, their equipment, and cleaning their enclosures. Do not kiss or nuzzle any kind of birds. Keep poultry outside and away from human habitations, and food preparation areas. Always supervise young children around poultry, making sure they wash their hands thoroughly.  Always keep a small bottle of hand sanitizer near in the areas you will be handling the birds.

AFTER FOUR WEEKS:

• Increase floor area to ½ square foot per chick.

• Increase feeders to provide 1 ½ - 2 inches of space per chick. 2 ½ - 3 inches per pheasant chick.

• Increase water system to accommodate one 5 gallon fount per 100 chicks.

• Prevent water spillage or soakage in bedding material.

• Chicks can range outside (away from adults) on warm, sunny days, but only if clean ranging area is available.

 

*IMMEDIATELY SEPARATE CHICK(S) NOT OFF TO A GOOD START:  Your extra attention to hand feed and water is a MUST! Have good reference material on hand for that particular species of bird you are raising. Always wash hands after handling sick chicks to avoid contaminating the rest in your flock.*