Hi everyone,
I have 4 coturnix quail chicks that are 3 weeks old as of this past weekend. They are currently in a brooder in the spare room of my house (temp in the house ranges from 65-75 degrees). They have a heat plate in which one side is fully raised up to the top and the other side is about halfway raised. Every time I check on them they are either outside of the heat plate or laying where it is raised up the highest, so I know they aren’t super dependent on the heat. Their feathers are coming in beautifully - not sure how to tell if they’re fully feathered, as this is my first time raising quail but they don’t have that porcupine look anymore like they did when their feathers were coming in.
I would REALLY like to move them outside, soonest being the end of this coming weekend (they will be 4 weeks old). Cleaning out the brooder is getting really difficult because they flap their wings and shoot up when I try to grab them and it’s really stressful for everyone
I’m near Tacoma, WA - in the next week, lows at night being in the upper 40s, low 50s, and highs ranging from 58-70 degrees. I imagine it will only get warmer from here on out too.
So, I guess my question is… would it be too soon to move them outside next weekend after I build their outdoor enclosure, when they hit the 4 week mark? I could start cracking the window at night in the room they’re in right now to help them acclimate. Unfortunately it is not an option to have a heat source outside for them at the moment.
I have 4 coturnix quail chicks that are 3 weeks old as of this past weekend. They are currently in a brooder in the spare room of my house (temp in the house ranges from 65-75 degrees). They have a heat plate in which one side is fully raised up to the top and the other side is about halfway raised. Every time I check on them they are either outside of the heat plate or laying where it is raised up the highest, so I know they aren’t super dependent on the heat. Their feathers are coming in beautifully - not sure how to tell if they’re fully feathered, as this is my first time raising quail but they don’t have that porcupine look anymore like they did when their feathers were coming in.
I would REALLY like to move them outside, soonest being the end of this coming weekend (they will be 4 weeks old). Cleaning out the brooder is getting really difficult because they flap their wings and shoot up when I try to grab them and it’s really stressful for everyone
I’m near Tacoma, WA - in the next week, lows at night being in the upper 40s, low 50s, and highs ranging from 58-70 degrees. I imagine it will only get warmer from here on out too. So, I guess my question is… would it be too soon to move them outside next weekend after I build their outdoor enclosure, when they hit the 4 week mark? I could start cracking the window at night in the room they’re in right now to help them acclimate. Unfortunately it is not an option to have a heat source outside for them at the moment.
