What to feed baby quail

[momo18clara]

Hi everyone! I just hatched some gambel quail monday morning. I normally feed them Purina Game Bird Startena, but I have to special order it and it still hasn't arrived. I really need to feed them something soon so I don't stress them out too much, but I'm not sure what to give them. It`ll have been 48hrs since the first one hatched around 9 tomorrow. I have either the Purina flight conditioner or the maintenance(can check tomorrow) game bird feed, flock raiser, and cat/dog food.

 

[Habibs Hens]

48 hours

they are not like chicken chicks they need food within 12 hours


you need to give them high protein game crumbs

at the moment just give em what you got

or scramble up some eggs

 

[momo18clara]

48 hours

they are not like chicken chicks they need food within 12 hours


you need to give them high protein game crumbs

at the moment just give em what you got

or scramble up some eggs

Great. I have done some research into them and have raised coturnix quail before, but apparently I missed that.

Hopefully they'll still be ok.

I gave them some scrambled egg and some of the game bird feed crumbled up. They love the egg and have been eating it like crazy. They seem to be drinking fairly well too. I tried to dip their beaks in the water when i put them in, but I'm not sure it worked for all of them... they sure are hard to hold onto. Thanks for your quick replay! Any other advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[momo18clara]

One died tonight and the regular food still hasn't arrived. What should I do? Is any particular type of egg better for them? I have chicken, duck, and quail. Also been giving adult game bird feed.

I also have kitten chow. Should I give them some of it ground up?

 

[momo18clara]

Well, after 7 phone calls and a 4 hour drive(there and back), We now have game bird starter. Apparently the feed store I special ordered from got confused and sold my feed. I'm just hoping I'm not too late. I've lost 5 so far.

 

[Sycamore27]

If they were getting game bird feed and egg it shouldn't be because of the food...
What are they acting/looking like before they die?
What temperature is your brooder under the lamp? What area of the brooder are most of them in? What is your food and water set up like? What bedding are you using?
As many details, and even better some pictures, may help us get an idea of what might be happening.
Egg and game bird food should be a balanced enough diet that it wouldn't kill them outright especially so quickly. Are you seeing them eating and drinking? Are they moving around the brooder freely or staying in certain areas?

Good luck with the rest of your babies.
Cheers,
Jessie

 

[momo18clara]

If they were getting game bird feed and egg it shouldn't be because of the food...
What are they acting/looking like before they die?
What temperature is your brooder under the lamp? What area of the brooder are most of them in? What is your food and water set up like? What bedding are you using?
As many details, and even better some pictures, may help us get an idea of what might be happening.
Egg and game bird food should be a balanced enough diet that it wouldn't kill them outright especially so quickly. Are you seeing them eating and drinking? Are they moving around the brooder freely or staying in certain areas?

Good luck with the rest of your babies.
Cheers,
Jessie

I havent actually seen any of them die and I havent noticed any of them acting strangely except for the one that died last night. He seemed really tired and kept hanging his head. The temp under the brooder is pretty high. Its 111F right now(its gotten a little higher during the hottest part of the day tho), but they've been sleeping right next to it(not directly under it, but close). They have been running around throughout the brooder(I`ll post a pix soon) and eating/drinking. I`m using towels as bedding for now until they're a little bigger. The only thing that I know of that I should probably change is their light bulb(its a normal one right now), but I don't think that would cause them to die... they were shipped eggs incase that makes any difference...
Thanks so much!!
Clara

 

[momo18clara]

<= water with electrolytes(save a chick) that I just gave them last night(called the company and its fine for quail). Not dirty water!





I currently have 6 quail chicks in this brooder.