Quail Breeding SESSION 4. Chick Care, from hatching to brooder! A training series for home grown food and a profitable business

In session SESSION 3 last week, we covered setting eggs and hatching them successfully

Embryos are most vulnerable and sensitive to temperature and humidity change while in the process of hatching. This happens when opening the lid to remove hatched chicks and empty egg shells

A hatcher is simply an incubator without turning trays. We use a plastic mesh base on our units which allows the droppings to fall through reducing the bacteria contact on the chick and is also non slip to prevent splayed legs

This unit, holding up to 200 quail eggs is especially popular with homesteaders and families

Open it the first time when there is a large batch of hatched chicks and only remove the fluffy completely dry birds and the empty egg shells. These if left will cover an unhatched egg and kill the bird as it is impossible for it to break through two shells!

A chick can survive for 24 hours without food and water drawing on egg nutrients stored in its body. So there is no rush to put wet birds into your brooder. Take out the first batch about eight hours after hatching, say in the evening. Leave the rest in till the next motioning, then remove the third batch that evening. In other words you are only opening the hatcher twice a day

A brooder is a ventilated box with heating elements or lamps. The temperature is controlled by a thermostat and is known as an automatic brooder. This is the safest but most expensive option

Using the second option is the same designed unit, minus the thermostat. Temperature here is controlled by a series of lamps with switches to reduce heat as the chick grows

It is quite a safe unit as the lamps are set underneath the solid roof, making this the warm part of the brooder. If the chicks get too hot they simply move under the cooler wire mesh area. The can however overheat if all the lamps are left on as the day heats up and even the cool area then becomes too hot for them

The third, and cheapest option is using infra red heating lamps. They are placed approximately 500 mm - 18 inches - from the ground in a ventilated room. Again they need to be sited so that the chicks can move away, or closer to the heat

The infra red light also assists growth

This system can be used for a small number of quails or thousands of quail! Your guide here, as with all the brooders is the chicks behavior. If they are huddled together under the heat source, they are cold. If scattered as far away as possible they too hot!

Huddling in a corner clearly indicates the problem. If left like this they will die from cold and suffocation as they climb on top of each other in an attempt to get warm

It is unnecessary to have a humidity controller in any brooder

All brooders need an absorbent, non slip floor. This picture shows soil plus liberal quantities of chick starter scattered around the floor. It is advisable not to use chick trays in the first few weeks as the chicks are to small to use them and the weaker ones land up been stunted

Wood shavings are the most widely used litter

We prefer the natural way and use either dry sand or soil which has many advantages

The quail bath in it which cools them and reduces parasites. They eat it which supplies minerals and trace elements and the grit helps grind the food in their crops to improve digestion

Plus when this litter is added to your compost heap it accelerates decomposition and "turbo charges" it too!

Which begs the question . . . Why would anyone want to use wood shavings??

Day old babies, Cute Huh?

I will continue next week with Series 5 covering vital subjects like hygiene, reducing moralities and improving growth in chicks

A reminder:

This series when finalized will form a complete book on Breeding for Food and Profit.
The teachings apply to all types of poultry!