My first Quail. A mini blog.

[CliftonQuail]

I've often seen my young birds laying on their sides with their legs straight out as you describe and, yes, they look like they're dead until they jump up and start running around again.

 

[pac]

Whew. Good to know.
The goofball.

Thanks, Clifton

 

[pac]

Six broken eggs.

If the eggs were mishandled before with two broken eggs, I can only imagine what six will do.

One in the top layer and five in the bottom layer. The top layer had its pointed end broken and the five on the bottom the top/big end. I don't think any other top eggs had broken pointed ends, but I'll know tomorrow morning when I put them in the incubator.

 

[pac]

Make that eight broken eggs. Barely, but the large end is dimpled as if someone was trying to stand it up on a table.
I put them in the incubator anyway. I know which ones they are.

Day 1

 

[pac]

Meanwhile... I got batch 1 on pine shavings today.

 

[pac]

So it's 6-7 days since that pic above and I have removed the heat lamp. I tried moving it further away, but could not get the temp below 80. The room itself is quite warm. And I'm pushing for moving them outside at three weeks, this upcoming Wed, so I know I'm lowering the temp rather quickly. But even in the pic above, the heat lamp was on the other end of the brooder. They were avoiding it.

It's been running 75-77 for the past day and they do not seem stressed, but every time I look in on them they are laying side by side... and I'm guessing that is to keep warm.
They are continuing to drink and eat, though I haven't seen them hanging out eating and drinking like before. I see them laying by the bottles. Side by side. They are really starting to feather. And yesterday I was petting them. The more active one did get up and move away. And the other one followed.

Out of curiosity, Because I am looking ahead, what is the most extreme temp difference you have moved your birds outside in? There was frost yesterday morning, but it did get up into the high fifties. It is not warming up on a steady basis like is typical.

And I've thought of putting heat in their pen, but being quail I only gave them 14" floor to ceiling. I'd have to see if they make some kind of bar heating element I could mount in a ceiling corner. Heating elements in coops scare me a little. Especially with pine chips.

With only the two I am concerned about how much heat they can generate...

 

[pac]

71F in there just now. And they are up and moving and not huddled.

One, the one that used to be smaller, seems to be doing very well.

The other, who started out with the curled toes, not so much. She (not actually sure yet) is a lot smaller now and seems to have a hard time getting around in the chips. When I picked her up she seemed fine. Toes straight, legs kicking... But I've been noticing for a week she seems more on the scraggly side.