Combining Younger and Older Quail

[@muzzyinbambi]

This is why I like your channel. You show it as it is, real life. Willing to show your own mistakes, so others don't make the same. Keep it real Chris, no fake news here. 💪

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much.

[@taz12184]

Yes I was totally thinking the same thing. It makes your advice so authentic and trustworthy

[@thedouglaspodcast]

@@taz12184couldn’t agree more!! Love this dude ♥️♥️♥️

[@GETITMEHLED]

Thanks Chris. Love your videos. I have a question though. I made a mistake with my first hatch of 7 quail. Thanks to you, that was a 100% hatch rate. However, I messed up. I put them in pine shavings right out of the incubator. All 7 died a week later. That's when I learned that the bedding contrasts the same color as their food and they don't learn to eat. Since then, I've had 3 good hatches and have used paper towel and no food container for about the first 3 days. No problems since. But, I noticed you were using shavings in your brooder. Do you change from paper towel to shavings and at what point. Now my hatches are getting larger and I'm using a lot of paper towels. Thanks for any response. Keep up the good videos.

[@helenbradley8179]

Thanks Chris for sharing we have all done a “left the shed door open” mistake. Your advice on the quail is always appreciated.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you for watching. I am glad you liked the video. And you are correct. I have actually made way worse mistakes than leaving the door open before and probably will again.

[@taz12184]

Perfect timing again for me with this video. Thanks for the advice. Perfect 👌

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Awesome. I am glad you found this video helpful.

[@t.h.o.r.]

Hey Chris congrats on reaching 100,000 subs- Its a hard slog from here to 1,000,000 subs haha

[@matthewdaugherty9331]

I put my quail out on grass for the first time today they are loving it I've got 9 hens and no roosters. Getting ready to put another batch in the incubator I hope I can get some roosters off this batch. Wish me luck.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I am sure you won't have any problem getting roosters out of this hatch. It is rare that I don't get at least half roosters off of each hatch myself. Good luck with it.

[@juanreyes4889]

Question? Do you deal with flys? I currently have about 16 quail in a similar coop as yours currently trying a deep litter method Below the coop,But I’ve got tons of flys. Any recommendations?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I don't really have that many problems with flys. They are around but I get black soldier flys in the summer and they help keep them in check. You might look at "fly predators". I know that they sell them and I hear good things about them.

[@vietnguyen7946]

I love your channel and learn a bunch of things from your other videos, but I might have to comment on putting the young quails with the new. I have a "free range-sort-of quail pen" with dimension 10feet by 26 feet by 6 feet. I had 40 quails of 10 weeks age. Two days ago I introduced 18 quails 3 weeks of age into the pen. At first I saw the older (much bigger quails) picked on the younger/smaller group thinking that it's just pecking order to establish hierarchy (like that of chicken), but the next morning I found 10 younger quails dead with similar (if not exact) injury--- (head feather plucked and head bleeding with seen through skull). The other 8 were clumps into a small hiding place that the big quails were not able to reach (they also have injury). Such a painful experience (I have jumbo coturnix quails). If anyone has similar situation/experience please share so we can all learn. Again, thank you for making videos.

[@michellehiggins8509]

Thank you! Ive learned so much about rabbits and quail from your videos! Love the shirt!

[@furlvr1961]

That was exactly my question. Thank you for answering it. I have eggs that are ready for lockdown tomorrow morning, and I wasn't sure how long after they hatched/grew some, before I could place them with my other adult Jumbo Coturnix.

[@clarencecamara2686]

How do you feed the adults and the chicks? My chicks are 2weeks 2days and are are on 30 %protein. My layers are on kalmbach feather plume 18% protein?

[@BigDmike24]

HELP!! i mail ordered Bobwhite Quail got them yesterday 10 were DOA!. Since then 21 have died. Is that pretty common? I found the chicks that fall over and can't walk are the ones that die.

[@Icluckingloveit]

The same thing happened to me with my baby chickens. I had 10 and my dog killed them all but only by chasing them. She never hurt any of them. I think it just becomes a game for them and it's in their nature. Thank you for your videos

[@plurmingo1]

So, I’ve put 3, 3 week old quail, and with my adult quail, and they pack them so much that one of them is missing half the skin on its head. The other one is missing a piece, but not as much and the other one has gouges in its neck, why would they be so aggressive?

[@christiansaravia7865]

thank you this eased my anxiety i had a ton of eggs but only one baby hatched so I ordered juveniles to keep him company, he'll be 1 week when they get here and they will be 3 weeks, I'm hoping they'll be alright with him since i don't want him to be by himself. ill be separating the males most likely but that's it

[@SpecialK16]

I put 4 week old chicks in with my 3 month old quail. My rooster kept trying to mate them. The young hens were started and kept trying to run away. Is the rooster going to end up Injury them?

[@carolmccallum7840]

Great information, not sure if its been asked already but does it matter if the babies are males? Do the existing males accept other males....

[@SageandStoneHomestead]

THAT SHIRT LOL

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks, it is one of my favorites too.

[@GarryHarper-z4o]

I would really like to know the size of your pins please

[@MasterD67]

Really sorry to hear about the losses Chris. Good luck with the new batch and thank you for the info. God Bless.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks. It could be worse but i do feel bad that I didn't keep them safe.

[@avatarwan2271]

I have a question; each time me and my family buy some baby quail, in the first brood of six, there was one that was more tinier than the others. Now the first brood has grown up, and the dwarf is still a tiny normal sized coturnix. In the next brood of ten, there was another dwarf, only one. We got them from Loudounberry farm and garden. They are jumbos, but are there any normals (the dwarfs) or is it just some kind of malfunction. Should I check on the egg size maybe?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

It is probably genetics. Jumbo birds are just birds that have been bread from regular birds and selected for size. Sometimes they can still produce standard size birds.

[@jodyflores601]

Awe Max, I guess he couldn't resist, can't blame him though......quail make for a good chase. I am sorry about the losses, I'm glad you are able to put more in the incubator soon. Thank you for another great video, blessings. :)

[@Slightlyrednecked]

yeah, you can't blame him. And it could be worse. Thank you for watching.

[@feathersngreensliang4083]

Your earlier video from 2017 recommend 5 weeks. Sounds like this is you current experience. Thanks

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Yeah, I have started putting them in younger and finding that it works just as well.

[@ellenlutz3526]

I have learned a lot from your Videos. Thanks I'm able to raise 4 now they will be 6 weeks friday,got them when they were 2wks old.I want more but cant find any.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you for watching, I am glad you are finding the videos helpful. I am sorry you are having trouble finding more birds. You should start getting eggs pretty soon and can start incubating your own though.

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Hi. Thanks for the great info. Could I ask you something please?...I keep Coturnix quail as pets and for eggs. I recently hatched some quail and have now successfully integrated 5 x 4 week old hens with my 2 year old roo and 2 hens. They are in a rabbit hutch type setup just now. I am building a much bigger run for them - 8ft 5in x 2ft 6in. I will be adding lots of enrichment including hiding places and so on. I wondered if you thought that I could add another roo to the others when I move them to the new run. That would make it 2 roos and 7 hens? Do you think the new young roo would get picked on (or worse)? Would that be enough hens for 2 roos? Many thanks. Mags (from Scotland, UK)

[@budrowhammon8037]

Who has baby quail 4 sale need a dozen females

[@JustLikeKyla]

This made me feel better about some of my birds getting out today. I accidentally left the hutch open when I heard my daughter crying. Thankfully was able to find them in hiding in my landscaping. Real life stuff!

[@Booyakashala]

Thank you for posting this. Although sad and unfortunate it is a great learning experience for us all. I've made stupid mistakes and have had to learn so it's nice to know I'm not the only one lol. Love your videos, and thank you for all of your work in creating them.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you for the kind comments. And as far as stupid mistakes go....I have had more than my fair share of them.

[@thedouglaspodcast]

Most definitely 😭 my pup has been alone with my BUTTON and coturnix quail wayyyy too many times. I get distracted!!! Lolol thankfully, he’s obsessed with tiny creatures.. and was _always_ heavily supervised until they were about 5 weeks. BUT ya never know 🥺 he’s a husky/heeler mix and can bite *hard.* Great lesson for us dog owners 😭

[@TylerMiller]

Sorry to hear about your loss Chris, I'm sure it's super frustrating. I'm so paranoid about leaving the doors unlatched or the lid off the brooder I always double and triple check haha. I actually had to make a bigger brooder for all of our quail, getting too big for the tote they are in. Probably going to move them outside this week sometime since our days are in the high 70s and low 80s and nights are only down to about 63 or so. They will be 2 weeks tomorrow.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

It is a little frustrating. But I tend to not let things get to me too much. Sounds like yours are about ready to move outside for sure.

[@melissapriddy3739]

At 3:40 you said that babies are 2 weeks old & fully feathered. Maybe you meant 2 months old? Just hatched our 1st 10 Coturnix chicks 2 days ago & they are in my dining room, living in a fancy brooder. So still learning about them as I go.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

no. I meant two weeks old. They grow very fast and are usually pretty much fully feathered out by 2 weeks old. By 2 months old they are pretty much full grown and start laying eggs.

[@melissapriddy3739]

Slightly Rednecked Wow! That is super quick! Thanks for the info. Glad I have cages due to arrive next week.

[@kathydavie7004]

I too made a mistake ,had chicks in 18 gallon in closet , I was so tired I forgot to shut bedroom door tight , you can guess what happened. Dogs. I felt so bad.... Guilty....So my wonderful husband set up a quail brooder area in cellar with heat lamps! I still latch the cellar door!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Oh no. Sorry to hear that. I felt bad too but what is done is done and you have to just move on.

[@kathydavie7004]

Slightly Rednecked That is so true! Love your videos!

[@jamesharris535]

For some reason, I had a VERY different experience when I tried to combine my 6-1/2 wk old and 3-1/2 wk old birds. The older, bigger males immediately started trying to kill the younger ones. Granted, i have too many males in the older batch (5 males, 3 females) so they were already on edge. I was trying to wait until 7 weeks to cull some males. Thanks for your videos by the way, I watch them all the time

[@matthewdaugherty9331]

I've had that happen to me before to. We all learn from mistakes I hate that happened tho

[@Slightlyrednecked]

True. Mistakes are part of life and as long as we learn from them, we are better off for making them.

[@timstringer9873]

Live and learn that's what we do as humans. I've trained our dog that chickens and quail are off limits everything else is fair game. Even if our chickens are free ranging she does not bother them. If a quail gets loose i can tell her to catch it and she is more than willing but not until I say so . Chris you can always set some more eggs.

[@tedmallen3139]

THANKS!

[@Connorstbird]

I put some new adult birds in with my flock and I had 2 that are about 2 weeks old and my flock is picking the hell out of her

[@Slightlyrednecked]

They are picking on the 2 week old birds? That is strange. I really never have issues with young birds getting picked on myself. Adult birds do for sure. You might try to remove them for a week and then put them back in. The birds may just be wound up because of the new adult birds that were added. You can also try misting all of the birds with a vinegar water mixture. I have heard of people having good luck with that method as well.

[@Connorstbird]

Okay I’m going to try and separate them for a week and see how that works and if that doesn’t we will take a chance with vinegar! Thanks really appreciate it!!

[@johnbrown2072]

Question about the watering cups, do they ever get full of food and then drain out ? Another great video to answer my question and as always very entertaining

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I haven't had that problem with mine. I have had birds that like to stand on the plunger and cause them to overflow. But that is easily fixed with a piece of wire over the top so they can still get their head in to drink but can't stand on it.

[@LEVENINZWEDEN]

I see that some birds keep hooking their toes into the mash. Our quail area has soil, plants and sand on the bottom. Easy to clean and it gives them a sense of security, so I don't understand the mash bottom (part from the fact that the poop disappears). Do you have experience with them damaging their feet?

[@Rasgonras]

Another good reason for the mesh is to keep out rodents.

[@legaleagle308]

I wanted to thank you for all your tips, tricks, and advice. I bought 29 eggs through eBay and so far 16 out of 29 have hatched. I truly believe it was from your advice, great sellers on eBay, and a good incubator. I just wanted to take a moment to thank you!!!

[@BrendaNolen]

Oh, man! This is what worries me about my dog. I got a three in one collar (sound, vibrate, and shock) so he would stop harassing the quail. Sound was useless (he goes deaf and dumb when he's in that mode) but vibrate has finally broke him from messing with them BUT I have some pheasant eggs in the incubator right now and, while we plan to build the pen like Fort Knox, I am still SO worried about him.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I have the same kind of collar for my dog too. And vibrate is really all I ever have to use. Good luck with your pheasant hatch.

[@JR-3030]

I lost about the same with my dog last year only it was 4 week old meat chickens, such a bummer but dogs will be dogs. SHUT THE GATES! Least you will have more soon!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Oh no. Meat chickens would be worse indeed.

[@1safeplanet785]

Sorry to hear about your quail disaster Chris after all your hard work. I just had 34 sex-link quail eggs hatch today and only 4 are female. If I keep a male I will only get 5 too out of this batch. I wonder if this is common with sex-links that most turn out to be roosters or am I just unlucky. Thanks so much for your great advice to all us quail hobbyists..

[@Slightlyrednecked]

It seems to be common with all of my hatches. I always seem to get way more roosters than hens. But in all honesty, it is just luck of the draw.

[@jupitertheargentinetegu]

What a terrible mistake. If it was me I would use that shed brooder just for chickens and stick to your previous Rubbermaid container setup for quail chick brooder box.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

That isn't a terrible idea. I might go back to doing that for sure.

[@garyb4929]

hate say good laugh, but ,was probably real hard for Max to resist. Our cocker Spaniel, still ,occasionally, cannot resist giving a little chase to free range chickens. thanks for sharing.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

oh yeah, he loves to chase birds. He really does pretty good around them most of the time but i can't blame him for losing control when unsupervised.

[@quentinmyers7378]

Do you still float test your eggs? I saw that you did in a older video. I recall that you said putting them in the water can rehydrate the older eggs increasing the hatch rate. Is this still true? I’m hatching both quail & chicken eggs (separate incubators).

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Yes. Float testing the eggs can help a lot with your hatch rate.

[@tommyb1two3]

It's a shame about losing the quail but thinking about the amount of chaos a dog can cause when the owner is not there is just hilarious to think about. Often you come home to what looks like a complete mess and then when you start to wonder what in the world the dog was up to you just have to laugh. Dogs can be so unpredictable sometimes and it's one of the reasons why I love them so much. They have the most incredible personalities and it's all those little kinks and crazy things they do that makes them so unique.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I know what you mean. My dog is actually really good about not destroying things or causing too many problems. But live quail are another story.

[@AviaryBirdsAndCo]

Very unfortunate but we always learn from our mistakes! Thanks for sharing

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Hopefully we do. At least before we have to make the same mistake multiple times. :)

[@claireabbott6112]

I watched one of your earlier videos on when to introduce quail and always add in babies. The only issue I have had is introducing a new male to females who lose theirs etc. The hens sometimes beat them up also. Strange isn't it how some dogs are fine with birds - others it brings out their prey drive.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Yup. My dog is part pointer so I think that is where he gets the bird chasing drive.

[@pattierwin4380]

Yup, I have a springer who takes the bird dog thing seriously.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Oh I bet. My dog it just part bird dog (pitbull pointer mix). I am sure a springer spaniel is way worse.

[@goodtimes9751]

MAAAAX!!!!!!!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I know. He is a pretty good dog most of the time but every once in a while he does something like this. It could be worse though.

[@taz12184]

Sorry for all the comments. What do you do feed wise when you mix them. Do you keep the chicks on the chick feed? And feed the adults the layers crumb

[@rkade1838]

At 3 weeks old the chicks can eat adult feed. As long as they are quail or macro pellet not the large chicken pellet. I start feeding them game bird grower

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I feed all of my birds game bird starter. I don't switch feeds out when they get older.

[@rlm2658able]

Interesting! I figured the older ones would pick on them. Good to know!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

It has never been a problem for me. They usually do just fine.

[@bgtrev]

Always admire your honesty, live, learn and move on.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much.

[@taz12184]

Do you collect eggs and incubate during the winter aswell? Are the fertility rates still the same

[@rkade1838]

I live in Sydney and it’s winter lowest 5c. I incubate eggs just need to give them extra 5 hours of light (16Hrs). Hatching quail in winter is really hard. When I take the chicks at 3 weeks old to grow cage some still die from cold. I recommend you put heat lamp in grow-out cage too if you can.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I don't really hatch in the winter. I typically just hatch from spring to fall. I do collect eggs in the winter but they are primarily just for eating.

[@wildedibles819]

Thanks so much for your honesty It happens

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you for watching.

[@markbryant6168]

Hey chris. Do you sell fertile quail eggs?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I do from time to time but I am only set up to sell locally.

[@christinagardener1889]

Love your videos! I've learned so much from them. I just hatched my first batch of quail.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Congratulations on your hatch. Thank you for watching my videos. I am glad you are finding them helpful.

[@christinagardener1889]

One of my bird's is active and eating well but its eyes look like they are mostly closed all the time. At first it was just one eye and now it's both. It scratches its eye with its foot. Do you happen to know if this is something I can treat?

[@taz12184]

I started drinking my raw eggs today to. Thanks for that vid to.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Hope they are helping you out.

[@Val_Nikon]

Awsome video chris! My 5 week old quail just started laying, I heard that's pretty young.

[@garyb4929]

wow, yours really got jump. I've gotten 1 immature- no hard shell ,so far . Mine just are 5 weeks old

[@muzzyinbambi]

That's very young. Awesome.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

That is young indeed. Most of the time it is at 8 weeks or older.

[@Val_Nikon]

@@Slightlyrednecked good genetics I'm guessing?

[@clarencecamara2686]

@@Slightlyrednecked how do you feed the 2 age groups when mixing them. Mine are 2 1/2 weeks and the older ones were born in Feb. They are on 2 different protein level feeds

[@MrsSecor]

Did you let Max eat them?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

No. He really doesn't show much interest in eating them. Once they are no longer running from him to chase he pretty much loses interest.

[@MrsSecor]

That is so interesting! My dog LOVES and I mean LOVES eating quail. He definitely thinks chasing is the best part too though.

[@christinagardener1889]

@@MrsSecor, does your dog eat the birds whole? I feed my dog raw and wondering about adding quail to his diet.

[@christinagardener1889]

Love your videos! I've learned so much from them. I just hatched about my first batch of quail with a 50% hatch rate.

[@MrsSecor]

Hey Christine! Yes he does... he’ll eat bunnies whole and quail are just a crunchy little snack to him. Today is hatch day! I have jumbos and celadons pipping!

[@suicidebbq1742]

On you feeder what size did cut the hole