Brooding Button Quail Chicks

It's time to move out of the incubator and into the brooder.

What you will need:

1. Heat lamp
2. Heat lamp bulb
3. Feeder
4. Waterer
5. Container (cardboard box, plastic tub, aquarium, ect)
6. Gamebird crumble 21-28% protein
7. Vitamins and electrolyte mix (optional but recommended)  
8. Bedding (rough paper towels, sand, grit paper, no-slip shelf liner, ect)
9. Thermometer

You will want to set up your brooder a day or two before your expected hatch date so it will be up and running at the proper temperature. 

You will want to begin bay placing your bedding material in your brooder. A few layers of paper towels will work or you could go with grit paper, sand, or even no-slip shelf liner. It is important that your bedding material gives the chicks good traction to avoid splayed legs.

 Next you will want to place your thermometer into the brooder and adjust the light over one end of the container. For the first week of life the chicks will require 95 degree F temperature at one end of the brooder. Raise or lower your light to reach the desired temperature. Each week you will want to raise the light to lower the temperature by 5 degrees. Start with 95 the first week, 90 for week two, 85 for week three, and 80 for week four. After the 5th week you can remove the light but should not let the chicks get below 60 degrees.

 You can also fill your feeder with a high protein gamebird starter and place it at the end of the brooder without the light. You will want to wait until your buttons hatch before filling the water and will most likely want to add vitamins and electrolyte mix to give them a healthy boost. Be sure to replace water every 1-2 days to keep it fresh. You will also want to replace or clean your bedding material every 7-10 days. Other than that just keep an eye on the feeder and top it off when it runs low.