Deep Litter

I tried to continue raising the quail on sand after they moved into hutches. Sand worked wonderfully, summer and winter, in the outdoor ground runs. It can turn into stink and having to dispose of it often in a hutch. The deep litter method seems to be working very well. Here’s how I set it up in my hutches.

Market Day

The bees were easy on me. They are late risers, like myself, so I didn’t have to get up before the crack of dawn to tend their hives. Quail have ensured that starting a year ago, I would become a morning person, if only in presence. And market day, happily, has sided with the birds.

Jumbo Hatch

So far, there are forty-three jumbo quail chicks in the brooder.

Grain Mill for Quail Feed

Our local feed store sells mostly pelletized poultry and gamebird feed, and the pellet is too big for quail. The crumble that’s available is mostly in the wrong types of feed, or nearly expired. I was set on a particular feed for my quail, based on their nutritional needs. The local store only has it in pellets. Here’s how I’m feeding it to my birds.

So Many Roosters!

This last quail egg hatch produced mostly roosters. Something had to change, with their housing, and quick!