How to Raise Butler Bobwhite Quail
North America is home to a number of quail species, although none are as prolific as the bobwhite quail. The Bobwhite quail comprises several subspecies, including the Butler bobwhite quail. Butler bobwhites are very similar in appearance and mannerisms to other bobwhite varieties, although slightly larger. Each Butler bobwhite quail hen can lay as many as 15 eggs, making an incubator an invaluable tool for any breeder.
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Things You'll Need
- Flat plastic storage tray
- Incubator
- Brooder box
- Water and feed pans
- Quail chick starter
- Coop
- Clean straw
Instructions
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Purchase fertilized quail eggs from a Butler bobwhite quail breeder, or gather the eggs from your own flock if your hens are laying. Quail often lay a large number of eggs, so gathering eggs more than once a day could be necessary. Set the eggs in a flat storage tray and keep the tray in a climate-controlled area with a temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit to keep the eggs from developing while you prepare your incubator.
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Turn your incubator on, setting the humidity on the internal hygrometer to 70 percent and the temperature on the thermometer to 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your quail eggs in a single row on each tray in the incubator and close the door. Turn the eggs over once per day to prevent the embryos from fusing to one side of the shell. Butler bobwhite quail eggs will hatch after approximately 24 days of incubation.
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Prepare your brooder box two or three days before your eggs are due to hatch. A brooder box is a small housing container, such as a 46-inch-by-46-inch plastic tote box, with a heat lamp that helps keep the small chicks from becoming chilled. Set a feed and water dish inside the brooder, filling them with quail chick starter and water, and plug in the heat lamp to warm the box before your chicks arrive.
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Transfer the newly hatched chicks to the brooder and close the lid to keep them warm. Fill the feed and water pans daily with fresh food and water and clean the box weekly to eliminate feces and spilled chick starter. Keep the Butler bobwhite chicks in the brooder box for 15 days to allow them to mature before transferring them to a coop.
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Set up your coop in preparation for your chicks. Take the feed and water dishes from the brooders and place them in opposite corners of your coop to keep the chicks from dumping feed into their water pan. Spread a layer of clean straw over the floor of the coop to give your chicks comfortable bedding and help keep them warm. Set your chicks loose in the coop, keeping a close eye on them for a few minutes to make sure they settle in and can't escape though the fence.
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Tips & Warnings
Set up heat lamps inside the coop if the outside temperature drops below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Quail chicks squeeze together for body heat and can smother one another while trying to stay warm.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Quail eggs image by Dominator from Fotolia.com
