2 - 



Hatching . 



Hens, preferably bantams, or incubators may be used for hatching. 

 Good hens are preferable as they require less attention than an incubator. 

 Some hens kill the young quail as soon as hatched or later eat their feath- 

 ers, so that eggs should be removed to an incubator or chicks to a brooder 

 as soon as hostile acts are noticed. The period of incubation is 23| days. 

 The temperature of an incubator should be kept at 105" F. More moisture 

 should be supplied than is recommended for eggs of fowls, and longer cooling 

 periods should be allowed. 



Gars of Young. 



Brooder system. — Remove chicks from incubator as soon as dry, put 

 in a darkened brooder at 105° F, , and let them have a good long sleep. 

 When they begin to run about and call, give them access to a mixture of 

 fine grit, granulated bone, fine oyster shell and charcoal in equal parts, 

 and clean water in a very shallo-jy vessel. The brooder should be kept — 

 From 1st to 5th day at 100" - 105" F. (l05° F. at night). 

 " 5th to 15th " ■♦ 95" - 100" F. ( 95" F. " " ) . 

 " 15th to SOth " " 95" F. " " 



During this last period the brooders should be open by day, allowing the 

 chicks to leave if they wish. Brooders must be scrupulously clean. 

 Scrub thoroughly, disinfect with formalin, and fumigate both brooder and 

 the bed of pine needles, dried grass, straw, or other litter, with sul- 

 phur. The brooders must have no chinks or cracks into which the little 

 quail can crawl. A tray of carefully dried, fine loam should be provided 

 for dusting. 



Bantam hen system. --When little quail are to be left in charge of 

 a bantam hen they are first confined with their foster mother in a run 

 of half-inch-mesh netting for about a week until they learn to follow the 

 hen and respond to her calls. They are then placed on the rearing field, 

 the hen in a slat fronted coop and the quail free to run at large. The 

 broods must be confined in the coops with the hens at night. Breeding 

 cages must be constantly shifted to fresh ground. 



Feeding. 



The young do not need food for at least 24 hours after hatching. 

 The first meal may consist of a netful of insects swept from weeds, or 

 some well-cleaned maggots; some begin with custard. For the first 10 

 days about siz meals per day should be provided. Bulky and less nutri- 

 tious foods should be alternated with concentrated ones. Sour curds 

 (quite dry); a custard prepared with two eggs to a pint of milk, and an 

 ounce of shredded wheat, or bread crumbs; berries of the Season; maggots; 

 and meal worms are all suitable for this period. The chicks should have 

 a full meal of maggots or meal worms the last thing in the day. Weed 

 seeds and small grains should gradually be increased in the diet, and 

 green food such as clover, lettuce, etc., is very desirable. As the 

 birds mature, berries of all kinds and larger grains may be fed, but 

 they should always have an allowance of animal food. Dry bread crumbs 

 mixed with hard-boiled eggs also are used, changing as the birds grow 



