GIVEAWAY - Brinsea Eco Glow Brooder

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Happy Valentines Day!  We are excited to be giving away a Brinsea Eco Glow Brooder to one lucky winner!  Giveaway starts NOW (February 14th, 2015) and will be ending next Saturday, February 21st, 2015 at midnight.  The lucky winner will be announced and contacted Saturday!  

What is an Eco Glow Brooder?

Clean, safe, tough and extremely economical chick brooder the EcoGlow is ideal for up to 20 chicks or ducklings and suitable for any waterfowl or gamebird chicks. Great for classroom hatches. 

The EcoGlow only uses 18 Watts (a tenth of the electricity of typical suspended infrared lamps) because the chicks are in contact with its warm underneath surface. 

The brooder runs at 12v for safety from a mains transformer (supplied) and with the convenience of a generous (about 10 feet) power lead. 

Different sizes of chicks are accommodated by three adjustable height settings and an indicator light confirms the brooder is connected. 

The low cost of the EcoGlow makes it possible for larger numbers of chicks to be warmed by multiples of brooders. Please also see the larger EcoGlow 50 chick brooder. 

Dimensions: 12" long x 8" wide x 8" high.

Interested in finding out more about Brinsea products?  Visit their website at www.brinsea.com and use the code COOP at checkout for 10% off your entire purchase! 

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Quail for the urban farm

Quail for the urban farm

There are hundreds of different types of quail throughout the world.   Out of all these types, there are two which are commonly kept on the urban farm.  These two popular types are the Japanese Coturnix (Coturnix  Japonica) and the Bobwhite Quail (Colinus virginianus). 

The Japanese Coturnix (Coturnix Japonica) also known as Pharoah, Jumbo, or Coturnix is an old breed of quail from Eastern Asia. They have been domesticated in Japan and the Orient since the beginning of the twelfth century and were initially bred for song.  There are some records dating back to early Egyptian times with hyroglyphics showing the trapping of these birds as they had migrated back onto the mainlands.  Today they are kept as and considered to be what is called a dual purpose bird.  This means they can be raised for both egg production as well as for their meat. 

Male Coturnix quail (Left) and Female (Right)

These birds prefer grasslands and cultivated fields as their preferred environment.  Both sexes of this bird have yellow- brown speckled plumage with the Males having  a reddish colored breast and the Females more molted with dark spots.  They will begin laying at only 6 weeks of age and will reach maturity at 10 weeks.  The females are slightly larger than their male counterparts and will grow between 7- 8  inches long and weigh between 6- to 7 ounces.  The chicks are easily recognized with their yellowish coloring and brown stripes beginning at the forehead stretching all the way back to the tail.  Since the Bobwhite quail only lay eggs from about March to October the Coturnix quail are the best choice of quail for the urban farm and homestead.

Just hatched Coturnix quail chicks

Care is very easy.  Just provide with fresh water and a quality high protein gamebird feed. Coturnix quail do just fine living in a medium sized cage with a wire floor sheltered from extreme heat and cold winds.


Cheers ~ Kevin

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DIY Button Quail Brooder

If you just hatched or are looking to hatch baby button quails, you WILL need a brooder to keep them in. A brooder is a safe, clean place where the button quail chicks will spend at least the very first three weeks of their lives. At this time you will also need to maintain a "safe" temperature. The suggested temperatures are one hundred degrees for the first week, ninety five degrees the second and 85-90 the third. At about the third week for quail I start turning the heat lamp off during the day (provided the surrounding ambient temperatures are at least 70 degrees) and back on at night. Unlike chickens, quail feather out rather quickly.

There are a ton of great brooder ideas you can find on the Internet. For my coturnix quail, I use a larger permanent one that show off all the birds to my potential buyers. In this brooder, I do not regulate the temperature but it's large enough where if they get too hot they can quickly move from the light spot. For my button quail I did the following:

Find a 10gallon aquarium tank. Sanitize it. Measure and cut a piece of 1/2" plywood to fit in the lip surrounding the top. This lip is usually used to hold the tank hood. On one side, drill a hole to fit the socket portion of a small clamp light through and from the other side screw on the reflector. On the other half of you plywood, cut approximately a 9"x 9" square opening and cover with screening. This opening allows fresh air to change in and out, excess heat to escape yet small enough where any drafts won't touch the baby buttons.

To regulate the recommended temperature, you can purchase an outlet style dimmer switch (like the one pictured) for around 10$ at your local big box store. After a little while of adjusting the temperatures, you will find the dimmers sweet spot.

*Very important: because of how small most quail chicks are, I do not use pine shavings for bedding. This is just personal preference. I cut a piece of rubber drawer liner material for them to walk on instead.

Baby Button Quail enjoying their brooder!