I raise birds… Mainly quail, but with a few turkeys, geese, chickens, and ducks thrown in. I have come across some tips over time, some of them mine, some stolen from others. Here are a few of my favorite unconventional or $ saving ideas.

1. To prevent water dish drownings from day old chicks, add rocks to water dishes
2. Instead of grinding quail food for the babies, use the leftover crumbs from the adult quail feeders….I feel like it is free food!
3. If you have a power outage, and hence no heat lamps, fill gallon jugs with warm water for chicks to huddle against.
4. Make easy homemade no-waste feeders from tupperware container with holes cut into the sides. Leave enough room to fit their heads in, but not enough for them to scratch the food everywhere.
5. If your chicks run out of water (which they shouldn’t-but sometimes it happens) fill up waterers with WARM water, to prevent them from getting chilled as they all rush into the water source.
6. Old fish tanks and water troughs make excellent brooders
7. Turkey poults are DUMB make sure the heat source is VERY close…. they can freeze to death a foot from the lights range.
8. Goslings love grass clippings. Make them happy by adding it to their diet…plus its free food….I like free food….
9. You must hatch babies in groups. A single healthy baby will not survive on its own
10.  Wash hands after caring for your babies, and refrain from kissing them! I have to keep reminding the kids of this one! Nobody wants salmonella poisoning but it is so easy to forget when they are soooo cute!

I hope you learned a tidbit that will help you on your own homestead journey! Please leave a comment of your own tips for me and others!