I live in Arizona, and I would like to purchase some Bobwhite or King Quail. But I don't really know if they are legal. Can someone help me please? Thanks in advance!
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Are King/Bobwhite Quail legal?
- Thread starter Animal Ark
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There is a massive difference between bobwhites and king quail. Both species of quail are legal for you to own although you'll need to contact your states fish and game office to see what sort of license you'll need to raise bobwhites.
What would you be keeping them for? Meat? Eggs? Or just a pet to enjoy?
Neither of these species are what I would suggest to a beginner with quail.
King quail/Chinese painted quail/blue breasted quail/cbbq etc. are coturnix chinesis a small quail no larger than a big hamster. They are not a friendly bird and will most likely always be nervous in your presence. Due to their extremely small size you really shouldn't handle them much, which is fine with them because they don't want anything to do you anyway. Being handled is really stressful for them as well. Basically they are not really a "pet". You can enjoy watching them do what a quail does in life but that's about as much of pet as they make. The hens will lay an egg almost every day although it really isn't large enough to bother eating.
This is an adult king quail to give you a size perspective.
Japanese quail (Bobwhites are pretty close in size to these quail)
Bobwhites are also nervous birds although with effort they can be tamed down. They aren't a bird you'd keep for egg laying since they only lay eggs from May to August each year. They are great meat birds although it takes more than twice the amount of time for them to be ready for slaughter. They are mostly used for dog training or for shooting preserves. Your state will require you to have some sort of permit but it usually isn't hard to get. Bobwhites are aggressive birds and require special keeping. They will definitely kill each other if you mess up, and sometimes they'll kill each other even if you don't. As your experience with them builds you'll learn to handle their aggression better.
If you are looking for a quail that can be made into a pet more easily or for egg laying I would highly suggest you look at Japanese quail (they are commonly called coturnix). Coturnix will lay 280+ eggs per year (nearly one per day until the days get too short in winter). They hatch easily and are typically ready for slaughter by 8 weeks of age. They will begin laying eggs between 6-12 weeks depending on genetics. This is the species I would suggest to anyone just getting into quail. They are a lot more forgiving to raise and don't typically have any cannibalistic tendencies which are pretty common with bobwhites. All quail are prone to some aggressive tendencies and require some knowledge to keep without having them beating the heck out of each other. You can find everything you'd need right here on BYC though.
What would you be keeping them for? Meat? Eggs? Or just a pet to enjoy?
Neither of these species are what I would suggest to a beginner with quail.
King quail/Chinese painted quail/blue breasted quail/cbbq etc. are coturnix chinesis a small quail no larger than a big hamster. They are not a friendly bird and will most likely always be nervous in your presence. Due to their extremely small size you really shouldn't handle them much, which is fine with them because they don't want anything to do you anyway. Being handled is really stressful for them as well. Basically they are not really a "pet". You can enjoy watching them do what a quail does in life but that's about as much of pet as they make. The hens will lay an egg almost every day although it really isn't large enough to bother eating.
This is an adult king quail to give you a size perspective.
Japanese quail (Bobwhites are pretty close in size to these quail)
Bobwhites are also nervous birds although with effort they can be tamed down. They aren't a bird you'd keep for egg laying since they only lay eggs from May to August each year. They are great meat birds although it takes more than twice the amount of time for them to be ready for slaughter. They are mostly used for dog training or for shooting preserves. Your state will require you to have some sort of permit but it usually isn't hard to get. Bobwhites are aggressive birds and require special keeping. They will definitely kill each other if you mess up, and sometimes they'll kill each other even if you don't. As your experience with them builds you'll learn to handle their aggression better.
If you are looking for a quail that can be made into a pet more easily or for egg laying I would highly suggest you look at Japanese quail (they are commonly called coturnix). Coturnix will lay 280+ eggs per year (nearly one per day until the days get too short in winter). They hatch easily and are typically ready for slaughter by 8 weeks of age. They will begin laying eggs between 6-12 weeks depending on genetics. This is the species I would suggest to anyone just getting into quail. They are a lot more forgiving to raise and don't typically have any cannibalistic tendencies which are pretty common with bobwhites. All quail are prone to some aggressive tendencies and require some knowledge to keep without having them beating the heck out of each other. You can find everything you'd need right here on BYC though.
- Thread starter
- #3
Thank you!
- Thread starter
- #4
Sorry I accidentally posted without finishing! 
Thank you! I will look into Corturnix Qail, but are they legal in my state?
Thank you! I will look into Corturnix Qail, but are they legal in my state?
- May 7, 2014
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Sorry I accidentally posted without finishing!
Thank you! I will look into Corturnix Qail, but are they legal in my state?
I'm in Arizona and the local pet shop sells Coturnix, so I'm pretty sure they are legal here.
- Thread starter
- #6
I'm in Arizona and the local pet shop sells Coturnix, so I'm pretty sure they are legal here.
Okay thank you, thank you, thank you!
Coturnix are legal here in the AZ. Northern Bobwhite are legal in most of the State of Arizona. Northern Bobwhite license is required
only in Units 34A, 36A, 36B, 36C basicly Region V - Tucson. so if you dont live in Tucson you should be good.
only in Units 34A, 36A, 36B, 36C basicly Region V - Tucson. so if you dont live in Tucson you should be good.
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