My new coturnix

Hey there everyone
I bought 12 quail two days ago and am new to quail keeping.
I'm so excited I thought I would try to post some pictures, here goes.


They are currently indoors until I am sure their outdoor enclosure is predator proof, which should be today.

This little guy was jumping up and down in front of me last night and climbed on my lap every time I put him back on the floor, so spent 3 hours in my back to front hood jacket, s/he is a cuddly little cutie!

They are incredibly messy but incredibly charming, I am enamoured! hehe

What is your reason for keeping Quail. They will escape given a chance, so that is why I don't have any. I read that their eggs are very good for people going thru chemotherapy, If I had a flock of them, I would donate such eggs to anyone needing them.
WISHING YOU BEST and

Thanks for the welcome cavemanrich.
I primarily want them as pets as they are little cuties. Getting eggs is just a bonus!
I didn't know that about chemo, I will have a look in to it. Do you know why it is good for them?
Take care.

Congrats on your new quail! I am just a few steps ahead of you--with 8 quail that I've had for only a few weeks now. Mine were 5 weeks old when I got them from a local breeder. I'm getting 3-4 eggs per day now, and they are great little birds. I ended up finding a bargain on a "rabbit hutch" at my local re-cycle place, so I predator proofed it by adding 1/2"x1/2" hardware cloth on all open areas. I also built a raised platform for it, with two layers of hardware cloth separating the floor of the hutch from the ground (2' off the ground). It has been outside since I got it, but right up against the house by a window so we can see the birds from inside too . This location protects the quail from nearly all wind, which is a huge benefit. Quail can handle the cold weather, but they definitely need respite from wind, and while my birds do take turns hanging out in the "indoor" part of the coop, most of the time they like to hang out on the "outdoor" area, so the wind shelter that the house provides is huge.

As for the eggs--that was one motivation for my starting this new hobby. Quail eggs are rumored to be much healthier for you than chicken eggs, but the differences are really very tiny from what I've read. Yes... they have a slightly better cholesterol profile (a little more of the "good fats"), and a tiny bit more protein. But pound for pound, you'd have to eat a lot of quail eggs to achieve a measurable benefit.

They taste identical to chicken eggs when hard boiled or fried (at least to me). So for me, the real plus is their size! I call them "popper eggs" because I like to hard boil them, and then they just pop in your mouth like grapes. I love them, and my kids enjoy them too. In fact, I found a local source for buying quail eggs prior to just having my own. A dozen quail eggs near me goes for about $5, and given how much smaller they are than chicken eggs, that's crazy expensive!

My group of 8 are all females. I doubt I'll purposefully add any roos for now, but I'm considering hatching some from eggs NEXT year, after I've really figured out all of the nuances of keeping them healthy and happy as adults.

I look forward to hearing more about your little flock!

jenni wren said:

Thanks for the welcome cavemanrich.
I primarily want them as pets as they are little cuties. Getting eggs is just a bonus!
I didn't know that about chemo, I will have a look in to it. Do you know why it is good for them?
Take care.

Click to expand...

I read that it helps the needy people with their appetite and ability to hold down their food. Similar to medical cannabis which maybe you would not give to small children.

Hey there rob, it's good to know there are others here at a similar stage of their quail keeping endeavours.
I have heart problems and high cholesterol in my family, so it may help stave of the inevitable if I switch entirely to quail eggs, the again it may not but it can't hurt to try.
I have been buying quail eggs from my local supermarket for a while for about the same price you pay (£2 for half dozen), but making fairy cakes becomes an expensive affair. Hehe
My little one is quite partial to dippy eggs (soft boiled), I can't imagine is easy to get the timing right there.
We are in the process of building an extra run today so I will post some pictures of their home when we are done.
Take care and happy quailing!

That's really interesting caveman, it's something I can look into for any extra eggs I may have.
That maybe a good reason for you to come join the quail keepers yourself.
Take care

jenni wren said:

Hey there everyone

I bought 12 quail two days ago and am new to quail keeping.
I'm so excited I thought I would try to post some pictures, here goes.

They are currently indoors until I am sure their outdoor enclosure is predator proof, which should be today.

This little guy was jumping up and down in front of me last night and climbed on my lap every time I put him back on the floor, so spent 3 hours in my back to front hood jacket, s/he is a cuddly little cutie!

They are incredibly messy but incredibly charming, I am enamoured! hehe

Click to expand...

Awwwww that's so cute xD you have one male?

cavemanrich said:

What is your reason for keeping Quail.   They will escape given a chance, so that is why I don't have any.   I read that their eggs are very good for people going thru chemotherapy,  If I had a flock of them, I would donate such eggs to anyone needing them. 
WISHING YOU BEST and 

Click to expand...

Hehe in my experience, coturnix quail stay in their cage even when it's wide open - a few people who have never experienced them before always exclaim, "but won't they fly out?!!" but they don't! Not even the skittish ones hehe.

If they happen to fall out of their hutch or if when I'm moving them to clean them one struggles out of my hand (even friendly ones aren't keen on being handled hehe but some tame ones just go limp haha), they will just start pecking around at stuff, they don't realize they're loose lol. A skittish one will run a few feet but is easily caught.

I have some quail I take out to hang out on the deck





And this group, one is obsessed with me and doesn't even try to jump out I open the top and pet them (lil belly rubs and leg tickles!) a few times a day and they just hang out

@Binki So you think I could let them free range with my chickens in their run??? The overhead is NOT TOTALLY covered, and my second concern is what is in my avatar. They don't bother my chickens, including my banties, but they do when near my pigeons, as well as small chicks.

Hey there binki, what little cuties you have. It's great to hear how much they can tame and trust.
I thought he might be male. I think I have rather more males than I should have, the person I bought them from was sexing them based on head shape and I have not heard of doing it that way before.
I am the bearer or bad news today. Sunday was a very bad day in the house, I was a little worried about three little guys when I got them home, one was really, really thin (we called him gregory peck, he is the guy in my hood), another was thin and had a huge bald patch on his back, I assume from feather pecking, (houdini), and a rather fat guy who can't walk very well, he has turned in toes and all his toes where stuck together with poop (Eric).
I had been hand feeding gregory and houdini with meal worms and a couple of wax worms as well as the quail mix I bought to try to get more protein in them and put more weight on them, but on Sunday morning I woke up to gregory dead (no damage to him, so I don't think he was pecked or bothered by my other guys). I noticed houdini seemed a bit lethargic so I brought him in and he died a couple of hours later! I was so upset and I questioned my decision to keep quail, but after seeing them all looking healthy and well this morning I feel better about it. I'm not sure if there was anything more I could have done to help them.
After a couple of days of foot bathing all the poop is gone from Erics feet but his nails where so very long, I clipped them following instructions from a thread I found on here and he is moving around alot better now although rather clumsy.
Phew, I feel a little better now I have gotten that out.
I am going to get some pictures of them individually to see if you guys can help me sex them, just so I know if I have to get more housing for males.
Thanks all

@jenni wren SORRY TO HEAR THAT. SOME THINGS ARE BEYOND OUR CONTROL