Coturnix Quail Questions

[TylerWaugh]

1. Dust Bath Medium. Can i just use play sand or is there anything specific?

2. If im building an outdoor pen for the dust bath could i bury a litter pan up to the top and fill it with the medium? Does anyone have a better method than that?

3. Breeding Colony question. if i get 1 male 4-6 females would it be better for me to leave all birds together at once or circulate the females to give them a break from breeding?

4. Growing foilage in the pen? i have very little room to build the pen but want to make it large as possible. if i built it over my berry garden would it be okay? i wouldn't eat the fruit anymore but i don't produce enough food to justify wasting the space for the garden anyways. there are strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and black berries. would it be okay if they ate these things?

5. I raise & breed mealworms for reptiles, could i free feed these or is there a max amount they could eat?

6. i think after a while they will destroy all grass and stuff, can they eat wheatgrass (catgrass) then i could grow it outside of the pen and put post of grass in if they ruin the grass.

7. is there a way to keep track of which eggs popped out of which female?

Thanks! ill probably have more questions later.

 

[TylerWaugh]

already thought of another question, ive heard stuff about keeping eggs cool for a set amount of days before incubation is this a required period or is it just for if you don't want to incubate the eggs right away?

 

[TwoCrows]

1. Dust Bath Medium. Can i just use play sand or is there anything specific? You can use play sand if you wish, parakeet grit works well and even dirt from your back yard. They love damp dirt!

2. If im building an outdoor pen for the dust bath could i bury a litter pan up to the top and fill it with the medium? Does anyone have a better method than that? If you bury it too deeply they will kick it all out. So you might bury it half way.

3. Breeding Colony question. if i get 1 male 4-6 females would it be better for me to leave all birds together at once or circulate the females to give them a break from breeding? No, leave them together all the time as long as they all get along. Removing birds can cause pecking order issues. If you are seeing too much mating with this amount of birds, add a few more. But add them slowly over a couple weeks from behind wire or another cage so everybody sees, nobody touches. Mix them in after 3 weeks.

4. Growing foilage in the pen? i have very little room to build the pen but want to make it large as possible. if i built it over my berry garden would it be okay? i wouldn't eat the fruit anymore but i don't produce enough food to justify wasting the space for the garden anyways. there are strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and black berries. would it be okay if they ate these things? Most berries are not poisonous so this would be ok. The only problem with growing things in your pen is that plants need water and too much water on your floor and litter will breed bacteria's and parasites. I like to put in potted plants I can remove to water or replace as the birds eat them. Quail are fond of grasses like Bermuda Grass.

5. I raise & breed mealworms for reptiles, could i free feed these or is there a max amount they could eat? Quail love all bugs, alive or dried.

6. i think after a while they will destroy all grass and stuff, can they eat wheatgrass (catgrass) then i could grow it outside of the pen and put post of grass in if they ruin the grass.

7. is there a way to keep track of which eggs popped out of which female? This can be difficult. Chicken people use lipstick on vents to track egg laying. If you have a large enough pen the hens may make their own nests and you can just watch each of these nests and track who built them. But know who laid what can be hard unless you hang around your quail a lot

Thanks! ill probably have more questions later.

already thought of another question, ive heard stuff about keeping eggs cool for a set amount of days before incubation is this a required period or is it just for if you don't want to incubate the eggs right away? Eggs need to be stored large end up in egg cartons for several days before setting to allow the air chamber to settle at the top and grow a bit before you incubate the eggs. Keep them somewhere in the house where it is around 50 to 60 degrees and give the eggs a turn a couple times a day to keep the yolk from settling. Set them in a pre warmed incubator.

Happy Quailing!!

 

[TylerWaugh]

Thanks!

I was told 12 quails would consume 1 kilo of food every 3 days (Approx) do you think that is correct or not?

 

[TwoCrows]

I have never weighed out how much food they eat each day. So I really have no idea. I would bet my birds each eat 1 or 2 tablespoons of feed a day?? It isn't much I know that. Maybe someone else will chime in here that has watched more closely than I have.

 

[TylerWaugh]

I have never weighed out how much food they eat each day. So I really have no idea. I would bet my birds each eat 1 or 2 tablespoons of feed a day?? It isn't much I know that. Maybe someone else will chime in here that has watched more closely than I have.

Thanks for all your help.

would a 8x8 cage be large enough for 15 jumbo type quails?

I think i should do 2 male 13 female? does that seem right? Or should i do 3 male 12 female?

Also will i get edible eggs in a cage with both males and females or only fertile eggs? I'm mostly wanting fertile eggs but would want to try the quail eggs.

Should be my last questions! lol

 

[TwoCrows]

Quote: 8'x8' is a great size for 15 jumbos. As for the ratio of male to females, 2 roo's for 13 females sounds like a good amount. I wouldn't add a 3 male. Could cause too much trouble. I would put in some brush piles in to separate the birds and give them places to escape each other. If you have them on litter, grass hay or sand works well on the floor. If you keep them on wire, give them places to get off the wire with some plywood in the corners, places to perch and roost or logs you can lay down or stand up. Quail do enjoy looking out over their territory.

All your eggs will no doubt be fertile for the most part. If you want unfertile eating eggs, you will need to keep some females separate from the males at all times.

 

[GeneP]

I have 33 laying Hens and 18 crowing Roos (including ones to butcher), regular size Coturnix quail. They just finished a 50# sack of Layer Crumbles in 12 days. My bird's consumption is a bit higher than the numbers you were told earlier. I budget 0.1 pound per adult bird per day, which is a bit high, but will compensate for variables in weather and waste.