Bob's and coturnix are at two separate ends of the quail spectrum. Bob's take 15-16 weeks to mature and typically start laying around 24 weeks but they lay in the spring so it can take over a year for them to start laying. It is recommended to have around 4 Sq ft per bird.
They can be kept in large groups during the off season or before they are sexually mature but during the breeding season the need to be kept 1 male to 1 female or you will need to have a HUGE cage for them. I had 1 male and 3 females in a 6 Sq ft cage. All was well for several weeks and then one day I go outside and 1 hen had practically killed the other 2. They were covered in blood and completely scalped.
Bob's are a pretty poor choice of bird to raise for meat and eggs IMO. Coturnix mature in 6 weeks and are laying by 8 weeks and can be kept 1 male to 4-5 females. Also the jumbo pharaohs get way bigger than a standard bob.
They can be kept in large groups during the off season or before they are sexually mature but during the breeding season the need to be kept 1 male to 1 female or you will need to have a HUGE cage for them. I had 1 male and 3 females in a 6 Sq ft cage. All was well for several weeks and then one day I go outside and 1 hen had practically killed the other 2. They were covered in blood and completely scalped.
Bob's are a pretty poor choice of bird to raise for meat and eggs IMO. Coturnix mature in 6 weeks and are laying by 8 weeks and can be kept 1 male to 4-5 females. Also the jumbo pharaohs get way bigger than a standard bob.
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