How long does a Bobwhite Quail live for?

[stormylady]

Hi there, I was wondering how long a Bobwhite quail lives for, I have one male and one female, 15 months old, and she just laid her very first egg, yes I know! she should have started laying over a year ago, LOL but what can I say. She just didn't. Anyway now that she has started laying how long will she live for , and do you think she can hatch out her own eggs? One more ? if ya don't mind, Do Bobwhites go broody like chickens or do they just naturally sit on the eggs and hatch them out after they get a big enough clutch to be worth her while? Thanks in Advance for the answers. Sandy

 

[quaillady19]

I had a pair of gambels quail, the hen lived to be 11 and the male lived to be 13. A valley quail lived to be 15.
My bobwhite house quail, one hen 7 1/2 years, one male almost 6 years and just the other day another hen at 6 years.
These were all loved and pampered house quail and are sorely missed. One remaining hen who is 6 years and appears to be doing just fine.

 

[bdfive]

I was given 9 White Bobwhite quail and I have to say they are the delight of my life. I have peafowl (peacocks) that are my passion but my little white birds are as well. I was just trying to find out if the hens will hatch their own eggs and it's a maybe so I'll leave the little nests deep down in the hay alone. I just saw one of them lay the egg in the second one. They keep running to the nest, sitting on the eggs for a few seconds and off they go again. My gosh, they make me laugh. I have no idea how many are male and how many female but so far they are all getting along. They reside in an 8 by 28 foot aviary, 9 feet high with 2 Red Golden male pheasant. 12 feet of it is shed open on the end with the run. It's 1 by 2 inch welded wire so I'm concerned about snakes. Am adding the small mesh wire on the bottom 2 feet so nothing can reach in a grab them but doubt I'll be able to keep snakes out. Any ideas? I love all my birds and would never allow them to be eaten. They are pets and it warms my heart to see others that keep them as pets.

 

[quaillady19]

House quail are the ultimate in pet birds. Georgie, who just passed away at age 6, loved to ride in the car, take naps with me, sleep with me at night, follow me around the house, and when I went in to the kitchen, she flew up on the center island to see what I was preparing. An empty wine glass was guarded until it was poured full, then in went the beak for multiple drinks. I never once saw her intoxicated. All of my housequail have loved ice cream, from a spoon, not our of a common dish.
Georgie would take naps with me and often after crawling under a blanket and spewing forth nesting sounds, would present me with a clean white egg. Awesome. My valley quail lived to be 15 and I wrote a book about him from his perspective, 'Diary of a California Valley Quail' and I am still selling them now. Bottom line, Valley Quail and Gambel's quail do live longer than bobwhites, my Randee lived to be 7 1/2 years old. She is missed enormously.
Jan Endsley,Eatonville WA \[email protected]

 

[quaillady19]

Well, you start the day they hatch. I raise mine in a dry aquarium so they can see out and sometimes play a radio for them so they get used to sounds. I have one hen at 4 weeks that I hold on to a couple times a day, carry her around with me, introducing her to berries now and as soon as they get used to food coming their way, they will 'meet you at the door'. I talk to her a lot and she cheeps and chirtles right back at me. All of my 'house quail' have craved ice cream off a spoon. No kidding. One quail flew up onto the center island in the kitchen and as soon as I had the ice cream out and put it in a dish, she starting gulping it right away.. My most recent one, could not wait to get that wine or beer in the glass. Serious. I even sent a recent pic to Deshutes brewery in Bend OR showing Georgie drinking their stout beer. Yummy.
Lots and lots of handling a bonding. Very rewarding indeed.
Jan

 

[bdfive]

I have to say after having my White Bobwhite's in the large 8' by 28' aviary that's 9 feet high I'd not attempt to keep any in a small cage or pen. I'd not keep them on wire. I read about all the problems folks have with quail and I've had none. They run, fly and dig around all day. They're active and happy like they'd be in the wild. Mine sleep 5 feet up on a cedar log roost nights. There are several roosts in the enclosure and they are on them through the day. When I walk in the pen they run to my feet to see what healthy treat I've brought for them. They are so precious. I do feel a little bad for the 2 Red Golden pheasants that are beautiful beyond words. Poor birds are always running from the quail, LOL!!! I find joy in seeing my animals living a good healthy, happy life. It feeds my heart and soul. I feel fulfilled, blessed and privileged I can do this for them.

Regarding trying to hold them.....all I can say is GOOD GRIEF, they aren't holdable, LOL!!! Even the chicks I hatched recently and gave to a friend were practically impossible to hang on to at 2 days old. Some birds can be pets but don't like being touched or held. Several of my peafowl couldn't be any tamer but the best I can do is stroke their chest for a second before they move away.

LOVE MY HOBBY, LOVE MY BIRDS!

 

[bdfive]

Did I receive an ovation? If so, thank you so much. Not sure how to reply to it. Haven't figured everything out on backyardchickens site.

Birds woke me up early fussing. My baby monitor is a wonderful tool but would get more sleep if I'd leave it off. Have trapped 2 raccoons and a skunk trying to get to the birds but believe there is another predator lurking so will set a couple traps tonight. Going to go crawl in my recliner and take a little morning nap.

 

[mudmonkey]

I'm a total noob at the quail thing...but I'm a good googler (is that a word?).
My searches turned up 2-5 year life span for a Bobwhite quail. I'm sure someone who knows more will chime in here.
2-5 years seems like a pretty big span.

 

[stormylady]

Hi there Mudmonkey, thanks for responding. I did a little searching too, and i found that in the wild they live about 7 months is average with predation and all, but I was curious as too the life of quails in captivity. They saidthat 5 years was very common, and 10 and 15 years (with proper feeding and housing/care) wasn't unheard of, but it just said Quail and not "Bob whites" in particular.
So i was kinda wondering what some of the breeders had to say about there experiences with them. I think that 2-5 years seems like a reasonable life span more so than the 10 to 15 years. I just don't want to lose her and him now after all this time waiting for them to start breeding.
I have to admit I have never seen them breed, not once.
So are quail like chickens in that they don't need a male to breed them in order to lay eggs?
I do know that they are just starting into the breeding season now according to what I read.
She now has 2 eggs in her nest and seems to be kinda sitting on them or at least next to them, I wonder if that is to keep them from getting too cold until she has enough eggs until she is ready to start setting in earnest so they will all hatch at the same time? Thanks again, Sandy

 

[grouse]

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but I'd like to know the answer to this as well. I'm raising bobwhites for the first time and want to know what to expect in terms of lifespan; most every source I've found has said that they usually live less than a year but that can't be right for birds kept safe in captivity. Anyone have any better estimates?