Newbie~introduction

[RainesRanch]

Hi, all! My name is Nicole, my family and I live in the panhandle of Nebraska. Im new to quail, but not new to poultry and livestock. We currently raise chickens (bantam and standards) , turkeys ( a couple Bourbon Reds, a Midget White and a Narraganset) and a pair of Toulouse Geese as far as poultry go. We also raise registered Nubian dairy goats , registered Boer meat goats, Satin rabbits, Mini Rex rabbits, and have a few sheep as well. My 4 kids show allot of the animals at our county fair.
I recently acquired 27 quail chicks about 2 1/2 weeks ago, so I have been a lurker for the last couple weeks trying to learn as much as I can about these lil birds. They were sort of a impulse buy I must admit, but we're really enjoying having them around

I purchased them at a local animal auction and I have to admit I really didn't even know what breed they were as they were only 5 weeks old . I originally thought they were a wild variety and have since learned they are Coturnix. Im pretty sure the majority of them are the browns and a few look to be crossed with the tuxedo as well (they have white on the necks or breast). I had my hubby build a little tractor for them which they really love, the dirt bathing alone is a crack up, plus they love to fly around the little bit they can. I am concerned about predator proofing it more as we do have coyote and owl problems when it comes to poultry around here. Right now its just bird netting with chicken wire over that, so they cant stick their heads out but something else that was determined enough may be able to get through??

The little roos are definitely crowing these days, so Im assuming it wont be long before the hens are laying, right? I haven't bought an incubator yet, up till now all the birds we own sat their eggs without problems. So the whole incubator deal will be another learning experience for us as well! LOL I figure its a needed item I should have bought earlier though as we do loose some of our turkey hens when they insist on setting their nests too far away.
Any words of wisdom and/or advise would be great! I'm going to take a few pics of the birds and the tractor tomorrow morning and post them!

 

[Riffecreek]

another person hooked on quail in the workings!! If the roos are crowing, it shouldn't be long before eggs start hitting the ground.

and the only wisdom I can think of is if you don't like eating quail, buy a SMALL incubator.. These things can populate so quick and I just can't seem to let the eggs lay and ruin.. First thing you know they are

everywhere and that means more eggs to set in 8 weeks!

Good luck.

 

[crash0330]

Prepare yourself for a rain of eggs pretty soon, they start laying at around 6 weeks, but becarefull this things are as mean as it gets, they will kill each other for a bunch of reasons, most common tho is too many males and a few hens, or overcrowding. Oh and BTW

 

[bluegoose]

Hello Nicole, Quail Are Addictive Just A Couple Of Things You Mite Think About If You Have The Birds At Ground Level Hardware Cloth Is Great Some People Call It Rat Wire It Will Keep Snakes As Well As Rats Out.If You Will Have Them Off Of The Ground You Will Be OK But Keep A Watch Out For Raccoons And Other Predators.I Use Hardware Cloth And Have Had No Problems.Keep An Eye On The Roosters When They Start Mating They Get Real Aggressive And Will Fight And Sometimes Kill Each other.I Hope This Helps And Good Luck You Will Enjoy The Quail.Don,

 

[RainesRanch]

Thanks for all the replies!! I havent noticed any of the roos getting aggressive but was wondering if maybe my roo to hen ratio might be too off balanced. They have been crowing for about a week or so, but not a single egg as of yet?? Odd or no? I noted a post that made comment that they may not breed if there are too many roos for competition??
I havent ever tried farmed quail, but I was born and raised in Arizona, lots of wild quail and I liked them. My hubby hunts allot , so when I first got them ( figuring they were a wild breed) I had planned on hatching some and he could train the dogs and shoot some quail for the freezer at the same time. Not as sure how it will work out with these lil guys.
I was thinking about replacing the chicken wire with hardware wire as I really think they are happiest on the ground with the tall weeds and grass to "play wild quail" in LOL
I'll take some pics in the morning and maybe after work (if its not too terribly hot....yuck!) I'll try and get a count of roos vs hens. How many hens per roo is a good ratio?
I have to admit they are very fun, I was kind of him-hawing about getting good with the incubator with these guys and then buying some Northern bob white eggs to hatch. Im sort of nervous about how well (or not well) coturnix will do in our bitter winter months. At the same time I have been reading how mean the bob whites can be and thats sort of a turn off

I really do love their lil head feather though! LOL How can something so cute be so naughty!!!