So is raising quail on the ground bad or not?

[pringle]

Im used to raising quail in cages with wire.But now I have 16 eggs in the bator,some of which are jumbo browns and I would like to hatch out there eggs in the late spring,raise the chicks in the basement and as soon as they get feathers move them to a "quail" tractor outside.Its going to be secure with wire on the bottom and top ill have a little house incase it gets cold at night too.I only plan on raising about 20 in there at first and I was was wondering if this sounds like a good idea or bad idea. Would sprinkeling DE in there food be enough to ward away worms(can they get worms?)I just thought this would be a neat idea becouse they could also fertilize my garden and they would hardly be bored becouse of all the bugs and stuff.

 

[Stellar]

I am not an avid fan with housing quail on ground...if you are not raising them to breed...then go ahead...but for breeding it causes more problems than good.

 

[shelleyd2008]

That depends on what you plan to do with them. If you are raising them to eat, then you'd probably not want to put them on the ground (coturnix). They grow so quickly that it wouldn't be worth it. You can grow them on the ground but you'd have to worm them like you do (or should) with your other birds, coturnix for meat aren't worth waiting after worming when they are ready to process at 10-12 weeks.

 

[pringle]

Oh really?I didnt know they would get worms so easily I just thought they would be happier on the ground.....but whatever I guess I can just screw in some stilts to the thing.

 

[peewee]

I have had my quail on the ground for almost three years and I have never had any problems with them because of that. That being said my birds are my pets and I do not eat them. If you are raising birds for eating you may need to reconsider raising your birds on wire. I follow the advice from my vet and have to deworm my birds 3-4 times a year instead of the usual two. This is something to think about if you are getting the birds for eggs since you should not eat the eggs for a week after. And since I have them in a permanent aviary and can not move the birds around to different parts of the yard their is a a lot more work to keeping the ground clean of droppings. I am constantly cussing the little cuties while I am out there raking, sifting dirt and wiping down the frames. Don't get me started on the days that I have to actually shovel out the old sand and bring in a pick-up- truck load of clean sand.
There are pros and cons for either way of raising them. You just need to figure out what you want from you birds and how much work you are willing to put into them and go from there.
Good luck with your birds.

 

[tmb3fan]

Can you use the same natural worming methods that you use for chickens? I use a mixture of vinegar, garlic, red pepper flakes and thyme.
I have been wanting to raise quail on the ground too, but I wasn't aware of the worm problem.

Thanks,
Teri

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
what do you use to worm them with? how do you figger the dosage by weight?

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
TERI I WOULDNT BET MY BIRDS HEALTH ON THAT CRAZY RECIPE... IF YOU WANT ALL NATURAL DEWORMERING THAT IS CLINICALLY PROVEN GIVE THEM PUMPKIN--- PIECES OF WHOLE PUMPKIN RHINE, GUTS, SEEDS, FRUIT, STEMS AND ALL.

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
what do you use to worm them with? how do you figger the dosage by weight?

WAZINE 17... NOT SURE OF DOSE RIGHT NOW LEMME LOOK WHEN I GO FEED IN A FEW MINUTES

 

[peewee]

tmb3fan, I do use pumpkin to deworm all my birds around this time of year. All the other times, like JJ I use Wazine. Not sure of the dose right off the top of my head. I will have to look it up.