Wanting to get Quail

[ALDavis]

I have been considering getting quail for sometime now for both eggs and meat. I hear so many different reports though. I want to know what I might be getting into before I jump in. If you could go back and give your pre quail self advice about raising quail what would it be?

Are they really so sensitive to noise they fly up quick and kill themselves?
Can you raise them near chickens?
Do they really not go broody?
Will the males fight?
What's a good ratio of male to female per cage?
Slanted cages for rolling eggs, good idea or bad?
Ground pin or hanging/stacked cages?

Thanks in advance

 

[DK newbie]

Are we talkning about coturnix quail here? Species is important for answering most of your questions.

 

[ALDavis]

Yes, sorry.

 

[DK newbie]

Okay.. Well. In that case, I don't own the species so most of my knowledge actually comes from this forum. But to give you a quick summary:

Yes, they might fly up and kill themselves. Not necessarily as a response to noise though. I have button quail, who don't give a **** when my father uses an extremely noisy circular saw in the room next to them, and in general coturnix are supposed to be calmer than buttons. But I did send my buttons flying once, by picking up a plastic bag from the floor next to the aviary. I suppose the combination of the sound and the sudden appearance of the large unknown object caused the reaction. To avoid deaths due to boinking, you can either place them in very low cages - >1 foot, I think - or in aviaries, where they will probably loose speed before they reach the roof. Or you can pad the roof with something soft or make it out of plastic garden net or similar - just make sure the cage is predator-safe.

Yes, you can raise them near chickens, but chickens carry diseases that quail have little resistance against, so it's not advisable to do so.

Under some circumstances, coturnix quail may go broody. Usually in relatively large cages or aviaries where they have just a few cage mates. But it's not a regular occurrence.

Yes, the males will very likely fight if you place more than one in a cage.

3-7 females for each male.

I have seen pics of slanted cages in this forum, so I assume it's a good idea.

Ground pen = increased risk of worms and coccidiosis, wire bottom = increased risk of bumble foot and leg issues, in particular in very heavy birds.

 

[ALDavis]

Do you know if they lay an egg a day?

 

[DK newbie]

Given a suitable feed, all the crushed oyster shell they want, 14+ hours of daylight and a stress-free environment (stress can for instance be caused by having multiple males in a cage), yes, it is my understanding that the majority of coturnix quail hens between 10 weeks and 1-2 years of age will lay about an egg a day.

 

[ALDavis]

Would a large dog crate size cage be sufficient enough to house 8?

 

[DK newbie]

I don't remember any exact size recommendations, but I would find it somewhat crowded.. It can probably be done, but if possible, give them more room. Or don't get as many birds.