What is the purpose of a quail?

[Desirai]

Just curious, I don't know anything about quails.

What do you do with them? Keep them as pets, eat their eggs? Eat them?

 

[spikennipper]

I do all 3, I enjoy keeping quail but I also like their eggs and their meat, you obviously need more than with chickens to make a substantial meal!

 

[bfrancis]

The age old question...first, you keep them species specific...ie, cots with cots, bobs with bobs, scaled with scaled, etc.

They are kept for a multitude of reasons. Some like the individual beauty of each species, some like the song each makes. Buttons or CBBQ can should be kept in pairs and can either be in their own habitat or can be put in the bottom of a cage for other (house type) birds for maintenance, cleaning up the food stuffs that are dropped.

The eggs can be eaten and are actually healthier than chicken eggs, but that is another topic. Some people will blow the eggs out and create art pieces.

There are meat breeds of quail too...cots are good as is bobs...

So you see, they have many reasons for keeping quail....

Why do you ask?

 

[Desirai]

I was just curious because sometimes we have wild quail here, and they come in groups of 10+ in our backyard. they're darling

Wasn't sure what purpose(s) they had since they were so tiny.

 

[bfrancis]

You're probably seeing the bobwhite...I'm biased, but think all quail look great, lol! Hopefully I've answered your questions...most also agree with you and me that they are neat little birds, fun to watch (each has its own personality)...I find them relaxing.

So, when are you going to set up a hutch of your own?

 

[Desirai]

LOL I haven't even finished building my chicken coop and I have 12 babies that are growing really fast!

Maybe quail will be a project for another day.. or year.

Is a bobwhite a quail? I thought a bobwhite was a different type of bird entirely. They're the ones that make the call that sounds like "BOBWHITE" right? little tiny brown birds?

 

[Desirai]

LOL I haven't even finished building my chicken coop and I have 12 babies that are growing really fast!

Maybe quail will be a project for another day.. or year.

Is a bobwhite a quail? I thought a bobwhite was a different type of bird entirely. They're the ones that make the call that sounds like "BOBWHITE" right? little tiny brown birds?

 

[TwoCrows]

Yes, Bobwhites are a quail. There are several different types of Bobwhite that live wild throughout the US and Mexico. Here are a pair of Butler Bobwhites, female on the left, male on the right.

 

[bfrancis]

Bobwhites are a type of quail, in fact there are several subspecies of bobwhites that go from the color you are seeing in your yard..to pure white. You are correct, they get their name from the call they make. Through the non breeding months they will covey together for warm and added protection against predators, but during the spring and summer months they will break out into pairs and raise the new generation of bobs and start the cycle again...if you put food like scratch grain out for them, they would return...but are flighty, so don't expect them to tame down.

Most people on this forum keep Coturnix quail. They are considered "Old World Quail" where the bobs and other North and South American Quail are called "New World"...google topics, lol.

What kind of chicks do you have that you're building a coop for?


Edited to add: Hi Twocrows! Desiria, Twocrows is the bob expert, I'm glad she came along...I have several different species, but not bobs...yet!

 

[Desirai]

Cochins! I looove cochins.

That picture is darling

So do quail have the little thing on their heads like you see in cartoons?