African Harlequin

Quail item created by Super Admin, Jan 10, 2012

Breed Colors/Varieties:

Only one color, looks somewhat like wild-type button quail. The hen looks like a fawn coturnix quail, but smaller. The chick shown is from Stellar Gamebirds.

Breed Size:

Large Fowl

They belong to the phasianidae family. They are a small south African game bird.

Breed Details:
African Harlequin are monagomous, which means they should be kept in pairs. They are a very fun breed of quail to raise/breed, they are tame like coturnix, and are smaller than a coturnix but, larger than a button (quail). From my experience, they are easy to raise. I give my birds heat when it is below 50 F. They need 16 hours of light to lay, and will start laying around 10 weeks. The eggs take around 15 days to hatch. They need 45-55% humidity, stop turning at day 12. Chicks need a solid draft protecter and temp. at 96F. 24% or greater game bird starter.

Rooster

Hen

Egg

Chick

Adolescent

Super Admin, Jan 10, 2012

Recent User Reviews

3/5,

"African Harlequin Quail"

View Full Review

Pros - Cute, Easy to Keep, Lovely calls, Clever.

Cons - Flighty, Tiny Chicks, Fast.

These birds are lovely. If you train them up well, they'll be your friend for life, and if not, they will refuse to fly or even boink if you clip them. They need quite exact conditions to get them to lay, but put them in a quiet spot with plenty of cover, and you will be rewarded with plenty of eggs, or even chicks. No matter what anyone tells you, they will not die if not kept monogamously. Of course it is better to keep them in pairs, especially if they come from different breeders, but I currently have 5 birds; 3 males and 2 females, after buying them from a woman who could no longer keep them due to purchasing a cat. They get along very well, but have been kept together since birth.

Overall:

3.5

Purchase Price:

17.00

Purchase Date:

2012-11-24

TehLizardKing, Nov 25, 2012