➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

[Kiki]

For science, you understand.

Twue wove is bweatiful.

How are your quailies doing?
Have you finished the cage yet?

 

[RUNuts]

They’re becoming popular I think, with the homesteading movement.

Why? I'm confused by this. But it probably is just me.

The higher protein feed cannot be easily obtained year round in sufficient quantities to be meaningful. Can't free range because they won't return. You'd have to totally enclose and predator proof a large aviary for quail to be self sufficient.

Chickens can and do free range. Got a buddy who doesn't supplement feed. The chickens have the run of the cow barn and fields to clean up grains and bugs. 4 pound CX after 8 weeks that run with the layers. Yep, RUN, not waddle. But no FEED costs. Do the price per pound on that. 4 pound bird for $2 chick price (assuming infrastructure paid for (cow barn with chicken roost that is locked at night to keep out racoons) and minimal losses) gives a bit over $0.50 a pound. Family comes together for the chicken butchering weekend. Everyone fills the freezer.

I grant that not many people (myself included) have a cow barn & fields to turn the chickens loose in. Hence, the quail with store bought feed.

 

[RUNuts]

How are your quailies doing?
Have you finished the cage yet?

Quails doing great. I was expecting larger(?) for some reason. Skittish as a frog on the freeway. I'm giving treats too. Boss and weeds.

It rained. I'm behind on the gardens. Coop complete except for the roof. Kind important there cause of the rains. I'm thinking tarp short term now.

Batch #1 is harvestable now. Just too busy to cook. Will be waiting another 2 weeks for a larger harvest with Batch #2. Still have no idea how many I'll keep. The chickens are laying and exceeding the egg business. Family is happy with the extra eggs.

 

[dpenning]

I am starting a rotating alfalfa sprout flat system for them soon and in the summer they'll get to run outdoors for spurts and pick their own bugs.

Not sure if you are talking about an enclosed pen or free range but if you let quail free range they will be gone. They don't return to roost like chickens do. If you knew this then just ignore me.

I put my quail in a 10 x 10' chain link dog run on the ground with a welded wire apron and lined walls to keep them in. They were quite happy there.

 

[CoturnixComplex]

Not sure if you are talking about an enclosed pen or free range but if you let quail free range they will be gone. They don't return to roost like chickens do. If you knew this then just ignore me.

I put my quail in a 10 x 10' chain link dog run on the ground with a welded wire apron and lined walls to keep them in. They were quite happy there.

Oh God no. They would be hawk snacks in a heartbeat. I am building an outdoor run for them to take turns having supervised, enclosed time outside! I can't even leave them in it without me or the dog out there; bears.

Thank you for making sure, though!

 

[CoturnixComplex]

Why? I'm confused by this. But it probably is just me.

The higher protein feed cannot be easily obtained year round in sufficient quantities to be meaningful. Can't free range because they won't return. You'd have to totally enclose and predator proof a large aviary for quail to be self sufficient.

Chickens can and do free range. Got a buddy who doesn't supplement feed. The chickens have the run of the cow barn and fields to clean up grains and bugs. 4 pound CX after 8 weeks that run with the layers. Yep, RUN, not waddle. But no FEED costs. Do the price per pound on that. 4 pound bird for $2 chick price (assuming infrastructure paid for (cow barn with chicken roost that is locked at night to keep out racoons) and minimal losses) gives a bit over $0.50 a pound. Family comes together for the chicken butchering weekend. Everyone fills the freezer.

I grant that not many people (myself included) have a cow barn & fields to turn the chickens loose in. Hence, the quail with store bought feed.

I think you hit the nail on the head with your last paragraph. Buying quail feed is a pain for me, but keeping chickens would be downright impossible (nothing to graze on up here, it's all Manzanita). I'd have to feed them the same anyways! I imagine it's the same for most people in the city, etc.

 

[muddy75]

Not sure if you are talking about an enclosed pen or free range but if you let quail free range they will be gone. They don't return to roost like chickens do. If you knew this then just ignore me.

I put my quail in a 10 x 10' chain link dog run on the ground with a welded wire apron and lined walls to keep them in. They were quite happy there.

yes, lined walls are a necessity as even adult pharaoh can squeeze through chain link! I’ve had mine get between the chain link and the chicken wire a few times...

 

[muddy75]

opened up the lower level for 3 week olds yesterday.....everyone seemed to be happy.....lost one overnight.....no apparent cause. So I’m now at 19...

.trying to get son to help me with some photography today since we are having some beautiful weather!! also have to get groceries and make a feed run!! put buttons in lockdown this morning. started 3 of my silkieX eggs to check for development. Tomorrow is first Hatch Day!!

 

[CindyinSD]

Check your state G&F laws first. Quail don't get advertised in Wyoming because you have to have a permit before you are allowed to have quail of any kind and you can't sell live quail or hatching eggs here to anyone who doesn't already have a permit. Not all states make an exception for Coturnix quail.

Oh yes... I wasn’t thinking. That would explain it. I had looked before and it seemed to me (tho unclear) that coturnix were not on the list but I couldn’t find the same place, and the place I did find just says “quail.” So who knows? I’ll call them and ask, but the chances of talking to someone who knows aren’t likely much better than my own chances of figuring out the down-low online.

I grant that not many people (myself included) have a cow barn & fields to turn the chickens loose in. Hence, the quail with store bought feed.

Yup, that’s a big part of it. Plus quail are pretty non-threatening. They sound more like a cool homeschool project than serious livestock. Yet, you can potentially grow a significant quantity of your own protein in a relatively small space. They’re not going to have been regulated against by your town or your HOA, either.

I had thought that quail were mostly a hobby thing, probably not one I was interested in, but I started watching vids from “Living Traditions Homestead” (great cottage industry, YouTube). They have plenty of land in MO, but they did start out in TX in an upscale large-lot suburb. Their meat/egg options were limited to things that wouldn’t annoy the neighbors, so they did quail and meat rabbits. But they got back into both on their new place (and added larger poultry &pigs) because they’re working well for them. Seeing that, I figured maybe I had underestimated quail. Rabbits, too.

The “smalls” are a lot easier to handle, less intimidating for people, I think. And possibly not everyone even knows they’re supposed to be providing fancy high protein feed. In fact, I don’t remember seeing any videos that have mentioned what kind of feed people were providing their quail... an important detail, one would think.

Reminds me: R2Elk I looked up those amino acids you warned about the quail needing (in an earlier post) that weren’t in lower protein feeds. They’re all three abundant in eggs (and elsewhere, but eggs seemed easiest.) Could a person make up the lack by feeding a daily portion of scrambled or mashed boiled eggs to the quail? Best I could find at Running’s was broiler or turkey feed. They don’t carry game bird feed, or at least not when I was looking. I didn’t see waterfowl feed, either (they do have brewers yeast).

 

[BullChick]

Just returned from getting feed. Of all places, TSC got in some 24% feed. It’s better than the 20% I had to give them. Even though it was generic, it was $18/bag. Quail don’t eat much, but it sure hurts buying their feed.
Duckling said I can eat the quail because then she can incubate!