a few questions about coturnix Quails (pics added, lots of em)

[KattyKillFish]

thanks for all the info, guys! i'm pretty glad that Batman is a roo. he's the smallest of the bunch but i think it might have something to do with him being wild type and the others being A&M. are A&M usually heavier than wild types?

also, do A&Ms normally have darker patches of feathers that look like Batman's feathers?

and i knew the bit about them being the same species AND breed, just different color varieties.

oh- and SandraMort, when i take them in i just take part of the top netting off and they run inside their little hutch for safety. i sloce the door and bring them inside, simple as that

i usually have to chase and catch the chickens though.

i got another question... do quails have a specific "snake call" like chickens do? my mean boyfriend threw a rubber snake at them to "keep them in their toes" (he got a good slap in the face

) and the little roo got so upset with it while the hen looked alert. the quails however made sounds i have never heard before and all jumped on their little hutch. normal?

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
Yeppers it's a noise they do for anything that's new and scary, almost like a growl...but it's very low pitch. They do one of two things hwen it goes out, crouch and look to the sky (for birds) or run and scatter for ground enimes. I wouldnt let him do that to them too much it will slow down their potential egg production because they wont want to lay when scared or when they think a snakes around toe at htem or hteir eggs LOL.

 

[SandraMort]

I like that setup. How many quail are in it, what are the dimensions & what do they sleep in at night? How large is the hutch?

 

[KattyKillFish]

Quote:
i've got four quail and two almost-a-month-old silver phoenix chicks. there are 6 walls that are 24 inches tall and 36 inches long.... not sure how much sq feet that makes, but their hutch is made out of an antique pine gas box. they come inside at night because the chickens are too young to be out in that kind of cold, but cry when they don't have the quails for company.

will they get along okay with valley quail?


and thank you all so much for helping out and answering my questions! these guys are really doing great so far. they all seem to healthy and happy. they all get so dissapointed when i take them inside at night. i still gets below freezing at night sometimes, so i don't want to risk freezing the poor little guys.

oh- and for the netting on top i used 1/2 inch herring sane nets. i often find REALLY great netting, nice and big with little wear and tear. i just fix any holes with hanging twine and i've got myself some great netting to use for fences etc.
these nets are made to bare the weight of 12+ tons of herring, so i know it's tough stuff

fishermen throw away all kinds of neat stuff, all i gotta do is go to the "junk piles" at the harbor. that's also where i found all the supplies i used to make the little hutch. all for the price of hinges

 

[monarc23]

sandra if you do your birds in a set up liket hat you will want to worm them since you plan to eat them. Coturnix on the ground are exposed to lots of nasties. If your'e not eating them it's no matter but if you are then its sort of a health concern.