A few questions on Quail? :)

[AilsVonHelson]

me and a friend are gonna be getting into quail within the next few years and i wanted to start to learn how to maintain / process them so that it'd be as unstressful as possible, my major questions are:


How much do they breed/do they tend to sit on there eggs, or would an incubator be better?

How do you process/butcher a quail? (It'd be for about 6 people per sitting, so i understand I'd have to make quite a few quail.)

Are quails good pets? (I know for a fact I'll fall in love with one of them, so i wanna see if it's worth my while to keep them around or if processing is better.)


Are they good 'inside' birds? (Some days they'll be living inside my friends room , but they'll be penned up for most days outside.)


Thanks~,
Gabriel

 

[what was i thinking]

here is a lot of information.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=102281

 

[AilsVonHelson]

thanks!

 

[CrimsonRose]

Quail are so easy to raise and they tend to be a tad flighty but they do make good pets I have a female the sits on my shoulder and snuggles while I sit on the couch (can't leave her out of the cage too long though she has no control over where she poops... LOL)

We keep ours mostly for eggs but plan on processing some in the spring... If you raise them for meat get the jumbo... They are still small enough to keep in a cage but have more meat on their bones... LOL plus they lay BIGGER eggs that are amazing in taste...

Tips for processing (these are just things I've found online and haven't tried them yet) to cull get a pair of garden pruning shears hold the bird in one hand over a bucket then use the shears to cut off the head and let it bleed out... That's the easiest way I've found to cull them... Then I also read that you shouldn't need to scald them because the feathers come out easy enough on their own... as for the rest I assume it's just like cleaning a chicken (removing the guts and what not) There is some good posts in the Meat Birds ETC forum they have pics and everything showing how to process... By the looks of my birds you would need about 2 birds per person (kids would only need one) but I have the jumbo Texas A&M so they are bigger than average coturnix...

As for hatching I've tried and tried to get my females to go broody but they refuse and will lay their eggs where ever... I've even had them lay an egg in my hand while I was holding them!!! LOL So defiantly get an incubator for hatching...

 

[monarc23]

LOL my hubby and I must be pigs because our jumbos even though they're meatier 4-5 quail per person is what makes for an okay meal (you wont be stuffed after it IMO--least i wasnt).

I reccomend Jumbos for sure though, the normal sized Coturnix just aren't worth it when you're considering egg and meat production. The only reason I raise BOTH jumbo and small is to get a collection of colors as I'm breeding mostly for colors with eggs and meat being a byproduct of my intentions.

I lurv genetics

I plan to breed all my colors into Jumbo and HOPEFULLY have an almost full jumbo flock before next winter (of various colors) because as of right now jumbos are really only found in A & M, Golden and Brown.

 

[linebacker]

Gabriel,

A coturnix quail is capable of laying 300 eggs per year. If meat is your goal i suggest you lean toward a jumbo breed. If you don't skimp on protein in your feed an A&M will have a mature weight of over a pound. Mine average at least a 10 oz cleaned carcass. (Size and fertility are my cull points)

My quail are livestock and culled accordingly; however, they are friendly and I would expect they would make great pets. At 9 weeks I make my determination whether they are breeding stock or supper.

As to your question about keeping them inside, it depends on the number you keep. Despite their relative small size they produce a lot of ammonia in their waste.

Brad

 

[AilsVonHelson]

Thanks everyone, me and my friends are really excited about all this new info. Can't wait till we start choosing/selecting breeds and colors and finally begin raising our breeding and meat stock.

I'll be sure to post some pictures for all of you once they arrive.



Thanks again!

 

[deerman]

Another thing to think about. Some state you need permits for Bobwhites, but not for coturnix.