A&M vs Northern Bob White for First-Time Quail Owner (purpose: eggs)

[CrosbysMom]

Hi! I'm new to this forum! I live in Austin, Texas and found a nearby breeder selling Texas A&M and Northern Bob White adults. I want to buy a few (less than 5) females for eggs just for my family. I will be keeping them on my balcony. I'm not sure which breed to choose and I'm wondering if anyone has advice? Is it just a matter of aesthetics or are there big differences between the two when raising them for eggs?

Thanks!

 

[DaisyQ12]

Bobwhites are more seasonal layers but A&Ms (They are from the coturnix quail variety) are more likely to lay all year especially with a light in the winter. I think bobs eggs might be a bit bigger but if you want eggs a lot and often. Go with A&M quail. (Also start laying in 6-8 weeks!)

 

[CrosbysMom]

Thanks Snjhusky! A&M it is!

 

[rhoffart]

Hello neighbor I'm down the road in Boerne, I just started 12 Jumbo Brown Coturnix Quail, this is the first set of quail for me in over 10 years. Good luck.

 

[salsan20]

Newby to quail so not sure and please correct me if I'm wrong but dont they have different care requirements?? I thought bobwhites need height in their cages whereas coturnix(A and Ms are a jumbo white meat coturnix is that right?) can be kept in low roofed cages such as converted rabbit cages??

Could be wrong so definately dont quote me, just remembering when deciding I crossed bob whites off my list as they are more aggressive to each other and needed height.

 

[DaisyQ12]

Salsan, well Bobwhites perfer height definetly, they need more sq feet on the ground as well compared to Coturnix (so they'd do fine with a small roof but need bigger cages. Though a tall pen would make a happy bob as long as it's tall enoug they don't hit their heads). Coturnix need about 1 sq feet per bird minimum. I'm not 100 percent sure with bobs but I definetly believe they need more space then the smaller, more domesticated quail. Just me two cents!

 

[dc3085]

If you are new to quail I would seriously recommend not starting with bobwhites. They are wilder, more aggressive and require different care than coturnix or any other quail. Texas A&Ms are just jumbo white coturnix, they are the same as all japanese quail.

Bobwhites

-Must be kept in pairs during breeding season, but can be left in coveys the rest of the year
-Lay up to 100 eggs a year naturally beginning in may and ending in july/august. With artificial lighting this can be pushed to 200 but it requires a lot of work.
-Must be brooded under red light to avoid cannibalism
-require much more floor space as adult and more brooder space as chicks

Coturnix
-Can be raised in a covey with 1 male to 4-7 females
-Lay up to 280 eggs a year naturally can theoretically lay an egg every single day on artificial lighting.
-less aggressive in the brooder, cannibalism is almost non-existant
-Require 1/4th the amount of space to keep as bobs.

Bobs are a wilder bird with more of their natural instincts intact. Coturnix have been bred in captivity for over a 1000 years so they are much more like chickens in personality. Coturnix are almost foolproof to raise. If you're raising bobwhites the wrong way it'll be easy to tell, they'll be killing each other.