about to start my first adventure with quail

[wingstone]

This is really only an experiment, as we have never eaten quail before, so we may not even like it, with that said I do not want to put any permanent pens up yet.....I have 3 dozen eggs coming in the next couple days hopefully will get atleast half to hatch, my plan is to use a large rubbermaid tote for a brooder with non slip shelf liner for the first week then switch to some kind of bedding was thinking about some form of horse bedding to cut down on smell.not sure what to do after the brooding stage as I am sure they will get to stinky to keep in the basement the whole time.....I do have a large dog cage that was for a newfoundland, thinking I could put something up the sides and somehow use that but clean out would be very hard as the tray slides out the bottom. suggestions for a newbie would be appreciated, and will this be as addicting as the chickens, started with 6 chicks 2 years ago and now have 35. and is purina all flock a decent food for quail this is what I feed everybody else with mealworms every couple days, and what ever scraps come from the garden.I would like to be able to use the same food and maybe add some other things to it if it would be necessary.

 

[jbobs]

Try to find purina game bird starter if you can get it; if you can't get that I have regularly used turkey starter at 26% with very good results too (I can't get game bird feed in my town)

if you go to a large grocery store, esp. with an asian section, you might be able to find some frozen quail that you can cook up to see if you like it. Asian product stores will likely carry it too. I find the coturnix have to be cooked very slowly in a broth with the right seasonings, otherwise they are a bit gamey. They have dark meat like a turkey's thigh.

One of my favorite materials for making fast, easy, cheap disposable cages is corrugated plastic - the kind that automotive dealers use for their advertising signs and the election signs. Most auto dealers are happy to let you have them after they are done with them because they get sent way more than they need and they just go in the dump when the event is over. It comes in 4'x8' sheets, sometimes 16', and is as easy to work with as carboard except it's plastic so it can be washed and doesn't fall apart. A little duct tape to hold it together. It works great for making brooders, cage trays, for roofing on pens, wind and sun breaks on pens, temporary dividers in pens... you name it.

Pine or aspen shavings work well for bedding, though some people have concerns about the birds eating it, I've used it for years and never had an issue with it. Pine pellets are also great, you can get them at the hardware store for pellet stoves for about 4 bucks a bag, they are less dusty than shavings. I used to keep lots of birds in the house and they do get smelly, but having a ventilation fan suck air out of the room to the outside really helps. Keeping the bedding clean will be your best defence against smell. They are very dusty creatures, though, they give off a lot of dander like chickens.

Welcome and good luck!

 

[wingstone]

Thank you jbobs, I can get a game bird feed was just hoping to feed the same to everyone, and my 3 dozen eggs have arrived, will be setting them tomorrow, i do not have quail racks but i am pretty sure they will fit in the regular racks, do you think it would hurt to put cotton balls or something similar in the holes to keep them from falling thru.....and thanks for the idea with the old signs, have a whole stack of them that I pick out of the fields, these should work nicely with the old dog crates I have........as far as smell, I will just have to deal with it as it happens, have two brooders of chicks going now in the basement which get completely cleanded out every weekend, so that will be nothing new.........Good to know that I can turn to this forum when I have question about the quail, and I am sure I will. Got 3 dozen mixed coturnix eggs from ebay, from 3 different sellers, so it should be a variety if they hatch, was thinking if we like the experience we will keep a few to start our own eggs for hatching.............since we grow or raise most of our food rabbits are next in line.(one project at a time). ............Question allready.....can quail have the same garden scraps as the chickens? and I feed sunflower seeds also can quail have them unshelled. also raise my own mealworms which I feed a couple times a week mixed in with scratch.

venturing out of my comfort zone here, do not want to experiment with the life of the animal, they might be for food but that doesnt mean they should have have a crappy life..

 

[BoutrosBoutrosGalusGalus]

Y'know I feed pheasant feed at %30 protein for my chickens and duck and quail. The chickens free range so they supplement their feed with grass and whatnot. The only problem so far is with some silkie chicks who were going to switch back to medicated chick feed because of loose stool.

 

[wingstone]

we have decided to just go ahead and get the game bird feed, do they start out on this from day one....setting 4 dozen eggs. how many bags should I pick up to have on hand? And is it true that they hatch like popcorn one after the other?

 

[BoutrosBoutrosGalusGalus]

It depends, when my sister visited they all hatched within 15 minutes of the first. The last couple of hatches we have a couple of laggards that hang out in the shell for another day.

 

[jbobs]

i think one 50lb bag of starter should do it, I put mine on a maintenance feed once they are 6 weeks old.