Any cons about raising quail?

[littlequail21]

i can say after keep them, they are VERY smelly, so i would only keep them Out doors, and in a place just for them...not a good idea to keep them where other people will be passing by often. Also the Males calls are neat, but are kinda Loud, Nothing like a Roster though!!! So again out doors, just a place for them..you will Love these birds.

 

[Orpygal]

I think the males eat tons more than females. When I had just hens it seemed like the food lasted forever. Then I added a male and it seemed like the feed developed a hole in the bottom or something. Maybe they're messier, I didn't really check waste before vs after. But I definately could tell when there was a roo around. I haven't started hatching my own yet so I don't need a roo and won't have one until I do. I think they are adorable little birds and get fairly tame.

 

[chickenshet]

Thanks so much for everyone's responses. Good to know about the stink factor - that is definitely an important thing for us. I think I will ponder it a little more and maybe look into it again later. We don't really have a spot to put them where we wouldn't walk by very often so I will have to think this through a little more. Would keeping them in a large enclosure make them stink less?

 

[Fat Daddy]

Quote:
I think if you keep chickens now, you know what stink is.... As long as your not want'n to keep them in your bed room, you'll be alright. Get you a 2' BY 6' ish rabbit hutch type set up and raise ya some birds! If you grow to dis like the tenants, send them to freezer camp and move in some rabbits...

Seriously, I think you'll really come to like the little birds, they have alot of personality... Good luck, Bill

 

[chickenshet]

Quote:
I think if you keep chickens now, you know what stink is.... As long as your not want'n to keep them in your bed room, you'll be alright. Get you a 2' BY 6' ish rabbit hutch type set up and raise ya some birds! If you grow to dis like the tenants, send them to freezer camp and move in some rabbits...

Seriously, I think you'll really come to like the little birds, they have alot of personality... Good luck, Bill

Thanks for your response! LOL I was thinking if chicken owners were saying they were stinky, they must be really sticky! LOL If they are comparable in the stink dept to chickens, I think I can handle it.

 

[syble]

my baby turkeys stunk alot more!

 

[joe125]

Well...I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but all animals poop stinks

Coturnix poop smell can be mitigated by keeping it dry for the most part, and adding an alkaloid like lime or potash.

 

[cloudswinger]

The only "con" is that the eggs are small, and the membrane is a little thicker, so if you have lazy husbands/sons, they still want chicken eggs because they can't crack the quail eggs! Although my husband isn't much of an egg eater anyway, we have a store bought dozen that expired July 8 that still has 10 eggs in it. The rest of the family was gone for most of July, he only managed to eat 2 eggs in a month.

I got some chickens, they like to hang out under the quail cages and eat the quail food. In fact they prefer the gamebird food to chicken food!

 

[someusername]

live kinda short, only 5-6 years imo.

 

[Fishkeeper]

If you keep them in small, wire-bottom cages, of course it stinks to have the poop underneath. If you keep them in deep litter, it smells a lot less because the poop is being broken down. Plus, they're way happier.

One downside is that they don't even vaguely approach predator-proof. They're little dummies who can be taken down by rats. You gotta keep 'em well protected.