Assorted Quail Questions

Dart&Waffles

In the Brooder
Jun 12, 2018
3
7
19
I've been strongly considering quails, but in order to convince my parents to allow me, I need to do some research. I thought that this would be the perfect place to ask some of my more complicated questions. If you have any answers please let me know, thanks!!!
1) can quail eat chicken feed if I add in more protein?
2) I know that you can have 1 male and 3 female, but if I were to do 8 quail, would it be best to have 2 male and 6 female or 1 male 7 female? I don't know if the males would fight, which is why I ask.
3) do you suggest hatching quails from eggs, or buying them as chicks?
4) I could make an outdoor cage, or have them indoor. We do have wild coyotes that would probably come around the cage quite a bit, especially at night. Would it "spook" the quails, or would it be okay to have the coop outside? Please let me know if you have any answers/opinions, thanks!
 
You might want to start with the articles here. I learned a lot from reading them. I'm still eagerly waiting for my first batch of eggs to arrive. :)

Edit: You may also want to check out the stickies at the top of the forum. Another place that I've found a lot of potentially useful information.
 
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1) They can eat chicken food with added protein but a game bird feed would be better.
2) 1 male and 7 females would be better. A male can easily cover 10 hens so you don't need 2 males for fertility. Even if they don't fight each other they would over mate the hens. They tend to mate a hen another rooster has just mated.
3) If you plan to hatch eggs from your flock you might as well get an incubator and hatch eggs from the start. Quail eggs tend to be pretty easy to hatch. Just make sure you get them from someone that knows how to properly handle eggs for hatching.
4) Personally I would never have birds inside if I had the choice. They are stinky and very dusty (bird dander and bedding). I brood them inside for the first week or so to make sure they are healthy and then brood them in the barn till fully ready to be off heat.

If you have them outside make sure you have a very sturdy cage, no chicken wire. An electric fence around it would keep the coyotes away. You could do a net system or wire. The are actually pretty easy to set up, especially if you go with a net fence. They can get too stressed if predators are always around. If too stressed, hens will stop laying eggs.
 
Okay, throwing my two cents in about the gender ratio.

IF AND ONLY IF you want to breed and hatch eggs, you need to maintain a much more even ratio than 1:7. Everyone is quick to jump to saying that more hens are always better, and that might be true for the ease of keeping them, but it'll wreak havoc with your fertility. Males tend to pick favorites; 1-3 will get bred regularly and the rest wont at all (especially if they're grouchier to him).

I have great success running trios. I just have to keep a close eye on everyone and be willing to do lots of swapping and babysitting until everyone has a group they're happy with. It is a pain, but it's worth it to know *most* of my eggs are fertile instead of just a small %.

Sometimes you can get a pair of brothers raised together that will play more or less nice with enough space indefinitely. It's not a guarantee, but it happens. In that case, I'd do 2 males and 6 females. Otherwise, I'd keep either 1 male and 3 females, or split the cage and do that many in each side.


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If you're only keeping a laying flock, ignore everything I said, and keep 1 or even 0 roos. (Although be warned I also have the odd female that wont lay without a male present. Others don't seem to have this problem, but I also suspect others don't track the laying schedules of every single hen like I do).
 
1) Can quail eat chicken feed if I add in more protein?
Adult Quail only need around 18% protein. Much higher and it can make the females struggle to lay or stop laying altogether.
There is game bird feed you can buy that usually contains the amount required for each stage in their lives.
Of course, if you get them as chicks they need much higher protein until they are 6 weeks. Then they should be fed a game bird growers mash until they've reached 'adulthood'.
Pretty much all game bird feeds (the Crumb, Growers Mash and Adult Pellets) contain the right protein levels so you don't have to worry.
However, I highly suggest supplementing their diet with some veggies, seeds, mealworms and grasses once fully grown.

2) I know that you can have 1 male and 3 female, but if I were to do 8 quail, would it be best to have 2 male and 6 female or 1 male 7 female?

Like someone mentioned above, this really all depends on what you are keeping Quail for.
This also depends on each individual male Quail.
Some are tolerant of other males some are not. Some are lazy with mating and some are very selective and will only mate their favourite females. Some take it to extremes and mate them all non stop.
If you want them for breeding/fertile eggs, I'd suggest either 1:3 or preferably 1:4 (male:female ratio).
If you want them just for laying eggs, have either no male and just females alone or have 1:3+.
However, like I said, Quails are very strange little birds and I even have a monogamous pair of Coturnix so the ratio doesn't work in my case!

Also, if you want to keep more than one male in the cage with the females, I'd highly suggest getting brothers. They are less likely to fight each other to the death and tend to see each other as less of a threat. That's not to say brothers wont turn on one another because they sure will if they feel like it.

3) do you suggest hatching quails from eggs, or buying them as chicks?

For a first time owner, I'd personally suggest getting adults that are already in a trio or other acceptable ratio etc.
Then if you want to increase your flock, you can hatch your own chicks.
By buying adults you can also ask the breeders about their care and any other questions you have!

4) I could make an outdoor cage, or have them indoor. We do have wild coyotes that would probably come around the cage quite a bit, especially at night. Would it "spook" the quails, or would it be okay to have the coop outside?

Unfortunately, I don't know about American predators and how to secure cages from them. However, in the UK we do have foxes and rats which are a burden, especially the rats.
Rats are a BIG killer of Quail and they're pretty much meals on wheels for them.
I originally kept my quail in an outdoor aviary, like many others. However, a rat got in one night after chewing through the wood and literally pulled off my Quails head leaving the body.
'Luckily' it was the female that my male didn't pair with.
I then moved my remaining two Quail into a homemade rabbit hutch. It's thick wood, has small space mesh, is on high legs and has a nesting area for them.
For me and where I live it works great. I know of many people using rabbit hutches that have been predator proofed which work great for Quail.
I personally don't like wire bottom cages but some people prefer those.
Quail do shoot up when spooked so it is suggested to add a false roof in their cage with a type of fine hole netting.
As for keeping them indoors, that comes down to if you can cope with them scratching their bedding out their cage onto your floor, making a smell and if you have males, they are noisy during the night!

Have a look on YouTube or some articles on here, there is lots of videos and info on choosing the type of quail you want and the care they require :D
 
1) can quail eat chicken feed if I add in more protein?
Yes, i feed mine 24% chick feed, from Tractor supply. I have done 20%, 30% and a quail feed. Honestly they have done so much better on the 24% chick Crumble. They lay much more regular and seem to be much healthier on it. I have small size shell for them if they need calcium. And i give them wild bird seed for a treet. And Always have full buckets for dust baths.
2) Ratio:
If you want to breed them 1:7 if the male is a proactive breeder(Too many males and they WILL fight at one point) but if you only have 1:3 he may OVER mate the ladies too.
3) do you suggest hatching quails from eggs, or buying them as chicks?
I prefer hatching, they become bonded to you and ypu dont have to worry too much about any sickness they may be carrying from previous home. But that is just my opion.
4) I could make an outdoor cage, or have them indoor. We do have wild coyotes that would probably come around the cage quite a bit, especially at night. Would it "spook" the quails, or would it be okay to have the coop outside? I have them outaide(now) in a above grown coop with lots of buckets to dust bath in, and branches to stand on to grt off the wire. I used to have them in a flight pen(when i had 200), but i only have 15 for breeding right now. We live on 40arces of woods. We have beer, coyote, fox, coons, bobcats, and many other predators. We use the smalles size hardwire cloth and have them a good distance off the ground.

I hope everyones comments help!! Good luck in your soon to be quail adventure!




 

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