Best Quail for a newbie?

[DucksAreMagical]

Hey

Just asking for a the "best" Quail breed for a newbie to Quails (I've had chickens in the past (If that even helps)) and tips for how to raise happy and healthy quails . Im looking for Layers (If it is the same as chicken breeds)


I only want a small flock around 5-6 Quails, and what size (and type) of hen house should I get for them

 

[DenisTheQuail]

Hi there I have just started keeping quails. After doing research the best breed I discovered for laying was coturnix, so I went on eBay and ordered 1 dozen mixed hatching eggs. I managed to hatch out 9

They are now 5 weeks old and look great, so easy and quick to raise now it's just a waiting game for them to start laying

 

[DenisTheQuail]

I also forgot to add that I keep mine in a hutch, the type used for rabbits or guinea pigs

 

[DucksAreMagical]

Thanks, Are they hardy to the cold? I see that you also live in the UK .

What are yoiu feeding them, and what beeding if any? and other things. I barley know anything about Quails

 

[Coturnix Quail]

Hello! I see you are going to get quail? Good choice. By far the best breed is the Pharoh Coturnix Quail. I'm also new to this but I already raised a batch of 50! They can stand quite cold and such. I usually feed mine Turkey/Gamebird feed. Since quail are smaller than chickens, they need more protein as babies, so chicken starter will NOT work, unless it had at least 30% protein, even when they're adults. As for breeding all I do is feed some crushed eggshell, and they're doing fine. I can give you more info some time if you need any. QUAIL make great birds because they only need 1 sq foot per bird, and they're small! Although there is one flaw to keep mature male together, but right now you won't have to worry about that! For feeding the chicks you should just grind your gamebird crumble into a powder. If you need anything else, please ask! Hope this is helpful.

 

[DucksAreMagical]

Quote:

Hello! I see you are going to get quail? Good choice. By far the best breed is the Pharoh Coturnix Quail. I'm also new to this but I already raised a batch of 50! They can stand quite cold and such. I usually feed mine Turkey/Gamebird feed. Since quail are smaller than chickens, they need more protein as babies, so chicken starter will NOT work, unless it had at least 30% protein, even when they're adults. As for breeding all I do is feed some crushed eggshell, and they're doing fine. I can give you more info some time if you need any.

QUAIL make great birds because they only need 1 sq foot per bird, and they're small! Although there is one flaw to keep mature male together, but right now you won't have to worry about that! For feeding the chicks you should just grind your gamebird crumble into a powder. If you need anything else, please ask! Hope this is helpful.

I do have one question, how do you keep your birds (What coop/other means of housing).

 

[Dani xxx]

I'm getting my quail in the next month or so i have got a eglu chicken classic with 2 meter run you can see it in my pic from omlet website ! X for the broader I got the biggest storage box I could find actually from staples and I got an electric hen, sand for dust bath, fine oyster shell, feeders and drinkers from amazon ! X I got a good book called urban quail keeping was really helpful ! X

 

[DucksAreMagical]

I'm getting my quail in the next month or so i have got a eglu chicken classic with 2 meter run you can see it in my pic from omlet website ! X for the broader I got the biggest storage box I could find actually from staples and I got an electric hen, sand for dust bath, fine oyster shell, feeders and drinkers from amazon ! X I got a good book called urban quail keeping was really helpful ! X

Ill check out that book, but Im quite small for space so I cant go for another eglu again (that was the coop I used for my chickens but it was the bigger one cant remember the name) .

Thanks Ill probably get a rabbit hutch then add a run onto that so that they can get some run around time.

 

[DenisTheQuail]

Here in the UK I have struggled to find a game bird starter so I used chick crumb, but added powdered cat biscuits to increase the protein. They are now adults and haven't shown any problems. They are now being fed laying quail food. As for bedding I use wood shavings because it's easy to scoop out and clean, I also have a sand box for dust bathing

 

[DenisTheQuail]

Sorry Yh I forgot to add my quails aren't constantly confined to the hutch, I let them out into a large run to exercise