Butler Bobwhites?

[AndreaGS]

So, I JUST heard about these. Can they really get over 1lb live weight?

Our coturnix are doing us just fine for eggs (we just hatched a brood from our own quails, for the first time!), but they're on the small side for meat. They're yummy, no doubt, but a bit sparse!

Is there a reason more people aren't keeping Butlers? I can see they take longer to mature and longer to hatch, but quail are so easy to take care of in the first place, I don't see that being a huge problem.

I just ordered some different colors of coturnix since we have only Jumbo Browns right now, but I'm considering trying the Butlers in the spring.

Anyone have experience with these?

 

[JJMR794]

Oh No Dear... They Get More Like 2 Lbs For Boys. They Are The Sumo Wrestlers Of The Bob White World!!!

 

[JJMR794]

Sorry Sent The Last Post A Little Prematurely...

A Little Advice-- Take It Or Leave It-- Bob Whites (any Speces Of Bob White) Are Way More (like 1000x's) Agressive And Flighty Than Even The Wildest Coturnix!

There Having Said That, I Can Tell You Butlers Are A Slight Bit More Handleable And Less Flighty Than The Rest Of The Bob White Speces, Especially If Pinnioned At An Early Age. Butler Arent As Rare As You May Think, Alot Of Folks Have Them. But They Are A Bob White--- Lots Of Thrashing About In A Blind Panic, Lots Of Aggression Toward Other Cagemates, And Alot Of Pecking In The Brooder--- They Are More Of A True Game Bird Than A Coturnix And They Show It In Their Behavior.

If Pinioned And Handled Very Frequently From Early On They Can Be Quite Manageable, But It Is A Bit Of A Learning Curve To Them If Your Used To Coturnix And Not Bobs....

Ga Giants Reach 1 Lb Live Wt, Butler May Go As High As 2 Lbs. They Do Take Longer To Incubate (23-25 Days) At The Same Temp And Humidity As Chicken Eggs. They Do Take Much Longer To Reach Maturity, And They Since They Are A Seasonal Layer They Usually Dont Lay Until They Are 1 Yr Old Rather Than 8-10 Wks Old, So You Have Much More Time And Money Invested In Them Than You Would Coturnix. But They Are Wonderful Creatures If Your Into Quail!!! My Babies Are 16 Wks Old And Dwarf Our 2 Yr Old Ga Giants And They Are Still Babies!!! If You'd Like To Try Them Look Up Randyandmegs On Here--- They Have Eggs For Sale Now And Are Very Reasonably Priced And He Packs And Ships Well!

Any Specific Questions Feel Free To Ask

!

 

[Pine Grove]

In reality you'll be hard pressed to find any strain of butler that will consistently produce 18 oz + birds, even the Bear Bayou birds wouldn't and they had the best........

 

[AndreaGS]

Thanks for the info! I find the coturnix criminally easy to care for, so it might be fun to try the butlers. I'll probably order some eggs next spring. Still focusing on coturnix right now. I do think the bobwhites are super cute!

Out of curiosity, does providing more hideaways help prevent some aggression?

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
YES SPACE AND STRUCTURE SEEM TO BE KEY ELEMENTS. LOTS OF HIDS AND EVEN LANDSCAPING IF YOU WILL... OF THE FLIGHT PEN. LOTS OF HIGH GRASS AND LIL BRUSH PILES.