Ive raised chickens for several years now and im gonna start raising quail next spring. Im probly going to start with pharos may eventually get bobwhites. My questions are how many breeding pair do I need to be able to butcher 100 in the year may-september? I want to raise all natural as mush as possibe. I have an old chicken coop/tractor I thought of modifying for quail but do quail eat as much grass as chickens do. It is simi movabe but not an easy task. I dont want to move it around as much like I had to with my chickens. And when they are full size do they still need heat lamp outside during winter months?
Hello and Welcome To BYC! Be sure to post in the Quail forum also for answers about raising quail https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/48/quail
Hello there and welcome to BYC! A bobwhite hen will lay approximately 100 eggs during the breeding season. They are seasonal layers, laying spring through fall, however you can force laying during the winter months with added lighting. Bobs do not brood and hatch their own eggs, so you will need to do this yourself. Bobs are not mature and ready for the table until they are 3 months of age and do not start breeding or laying until 6 months to 1 year old. You might consider Coturnix quail instead. They are mature at 8 or 9 weeks of age, are laying and ready for butchering. Bobs are great tasting, but because they mature so slowly, they are generally not raised for eating. Quail are not big grass eaters. They will nibble, but will not tear up the land like chickens. But you will still need to move the tractor for hygiene purposes. Good luck and welcome to our flock!
Welcome to BYC! We're glad to have you. I don't know anything about quail, so I can't be much help. Good luck with them!
Welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join our flock. I'm a chicken person and don't know much about quail (never had any), but definitely post on our quail link that Kelsie2290 left you with, and take advantage of our quail experts there. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. What kind of chickens do you have?
