Coturnix Quail Basics- Information and Pictures Galore

[Chaneys Ranch]

cots are easy to sex. males are red breasted, hens are spotted. i will try to get pics of my 6 wk olds. they are my last group this year.

 

[Sill]

Couple quick questions. My quail haven't been laying. I just bought them about a week ago, but they looked like they were going through a molt. How long should I give them before I can expect them to lay? Can I speed up this process at all? Also, I purchased 2 trios, all of which I picked myself and was certain that I had trios and not pairs. However, one of the females had started looking... Manly. She's a lot more rusty and doesn't have many spots. Do quail go through "sex changes" like chickens if something happens to their reproductive system?

I've had some male browns that looked a bit feminine in their coloring. I will not breed them unless the roosters are good and masculine colored, no speckles. Same for hens, they need nice spots on their breast. If we start breeding cots with iffy markings we might get harder to sex chicks. I've also found the rooster chicks that don't color up with definite male markings right away are slower to mature and crow.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote:
do you have coturnix some of us can help

 

[Skerry]

I asked this in my own thread, but as it wasn't the initial focus I'm not sure if it'll be seen so i thought I'd ask it here - fairly soon I'm going to be getting 3 coturnix quail hens, at this stage I'm fairly certain I'll be housing them in a guinea pig hutch I'm making some minor alterations to such as padding the ceiling to avoid popcorning injuries. The hutch is roughly 3x1.5' and there will be three quail. I'm a aware that the general recommendation is one square foot per bird but is this amount still okay in a smaller cage?

Also, I know you can't free range quail in the traditional way, but would it be okay to let them run round the fenced garden for a while under supervision if they turn out to be fairly tame, or is this just asking for them to escape and get eaten by a cat?

 

[LavenderCrow]

Yes, they're Coturnix! Sorry I didn't specify. I was bird-brained last night. I did vent sex them just a couple minutes ago... Turns out it's a male. He HAD a somewhat spotty breast when I first bought him, but they're molting right now. It's definitely rusty, but not as rusty as my other males. His face isn't as dark either. Hopefully I can buy some more hens before they finish molting, because I don't want to harvest any quail... YET.

 

[dc3085]

Careful vent sexing coturnix. If a roo covers a hen that day, the foam can be present in the vent for many hours. Often the 'roosters' people find vent sexing are hens 12 hours later.

 

[cotquail]

Such is my experience,Golden quail ,Manchurian, genes can be difficult to sex by feather(sex linked). Often their offspring can only be identified by vent sexing or when mature. I have Golden's crossing with Pharaoh and assortments of color and appearance is the result , some tuxedo, some all white, some bearded. I find that quail like the security of being partially hidden and free ranging unless in heavy cover can be a stress, confinement keeps out predators as well as contains ever inquisitive birds. They can be hard to capture if you let them go. Quail are commonly used for scientific research and they are kept in smaller spaces . It is humane to allow a square foot at least if you intend their lives to be longer than a couple of months.

 

[lukem5]

Out of all the Coturnix varieties, which of them would retain any semblance of their long past "wild" genetics? I am looking for quails that will eat insects in my backyard garden, I will also supplement them with feed/water ofc.

From what I have read, the Pharaoh seem to be the most "wild" does this mean they are better suited at free ranging/eating bugs rather than sitting in one spot eating/drinking/pooping?

 

[cotquail]

Quail in my opinion are feral birds ,much like finches, both species have been held captive for centuries some say domesticated. To me domestication refers to responsiveness like chickens will return to the coop , will go broody and rear young in captivity, will free range and return to their owner.Pharaoh quail descendant of Africa and the middle east have the most intense history of being held captive for meat and eggs and a lesser degree "fancying" (pets). Sometimes they are called Japanese quail because the Japanese historically reared them intensely. Both finches and quail will surprise you in their ability to escape captivity if let go, free ranging quail is suited to aviaries not cages and certainly not someones backyard. Put trusses and nets cage wire over the garden and hope for the best . Quail are omnivores and will eat veggies small fruits bugs worms anything beneficial or non beneficial edible or not as they consume minerals as well. Most of the captivity is to prevent predation for which they breed continuously to prevent ,a principle we have exploited. If you find garden quail that stay in location I would want some eggs, if you could find them, they would be a species of great value.

 

[lukem5]

Quail in my opinion are feral birds ,much like finches, both species have been held captive for centuries some say domesticated. To me domestication refers to responsiveness like chickens will return to the coop , will go broody and rear young in captivity, will free range and return to their owner.Pharaoh quail descendant of Africa and the middle east have the most intense history of being held captive for meat and eggs and a lesser degree "fancying" (pets). Sometimes they are called Japanese quail because the Japanese historically reared them intensely. Both finches and quail will surprise you in their ability to escape captivity if let go, free ranging quail is suited to aviaries not cages and certainly not someones backyard. Put trusses and nets cage wire over the garden and hope for the best . Quail are omnivores and will eat veggies small fruits bugs worms anything beneficial or non beneficial edible or not as they consume minerals as well. Most of the captivity is to prevent predation for which they breed continuously to prevent ,a principle we have exploited. If you find garden quail that stay in location I would want some eggs, if you could find them, they would be a species of great value.

Great info thanks for much for the response.

So if the backyard was fenced in and I clipped their wings they are still prone to escape? Predation ofc is a concern (neighborhood cats) however cats usually come out/hunt at night, if I had a secure place for the quails to go at night, I figure they would go there to stay safe instead of sleeping say under a bush.

I'm trying to get more nutritious eggs by letting them free range and eat what they can find, plus i'm sure eggs/meat from a quail that walks around in the sunshine all day rather than being cooped up will be better. Secondly the pest control would be great! And thirdly, letting them walk around = fertilizer poops and I don't have to clean their bedding all the time!

is this idea so crazy? I imagine people have tried to get this to work.