Coturnix Quail Basics- Information and Pictures Galore

[Chaneys Ranch]

Mine are a year to 18 months now. My oldest girls are still laying just fine. Protein is really important, and oyster shell too so their bodies have all they need.
I do offer live mealworms as treats everyday.

 

[Soltaria]

Sorry if this has already been answered, do they lay in nest boxes or will I need to hunt down the eggs like guineas?

ETA: I just watched how to process them. I don't eat the skin on chickens, does anyone know if it would be possible to skin a chicken like this and not have to pluck it?

 

[dc3085]

Sorry if this has already been answered, do they lay in nest boxes or will I need to hunt down the eggs like guineas?

ETA: I just watched how to process them. I don't eat the skin on chickens, does anyone know if it would be possible to skin a chicken like this and not have to pluck it?

If you mean process it with scissors like I show in my video, yes you can. I do it that way when I only have one or two chickens to do and don't want to scald water for them.

They may lay in a nest box (I have some that do every time and some that never) but usually they just drop them wherever, they have no instinct to brood or care for the eggs left in them.

 

[Soltaria]

Great, that saves me having to pluck the chickens and then remove the skins later. How skittish are quails typically?

 

[Quail Jailer]

They aren't really smart enough to be skittish. no survival instinct.

 

[Joplus]

I have tried to sift through this thread and determine gender. I realize my white ones will be difficult but here's my "brown" and "yellow" not sure exactly what they're called. And my brown have big white patches on their chests but no rusty color. I think the yellow has a little rusty color. They are 5 weeks old. I don't want them to be too many roos and kill each other. I have 5 total, 2 brown, 2 white and a yellow.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Sorry if this has already been answered, do they lay in nest boxes or will I need to hunt down the eggs like guineas?

ETA: I just watched how to process them. I don't eat the skin on chickens, does anyone know if it would be possible to skin a chicken like this and not have to pluck it?

Yes, I skin too. about 5 minutes to clean a bird, pretty fast.
They dont nest or brood eggs so they are scattered.

I have tried to sift through this thread and determine gender. I realize my white ones will be difficult but here's my "brown" and "yellow" not sure exactly what they're called. And my brown have big white patches on their chests but no rusty color. I think the yellow has a little rusty color. They are 5 weeks old. I don't want them to be too many roos and kill each other. I have 5 total, 2 brown, 2 white and a yellow.

Thats a "tuxedo"..Good post, I have a few and do not know either, I just watch and pick roos out for the AMs and the tuxedos.

 

[Joplus]

Oh wow thanks. I'll just be patient I guess.

 

[WV Farm girl]

Thoughts on incubating eggs from quail who have only been laying a week? Would they be fertile? Should I wait a cpl weeks more to be sure the roosters are "doing their job"?

 

[Quail Jailer]

Thoughts on incubating eggs from quail who have only been laying a week? Would they be fertile? Should I wait a cpl weeks more to be sure the roosters are "doing their job"?

Not by any means a definitive study,


https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/885831/fertility-fresh-off-the-turnip-truck