Coturnix Quail Basics- Information and Pictures Galore

[redrooster99]

I never kept one much more than a year. But Moby has a couple that have to be three years or better......

Ah why, if you don't mind me asking, do you keep yours only a year?

 

[lukem5]

Ah why, if you don't mind me asking, do you keep yours only a year?

Cus Fat Daddy is hungry!

 

[redrooster99]

Cus Fat Daddy is hungry!

Lol

 

[dc3085]

Ah why, if you don't mind me asking, do you keep yours only a year?

Every animal has a period of it's life it will produce the best possible offspring, as animals age the quality of their offspring tends to decline. Since the average lifespan of coturnix is 1.5-2 years by the time they are a year old they are middle aged or beyond. In theory they are no longer capable of generating the same quality of offspring regularly beyond that age. Its not something that happens exactly at a year or whatever it's just a nice round number for breeders to remember to replace all their breeding stock. It also exposes another benefit of raising coturnix. Unlike chickens there is very little taste and texture difference in a young coturnix vs an old coturnix.

 

[redrooster99]

Every animal has a period of it's life it will produce the best possible offspring, as animals age the quality of their offspring tends to decline. Since the average lifespan of coturnix is 1.5-2 years by the time they are a year old they are middle aged or beyond. In theory they are no longer capable of generating the same quality of offspring regularly beyond that age. Its not something that happens exactly at a year or whatever it's just a nice round number for breeders to remember to replace all their breeding stock. It also exposes another benefit of raising coturnix. Unlike chickens there is very little taste and texture difference in a young coturnix vs an old coturnix. 

That is good to know.

 

[Fat Daddy]

Lol

Man I tell ya what..... I aint called Fat Daddy out of irony, like the huge dude with the nick name of "Tiny"....

I am 300 lbs of hungry and if it grills up good, you better watch it close!!!

"Hey man, where'd that pen full of chukar go?"

"Aint seen'em"

 

[redrooster99]

Man I tell ya what..... I aint called Fat Daddy out of irony, like the huge dude with the nick name of "Tiny"....

I am 300 lbs of hungry and if it grills up good, you better watch it close!!!

"Hey man, where'd that pen full of chukar go?"

"Aint seem'em"

Lol.

 

[orumpoultry]

I figure keeping a good annual rotation on all adults will help. Purge the older in the winter and hold over only select breeders for the next year. That's what I plan on doing, anyway.

Any luck on leg bands on quail? I know they make them. But is it easier to just number pens and keep up with whose in the pen?

My feathered pals usually get banded. I just wonder if chick bands will work on quail or if they will just fail all together.

 

[redrooster99]

edited.

 

[dc3085]

For leg bands if you just need a few categories you can use colored zip ties and just leave them a little loose. Not the same as numbered bands but I haven't found any numbered bands that worked well on quail.