Coturnix Quail Basics- Information and Pictures Galore

[clawstar]

hens OVER a year old (hatched in November)
roo a little less than a year (hatched in may)

is has been freezing overnight and i don't want to separate him when it freezes
my feed is not to high on protein

 

[CLICKBANGBANG]

I just finished 177 pages of reading. Took a few days.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

hens OVER a year old (hatched in November)
roo a little less than a year (hatched in may)

is has been freezing overnight and i don't want to separate him when it freezes
my feed is not to high on protein

Quail won't be able to do very well on anything less than 24% protein. Some things that may help is hardboiled chopped eggs, raw chopped liver, or cooked. Their bodies need it to encourage breeding, laying, right now, they are just surviving. If they cant sustain themselves well, they wont reproduce.

I just finished 177 pages of reading. Took a few days.

Lots of fantastic info! Congrats on finishing the read!

 

[CLICKBANGBANG]

Lots of fantastic info! Congrats on finishing the read!

No joke. It was quite the read the read though. I went back and read the OP a few times to brush up on what posters were talking about. Also read a few articals around the Interweb on Coturnix Quail.

I picked up the turners for my incubator. I've found a local guy that sells cages with sloped bottoms for layers. I'll get all of my equipment set up before picking up eggs to hatch. I've kept a few quail years ago for dog training, but I'm planning on setting up for layers and meat birds this time. It might take me a few months to get everything going, but I'm getting started now.

 

[dc3085]

Quail won't be able to do very well on anything less than 24% protein. Some things that may help is hardboiled chopped eggs, raw chopped liver, or cooked. Their bodies need it to encourage breeding, laying, right now, they are just surviving. If they cant sustain themselves well, they wont reproduce.

Lots of fantastic info! Congrats on finishing the read!

If you feed anything besides game bird food you will need to provide digestive grit. Processed crumbles are water soluble so they don't need any grit to digest those, when you start adding treats and such grit must be added as well.

I doubt your issue is because of protein. They'll breed and lay just fine on 15% chicken feed, it's hard on their health but they'll lay just the same, seen too many breeders use nothing else. When adult cots aren't doing their jobs I look to everything else before I look to diet.

Clawstar you said the hens are over a year old, how much over a year? A lot of cots will stop laying or slow way down before the end of their second year, it's possible that they have reached a point of infertility. Most breeders rotate stock each year to avoid that sort of thing. A 1 year old bird is middle aged, a 1 and half year old is an old geezer in the cot world.

 

[jeepster]

Great thread and lots of wonderful info. I learned a bit more today from reading all the info you put together.

I have two questions that you may be able to help with.

1. The grit. When do you give it to them? I saw you use oyster shell and I have to assume it is the same as what is sold for chickens.

2.What about a dust bath? Do quail need one? If so what is in it?

Thanks for any help you can give

 

[orumpoultry]

Great thread and lots of wonderful info. I learned a bit more today from reading all the info you put together.

I have two questions that you may be able to help with.

1. The grit. When do you give it to them? I saw you use oyster shell and I have to assume it is the same as what is sold for chickens.

2.What about a dust bath? Do quail need one? If so what is in it?

Thanks for any help you can give

I offer my quail chick grit. It helps aid digestion IF they need it. Crumbles are water soluble, so, they don't go through them very fast.

As far as dusting goes? My quail will dust in ANYTHING. Old potting soil? Check. Dirt from the yard? Check. Dust from their feed bin? Check. The list goes on. I try to keep clean dirt for them to fill their dust bins with at all times. These guys LOVE dusting.

 

[jeepster]

Quote:

I offer my quail chick grit. It helps aid digestion IF they need it. Crumbles are water soluble, so, they don't go through them very fast.

As far as dusting goes? My quail will dust in ANYTHING. Old potting soil? Check. Dirt from the yard? Check. Dust from their feed bin? Check. The list goes on. I try to keep clean dirt for them to fill their dust bins with at all times. These guys LOVE dusting.

Got it, on the feed as long as they get a processed feed they do not need grit. If I do switch to anything else they will need the grit to help digestion.

Copy on the dust. I will use some play sand and garden soil that I have for potting plants.

What about adding diatomaceous earth to the dust to prevent pests?

 

[orumpoultry]

They pretty much get the DE everywhere. I would use it with caution, as the diatoms can cause lesions on the lungs if there's no where for them to go. That doesn't end in happy quail! I give mine a DE dust bath once or twice a month, but, I have an open air set up.

 

[jeepster]

Thanks for the quick reply. I will hold off on the DE for now then.
I have my quail in the house, spare room used as storage, until I sell the next liter of puppies and have money to put up a shed. At which point I will put up a shed and run and fence the front yard and add a few chickens just to get chicken eggs for my wife.