Coturnix Quail Basics- Information and Pictures Galore

[texan4ut]

Mine took to the nipples without any problems. Build your system with confidence...

Thanks!

 

[JekkaLynn]

I FINALLY reached the end...now to see if any of the eggs in my friends homemade incubator actually hatch...if not o am going to buy a quad that are about to start laying and get their eggs in my trusty Hova-Bator...

 

[rehctelf]

Great info and photographs. For someone like myself the "newbie" any and all info is super helpfull. After I think I have found all the info I can get my hands on there is always more and more that come up. Very interesting. A big thank you for your post.

 

[JekkaLynn]

Ok...so I have two dozen quail eggs in an incubator due to hatch MARCH 26. I am very excited to be getting into quail.

Last night I was at a farm picking up some Marans eggs for the Easter HAL and saw a small hutch. Peeking in as I walked past you will never guess what I saw...I will give you a hint....I am totally ON topic for this thread...yes you guessed right... It was a coturnix quail...

I excitedly asked if are sold quail as well as Marans eggs and was told they only had one left because most of the quail had killed each other and some predator had killed a few too. She immediately asked if I wanted to have the last quail.

...I has come for Marans eggs...I had my eggs... I should leave the quail here...it will be a HUGE hassle to try and integrate her with the younger birds without her hurting them...My 4 year old saw it and squealed in delight...My husband was not as impressed...

So for the reason I came here today...

I was worried about taking home a vicious quail killing quail but my daughter was in love so I decided to try and figure out if there was a simple reason for the cannibalism.

I asked what she had been fed and learned she was raised on chicken layer ration and nothing else...and the mystery of the cannible quail is solved...protein deficiency.

We got home late last night so I just set up a cage with some water and left her with that.

This morning I tried to give her some tuna but she wasnt interested. I mixed it with some layer feed but now I can't tell if she is eating it or not. She is drinking fine and went so crazy over the oyster shells that I had to take them out so she would eat some layer feed first before filling up on shells.

What should I be doing to help get her back in shape. Next week we will be buying game bird feed but I have to feed her layer and something to up her protein levels until then. I tried tuna and she wasnt impressed. Should I try chicken?
Can quail eat BOSS(Black Oil Sunflower Seeds) I feed them to my chickens to help them stay fat and happy. Would they be too big for a quail?
She is just standing with all her feathers puffed and barely closing her eyes. She isn't laying down. Is this just because she is nervous about her new home?

...HELP...

 

[JekkaLynn]

Well I figured out why she was standing funny...

Now she is happily snuggled in she hay.

Some pictures of her

Now that she has eaten her fill of actual feed can I give her back the dish of oyster shell?

 

[Fat Daddy]

Congrats on the new bird! And the first egg!! Coturnix are creatures that hate change... Change = stress in a coturnix world.... They are also usually stressed by "alone".... If I were in your situation. I think I would limit all the stress I could and leave her on the chicken feed. Especially if you plan to find something more appropriate soon. Boss wont hurt her if given with some form of grit. But its only 17 to 24% protein so its not gonna help you alot. Some form of grit is a must if you feed any grain or seeds. Your oyster shell will help here too.If you cant find game bird starter, turkey starter usually runs pretty high in protein content too. I would expect your hen to only lay a couple more eggs before she shuts down in protest of the new living arrangements. Its normal. You made changes in her life so, "No eggs for you!!!".....This will last anywhere from a week to the end of time.... ;-) Good luck, Bill

 

[JekkaLynn]

She has been alone since last fall so I am hoping she will be eager to accept the babies once they are old enough. I will introduce them with side by side cages until they get use to each other. Until then she is liking in a cage in our house. She is very friendly and comes to my hand when I put it in the cage. She is also relaxed enough to nap in the center of her cage instead of huddled into a corner.

 

[JekkaLynn]

Would she oyster shell work as grit until I can buy some pigeon grit or should I just stay away from treats until I get some actual grit?

The eggs she lays are HUGE compared to the ones I bought to hatch. Hopefully once she has a boyfriend she will pass that trait down to her babies.

 

[Fat Daddy]

The oyster shell would be good as grit.... I'm not a "treat" person. But I understand it and in moderation you're not going to hurt her any.... Any bird's eggs will tend to get larger as they age.... It sounds like she may not be a young bird, if that's the case, I would expect her to lay a egg on the larger end of the normal range.... Now it may be in her nature to lay large eggs too... With out weighing a few, you really can't be sure.... 14 to 16 grams is my favorite size eggs.... I hope it works out well for you!

 

[JekkaLynn]

For me 'treats' are anything they need grit to eat.
BOSS to add some extra fat to her diet.
Chicken for some added protein...things like that. I don't care if she is an older bird. As long as she is healthy.

I am trying to figure out what color she is.

I am thinking Pharoh?