Coturnix Quail Basics- Information and Pictures Galore

[generaldsherman]

My 2 pet white Japanese quail escaped their pen and have been living free for over 3 weeks... I see them every day as they come back for feed and water.

I caught them yesterday when I cornered them in the chicken coop...and put them back in their pen... but they were so unhappy and were frantically pacing up and down and jumping at the sided to get out..... so I let them back out!

They like to squeeze through the fence to the unused field on the other side and they live in the long grass and overgrown hedge that runs along the side my property.

They will squeeze back to my garden and sunbath on the grass next to the fence.. and then go into the chicken coop for feed and water.

They seem really happy and I am so surprised they have not wandered away. They have great natural instincts...... they know me and will stay around when I am there.. but if anyone else comes or they see a large bird they will quickly scuttle back deep into the undergrowth.

They even camouflaged themselves... they are no longer bright white... from dust bathing in the red earth they are now brown . orange and really invisiable when they keep still.

They are super alert... and now very good flying too. They know my small dog... who protects my birds... and they allow him to walk right over them.. but if they hear another dog they are off again.

I know that a predator will probably get them in the end... but for now they are in heaven and I can't stand to cage them up again.

Anyone else have Japanese quail living free?

That may not be legal; you may want to double check your city ordinances. There is the safety issue as well. In my area, they would get eaten by stray cats or even skunks.

Maybe you should build them something like a chicken tractor so they have more freedom?

 

[jak2002003]

That may not be legal; you may want to double check your city ordinances. There is the safety issue as well. In my area, they would get eaten by stray cats or even skunks.

Maybe you should build them something like a chicken tractor so they have more freedom?

I live in Thailand... we have a lot of freedom here.. no problems releasing birds.

People can keep chickens right in the middle of the city if they want... lots of people keep the fighting cocks. I know someone who has 4 geese in their back yard right in the city centre.

I could not go back and live in the UK.. so many laws and neighbours complaining about stuff.

I used to have a big back garden in the suburbs.. but we were not allowed any chickens.

A friend had 2 pekin bantam chickens in her garden and the neighbours reported her to the local authority and then had to give them up.

I never understand why people can't have a pet chicken, but its fine to have parrots or pit bull dogs lol.

 

[bantylover66]

I raised my first 2 clutches in years & I had them in a my room for the first 4 weeks. I took them out & put them on a mat with me enclosed within a circle 3x a day. I used a method I learned when I was little u wear a really oversized shirt & the chicks gather under it & bond. They are very tame & hardly ever startle.
I had to purchase some 4 wk old hens & for the first 2 weeks they startled & were flighty but by week 3 they began to act like the others. Its nice because I don't have to worry about them hurting themselves & when 2 of them flew out of their house when someone else fed them when I went out to find them they ran up to me so I could pick them up & they could go home.

 

[dc3085]

Be careful with them getting loose, since you seem attached to them, finding them is the least of your problems. There are few thing in the wild that wont eat a loose quail. Even crows or blue jays will kill them given a chance.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Lavender tuxedo cots.... bottles to estimate size, 8 weeks.

 

[caeti21]

I was wondering if someone can help me out , my quails that just started laying about two months ago , they were laying good eggs now the past week or so they have been laying brittle shelled eggs or eggs with no shells at all , I added grain and oyster shell to their feed when the first brittle egg was laid I even crushed up their shells and fed it back to them for about a week then it got where I couldn't even pick up their eggs without them crumbling in my hand , is there something I'm missing or what

 

[DK newbie]

What are you feeding them? If they don't get direct sunlight where they live, their feed has to contain vitamin D, otherwise the oyster shell won't work. But in general, pelleted feeds have vitamin D and in that case, oyster shell is the way to go. Make sure the pieces aren't too big for them though. And it's probably best to give it in a separate bowl so they can eat as much as they want - provided they'll eat it, even if it's not mixed in their feed.

 

[caeti21]

They are ouside in a hutch thats raised off the ground hardware bottom and door ,covered top, they get sunlight but lately we have been getting cloudy , so idk if that has been messing with them , i give them game feed , i know some pieces of the oyster shells are too big so i try to pick that out , someone elsed said it could be parasites maybe the dirt i put in there for them to dig in ? I have vitamins with electrolytes so ill try that in their water this week and give them some other meds i guess

 

[generaldsherman]

Ok, found one of my 6 week old a&ms this morning vwith a bloody head, looked like someone had pulled the feathers off. Finished up my bigger quail cage and moved most of my birds into it and left the hurt one with a friend in the brooder. Any ideas why its head was hurt? Noticed a few with feathers missing on head.

 

[caeti21]

Ok, found one of my 6 week old a&ms this morning vwith a bloody head, looked like someone had pulled the feathers off. Finished up my bigger quail cage and moved most of my birds into it and left the hurt one with a friend in the brooder. Any ideas why its head was hurt? Noticed a few with feathers missing on head.

Its a good possibility that the others were picking on it , i two males together and the one male picked on the other male and the same thing , so i had to separate the males