Coturnix Quail Breeding question?

[mandiedriskill]

Hello everyone!
I have been breeding button quail for a year and decided to try Japanese Quail there called Tibetan Coturnix. I am going to do a big outdoor colony pen, and I was wondering how many males to females I should have.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

I have 1 roo to 2 hens. The Tibetans are pretty. I have a Tibetan roo, a Tuxedo roo, and 2 Brown roo's at the moment. They are cute!!! Have fun!!

 

[mandiedriskill]

Hey thanks for the reply. I was afraid to have too many roo's to hens. I didn't want fighting, and I read somewhere that I should have 1 roo to 3-4 hens. But, I didn't know if they where talking about a single pen or a colony pen. Now can I keep that ratio to females to males all year around?

 

[JJMR794]

1:4 or 1:5 is ideal for coturnix. You can go higher but your fertility may be lacking. You can go lower, but your hens will take a beating for it and your fertility will not improve...

 

[JJMR794]

Single or colony pen makes no difference, and yes you can keep that ratio year long.

too many roos in a colony will result in fighting, scalping, and other nasty happenings....

 

[mandiedriskill]

Awesome, I think I will try 1:4 ratio. What do you guys do with the extra roos? I know we could just eat them. But, can you sale them for hunting too. Hunting is huge around here.

 

[JJMR794]

Coturnix are pretty much useless for hunting. They arent very good fliers. You can eat them, or sell them and help put a lil money back toward the hobby...

 

[mandiedriskill]

So, from what I have read coturnix are good for eggs and meat? I read somewhere too that they can be used for training dogs? I just have so many questions.

Now, I have bobwhite too Northern to be exact. What are their specialty? Do they have the same roo to hen ratio?

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

They are good for training pointers and setters. I hatch regularly for a customer who uses them to train their dogs in competition. They use mostly bobs but also the coturnix. They are also good for meat and eggs. It takes quite a few eggs to equal one chicken or duck egg, but they are great pickled or to feed the dogs.

 

[mandiedriskill]

I was just wondering, what quail are good for hunting? I know that they flight condition coturnix and bobwhite? Is that for the dogs too?