coturnix quail

[calgal98]

How do most of you start your flocks of quail? Do you buy chicks, eggs and hatch? Trade with friends? I'm trying to decide what to do and haven't had any experience hatching quail (or any thing else, yet!!). Where does one begin?

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
Get yourself the best incubator you can afford (as you'll need one eventually if you want to breed quail anyhow hehe) and get yourself some eggs from any one of the numerous breeders here on BYC!

Welcome to the world of quail by the way and any specific questions just post and many of us would be happy to help you in anyway we can!

I started out with eggs from a hatchery, then bought from a BYCer, then bought froma local breeder (birds and eggs), and bought from another hatchery again LOL!

 

[calgal98]

Thanks Monarc--- I just got my birthday present to myself...a Dickey incubator. Its heating up for its virgin run. First eggs go in tonite. I'm ordering off of ebay and only from sellers with a large # of transactions and 99-100% feedback. Hopefully in a couple of days I'll have successfully bid on two different batches of 3 different species of quail. I tend to jump in with all appendages.....*flailing wildly*

 

[NancyDz]

What species? Some species in CA you do have to have a permit to raise.
Coturnix and button are fine but most of the others you have to have permits for..

 

[calgal98]

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The Tibetan quail? Is that a restricted specie? We are raising them for meat, not releasing them, but I know that really doesn't matter to DF&G

 

[PatS]

You mean I can't just catch those cute California Quail that roam around my yard and throw them in a cage?

Seriously, I am looking at the possibility of raising some quail for meat. The Coturnix sound like the way to go, and I enjoy reading about everyone's experiences with them. Please keep us up-to-date on your hatchings!

Are the "Jumbos" the same as Texas A&M? Are they significantly larger than the standard sized quail?

-Pat

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
The Tibetan quail? Is that a restricted specie? We are raising them for meat, not releasing them, but I know that really doesn't matter to DF&G

"tibetan" is just a color

just want to make that clear with ya

The breed (species) itself is coturnix. Theres lots of colors in coturnix, A & M, Brown, Golden, Tibetan, Red, ENglish white etc

 

[calgal98]

Thanks, I think I figured that out after my last post.

 

[monarc23]

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What do you mean by standard?

Jumbo is whatever a breeder says it is to be honest BE CAREFUL who you buy from if you're seriously looking for jumbo birds. Coturnix of the offical "jumbo" are said to be an lb in weight...however I don't know many with these monsters if at all.

My biggest jumbos are 13+ ozs. My normal sized coturnix are around 6 oz

I have Texas A & Ms that are 6 oz.... so picture that and consider

Texas A & Ms were bred originally at Jumbo size...I had one big girl but she too was only 13+ oz in weight. would love to get some monsters someday

 

[farmertank]

If your like me you just stumble into them and the get so addicted that you'll go broke in no time lol

Julie