Do you prefer Chickens or Quail?

[CarleeG]

I am starting a backyard homestead and wanted to get 4 chickens. I am permitted to have hens only in the area I live and have been building my chicken area. I recently started doing research on quail and am wondering if that is a better/easier route? If you had to choose one or the other do you prefer quail or chickens and why?

 

[2 many chickens]

I have ducks, chickens and King Quail(buttons)

The ducks and chickens have a bit more personality. They eat more and require more space. They make more of a mess than the quail. They are also louder.

The quail eat way less and require less space. They aren't as loud besides the occasional button yell or two. They are not friendly though.

I have heard courtnix quail are more of a friendly quail breed.

I would go with quail.

 

[2 many chickens]

Quail also lay little eggs which are great to eat! I love pickled quail eggs.

 

[Nabiki]

I live in an area where roosters are allowed only by permit, and only if the neighbours don't object. I did a lot of research on chickens vs. quail before I started as well. I'm very happy with my choice of quail. They are far quieter than chickens, they take up a lot less space, and from what I remember of the chickens we had when I was a child, they are not nearly as messy.

 

[featheredplanets]

I prefer chickens. I have 6 Coturnix quail now but had to rehome my chickens due to circumstances. The quail have no personality and aren’t friendly. They are quiet and their smallness means less feed and space. But I love how friendly chickens are, always happy to see you, always making little noises, happy to dig around in the garden with you too. Roosters are gorgeous, if you can have them. And chickens come in so many breeds, shapes, colours and sizes. All lay different egg sizes and colours. Miss having them.

 

[Nabiki]

I prefer chickens. I have 6 Coturnix quail now but had to rehome my chickens due to circumstances. The quail have no personality and aren’t friendly. They are quiet and their smallness means less feed and space. But I love how friendly chickens are, always happy to see you, always making little noises, happy to dig around in the garden with you too. Roosters are gorgeous, if you can have them. And chickens come in so many breeds, shapes, colours and sizes. All lay different egg sizes and colours. Miss having them.

I'll admit that I don't know much about chickens. I've heard a lot of people say how friendly they are, though. To me that's actually a minus to me because I raise my birds for meat as well as eggs. I would have a really hard time butchering an animal that was friendlier to me. It's hard enough with the quail who will sit trustingly in the sink while I'm sharpening the shears.

 

[TheLaboratoryBF]

They each have their own pros and cons. I raise both so I will share their differences from my experience.

Cons:

As others have said, chickens are messier, noisier (even the females; the egg song is no joke), and require more space/resources. Quail (mine, anyway) are not tame at all (which makes handling for anything other than butchering difficult), egg color is limited (if you're into that sort of thing), and they can be pretty aggressive with each other when first coming into sexual maturity (even female-only coveys).

Pros:

On the other hand, chickens have distinct and entertaining personalities, lay a rainbow of egg colors, and many different breeds are available depending on your specific wants/needs. Quail, theoretically, require very little space (although the more you give them, the better, for their physical and behavioral well-being), and use very little resources for the amount of eggs/meat they provide (and given how quickly they reach maturity and begin laying/can be butchered). They are also much easier to butcher than chickens if one of your goals is to raise them for meat. All you need is a large sink and a sharp pair of shears.

I think, though, if I were pressed to choose just one to continue with, it would be chickens. I enjoy their friendliness, personalities, and those tasty, colorful eggs (still working on my rainbow).

 

[featheredplanets]

I'll admit that I don't know much about chickens. I've heard a lot of people say how friendly they are, though. To me that's actually a minus to me because I raise my birds for meat as well as eggs. I would have a really hard time butchering an animal that was friendlier to me. It's hard enough with the quail who will sit trustingly in the sink while I'm sharpening the shears.

Yeah I suppose you should choose what’s most efficient for you. I watch Slightly Rednecked on YT and he does the same. I’m not interested in raising for meat but I like eggs. These quail will be getting replaced next March, as mine’ll burn out quicker due to the added light.

 

[Roomi the quail]

I have just one coturnix hen as a house pet so I am not a professional breeder or something... but this whole "chickens have all colorful personalities while quails are skittish livestock" thing is quite prejudiced in my opinion Quails are not only easy to manage/harvest, they also make great friendly pets!
I'm keeping my quail indoors and she is the only one that hatched from the bunch. She grew up around humans and would gladly come when her name is called, jump on my lap and take a nap, enjoy cuddles and got addicted to a smartphone app at a certain point. Plus, quail poops are much harder and less stinky than chicken poo, so you can easily pick them up with a piece of toilet paper(of course, cecal feces are always runny and stinky). I persomally find them less demanding and more human friendly than hamsters.

 

[Catherine Hughes]

There are advantages to both. Quail take very little space, don't eat as much and mature very quickly. They are easy to hatch and raise and are pretty hardy. They lay most of the year, not in winter though. The eggs are tiny and very tasty. I have 19 Coturnix quail now and plan to hatch more as soon as they start laying again. I do not find that they are as personable as chickens so I like my chickens for that reason. I live in the country so I can keep by noisy roosters. If a person is limited on space, quail might be the better option.