Finally got my quail, now I got some questions.

[BackYardQuail]

Okay so what breed is this quail? The person I bought it from said he bought it from his "dealer" just cause of its looks but does not know what breed it is, anyone wanna help me out?



Why do 5/6 of the A&M quail and all the female Coturnix have bare backs? Here is a photo.




Also do the egg shells I give them need to be ground up in either a mixer of a coffee grinder?

 

[1000yearoldeggs]

I'm not sure what kind of quail that one is (looks like a different colored coturnix, but I'm not sure), but I can answer your other questions. The bare backs are from mating, most likely. That's why it's a good idea to have several females for every male.

I had a male/female pair together for a while, but eventually he was getting too rough and her feathers were ruined. I separated them and her feathers grew back. I don't recommend having a pair, but I only kept mine together long enough to get fertile eggs to hatch.

Oh, and yes, it would be better to grind the egg shells if you can. My females can handle pullet sized oyster shell, but prefer it more ground up.
Hopefully someone else can chime in on that quail, I kind of think it's a rosetta colored coturnix, but I'm not good at identifying breeds.

 

[BackYardQuail]

I'm not sure what kind of quail that one is (looks like a different colored coturnix, but I'm not sure), but I can answer your other questions. The bare backs are from mating, most likely. That's why it's a good idea to have several females for every male.

I had a male/female pair together for a while, but eventually he was getting too rough and her feathers were ruined. I separated them and her feathers grew back. I don't recommend having a pair, but I only kept mine together long enough to get fertile eggs to hatch.

Oh, and yes, it would be better to grind the egg shells if you can. My females can handle pullet sized oyster shell, but prefer it more ground up.
Hopefully someone else can chime in on that quail, I kind of think it's a rosetta colored coturnix, but I'm not good at identifying breeds.

Alright, thanks. I hope someone knows what kind it is AND how I should sex it cause it has dots all over its body, belly and back. I'm probably going to vent sex it if anything. Also you said you kept 1 pair for hatching eggs... does that mean I can't just keep all 13 of mine in a huge aviary and get fertilized eggs to incubate? Here is a photo of my aviary if you need it, it's 8'Wx8'Lx6H.

(In this image it still isn't done)

 

[muddyfeathers]

Your mystery quail looks to be a Tibetan.

Your bare backs could also be the result of too many birds in the pen or maybe better stated as not enough space at the feeders. The ones without a spot to eat will peck or pick the others to get closer.

There's some good info on here that will help you a ton. Click on the stickies tab at the top of the quail section and enjoy what many have contributed.

Good luck and have fun!!

 

[dc3085]

How hot is it in the brooder? What are you feeding them? How many birds are in what size space? Answer those questions as specifically as you can and I can be more helpful.

Tibetans and A&Ms have to be vent sexed.

 

[James the Bald]

While I do like your aviary design (especially the double doorway), is the entire thing made out of chicken wire? The only reason I ask is that a predator will eventually figure out how to squeeze through the bottom layer (like a cat swiping at a quail within reach). Only pointing it out so your quail don't become a snack for a critter.
Another reason I point this out is that other small birds, like finchs and wrens, will be able to get through and help themselves to the food tray, as well as possibly pass any avian diseases.
Nice design though.
James

 

[BackYardQuail]

I just got them several hours ago, there were about 50 in a 3' by 12' cage (which I think is just horrible) they were all ages in the cage ranging from 5 weeks all the way up to 8 months, the brooder they are in atm is 3.5' by 2',which has 13 quail in it, it is aprox 72 degrees F in the brooder, they are 5 weeks old, I will be moving them into their aviary after I do some changes, they were eating 20% protein quail breeder when I bought them, I have them on 24% protein dumor chick starter right now. If there is anything else I need to answer, ask away.

 

[BackYardQuail]

While I do like your aviary design (especially the double doorway), is the entire thing made out of chicken wire? The only reason I ask is that a predator will eventually figure out how to squeeze through the bottom layer (like a cat swiping at a quail within reach). Only pointing it out so your quail don't become a snack for a critter.
Another reason I point this out is that other small birds, like finchs and wrens, will be able to get through and help themselves to the food tray, as well as possibly pass any avian diseases.
Nice design though.
James

Thanks alot! Not trying to brag or anything, but I designed it myself. I have chicken wire all over it and play wood on the bottom of each wall about 1foot off the ground.. Will that keep coons and cats away of will I need to make the bottom 2 feet hardware cloth?

 

[1000yearoldeggs]

Alright, thanks. I hope someone knows what kind it is AND how I should sex it cause it has dots all over its body, belly and back. I'm probably going to vent sex it if anything. Also you said you kept 1 pair for hatching eggs... does that mean I can't just keep all 13 of mine in a huge aviary and get fertilized eggs to incubate? Here is a photo of my aviary if you need it, it's 8'Wx8'Lx6H.

(In this image it still isn't done)

Sorry, I think you misunderstood me. I only hatched one female, so I had only one pair together just long enough to get some fertile eggs. (Believe me, it's definitely not ideal. The male will mate the heck out of the female. She got him back though by tearing out his tail feathers, lol)

What you want is many more females than males, and yes, large colonies can work well as long as they have space. I think a lot of people recommend five females or so for every male so that the females don't get stressed out. I like the design of your aviary too.

I wanted an aviary like that, but I don't think my family would let me have something that big (yet).

 

[BackYardQuail]

Sorry, I think you misunderstood me. I only hatched one female, so I had only one pair together just long enough to get some fertile eggs. (Believe me, it's definitely not ideal. The male will mate the heck out of the female. She got him back though by tearing out his tail feathers, lol)

What you want is many more females than males, and yes, large colonies can work well as long as they have space. I think a lot of people recommend five females or so for every male so that the females don't get stressed out. I like the design of your aviary too. I wanted an aviary like that, but I don't think my family would let me have something that big (yet).

Oh now I see what you were saying. I'm going to keep a flock of about 10 females and 3 males (if I'm lucky that will be the exact ratio I need if not, there is always room in my freezer and I hope they let you build or buy one, in my opinion they need the most space they can have, more room = more quail = more meat = happier me. lol

Oh and at least she got some revenge on that roo, poor little hen.

As for the height of the pen I will either clip their wings or put some bird net right under the roof so if they do fly up they will hit the net and just bounce back with no injuries..