first time quail breeder

[Flammen223]

Hi, I have 6 quail (3 male 3 female) that are 6 weeks old, should I divide their cage in 3 and just have them paired, or separate the 2 extra males? They are being fed on golden harvest right now, will they lay with that? Will I need to get a laying mash? We have their cage mounted on the shaded side of the shed with very little direct sunlight all day, mostly shade will they still lay?

 

[Bengt747]

What kind of quail do you have? That would be a determining factor in how you might divide the birds up.

The shade should not affect the bird's laying ability. I prefer to house my birds in areas with some protection from the sun to prevent overheating.

 

[Flammen223]

Coturnix quail

 

[Sill]

Coturnix should never be in pairs! The male will over breed and probably kill the female. Put all three females with one of the males. Better yet get one to four more females. Coturnix do best with 4-7 hens per rooster. The extra males make for some tasty meals so learn how to process them. You will always have extra males if you are a breeder so have a plan on what to do with them. Most of us eat them.

 

[Flammen223]

Ok, thanks, I was hoping to not have to resort to that, the processing and culling isn't much of a problem. Explaining it to the girlfriend is. Maybe divide the other two males individually in the cage until I have more hens

 

[Flammen223]

If I get more hens will I have to separate the roosters with a few hens each or can I have my flock all together as long as the total hen to rooster ratio is up?

 

[Sill]

It's best to have the males separate if at all possible. You might get away with the two extras caged together if they are well away from the females, that is if they were raised together.