First time quail

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Jpat

Jpat

Life’s a garden: dig it.
5 Years
Apr 30, 2018
4,509
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Nova scotia
Hey guys and girls

I got an offer today to trade my cayuga duck for 2 cortonix (Spelling!) quails A breeding pair

Anyway! I researched diseases and iam pretty good with that.

Plan is for them to live in the garage untill i get a run and coop outback...

Questions are
Do they take confinement well?
Do they get used to different people well?
Do they eat chicken feed?
Are they okay in -10 weather with shelter?
Am i over thinking this?
Do they stink worse than chickens?
Thanks everyone! Hipefully trading tomorow
 
Coturnix shouldn't be kept at a 1:1 sex ratio—a single roosters will over-mate a single hen. To keep them healthy and content, you want to aim for at least 3 hens per rooster (single-rooster and no-rooster flocks do just fine).
  • They take confinement well. Rule of thumb is 1 square foot per bird, but more is better.
  • In my experience, if handled early and often, they don't startle from people. They aren't "cuddly", but tame ones will eat out of your hand and sometimes let you hold them.
  • They need gamebird feed or similar—24-30% protein.
  • I would personally add heat to an enclosure in sub-zero temps. Mine have never had to deal with anything worse than the low teens, so I can't offer first-hand experience.
  • It's good to think hard about the welfare of your animals!
  • They stink bad as chicks, but have almost no smell with the right bedding and maintenance—e.g. deep litter, dirt.
Are they for meat and eggs? Pets? What kind of enclosure do you have planned?
 
le_bwah said:
Coturnix shouldn't be kept at a 1:1 sex ratio—a single roosters will over-mate a single hen. To keep them healthy and content, you want to aim for at least 3 hens per rooster (single-rooster and no-rooster flocks do just fine).
  • They take confinement well. Rule of thumb is 1 square foot per bird, but more is better.
  • In my experience, if handled early and often, they don't startle from people. They aren't "cuddly", but tame ones will eat out of your hand and sometimes let you hold them.
  • They need gamebird feed or similar—24-30% protein.
  • I would personally add heat to an enclosure in sub-zero temps. Mine have never had to deal with anything worse than the low teens, so I can't offer first-hand experience.
  • It's good to think hard about the welfare of your animals!
  • They stink bad as chicks, but have almost no smell with the right bedding and maintenance—e.g. deep litter, dirt.
Are they for meat and eggs? Pets? What kind of enclosure do you have planned?
Click to expand...
Great response! Is the feed due to the protein content alone or is chicken feed too big? I like finding things i can feed to all and buy bulk

I want to make it like a rabbit hutch, Or a big dog kennel

Will they perch?
 
Jpat said:
Hey guys and girls

I got an offer today to trade my cayuga duck for 2 cortonix (Spelling!) quails A breeding pair

Anyway! I researched diseases and iam pretty good with that.

Plan is for them to live in the garage untill i get a run and coop outback...

Questions are
Do they take confinement well?
Do they get used to different people well?
Do they eat chicken feed?
Are they okay in -10 weather with shelter?
Am i over thinking this?
Do they stink worse than chickens?
Thanks everyone! Hipefully trading tomorow
Click to expand...

I am new to quail. Just catching my first batch of quail eggs. I have done my research though and have been in a number of quail related forums. Here's what answers I can provide:
Do they take confinement well? Yes, they are often kept in cages actually. The rule of thumb us 1 square ft per coturnix quail. With just 2 I would try to go a little bigger than 2 square feet though if possible to let them move around a bit more. You will also need room for a feeder, water, and a dust bath (a tray of sand or dry dirt would suffice)
Do they get used to different people well? I don't know.
Do they eat chicken feed? No, not idealy. Game bird feeds are better for quail. They require higher levels of protein and different vitamins and other nutrients.
Are they okay in -10 weather with shelter? That's been debated. I suggest browsing the threads on actual. I would say it may be tough on just two quail because there wouldn't be much shared body heat. It may be possible with breeding material like straw to help insulate them.
Am i over thinking this? Maybe, but so have I.
Do they stink worse than chickens? I don't know yet. My chickens really don't drink too much though. I have 7 chickens, and intending to have 100 quail. I should imagine my quail will develop a bit of an odor...
 
BReeder! said:
I am new to quail. Just catching my first batch of quail eggs. I have done my research though and have been in a number of quail related forums. Here's what answers I can provide:
Do they take confinement well? Yes, they are often kept in cages actually. The rule of thumb us 1 square ft per coturnix quail. With just 2 I would try to go a little bigger than 2 square feet though if possible to let them move around a bit more. You will also need room for a feeder, water, and a dust bath (a tray of sand or dry dirt would suffice)
Do they get used to different people well? I don't know.
Do they eat chicken feed? No, not idealy. Game bird feeds are better for quail. They require higher levels of protein and different vitamins and other nutrients.
Are they okay in -10 weather with shelter? That's been debated. I suggest browsing the threads on actual. I would say it may be tough on just two quail because there wouldn't be much shared body heat. It may be possible with breeding material like straw to help insulate them.
Am i over thinking this? Maybe, but so have I.
Do they stink worse than chickens? I don't know yet. My chickens really don't drink too much though. I have 7 chickens, and intending to have 100 quail. I should imagine my quail will develop a bit of an odor...
Click to expand...
Breeding material? Havent heard that term

Great response thank you

Oh! And they might get eaten but right now theyll be pets. Ide like to get some eggs then some chicks and sell them and keep a couple. Who knows!
 
Jpat said:
Great response! Is the feed due to the protein content alone or is chicken feed too big? I like finding things i can feed to all and buy bulk

I want to make it like a rabbit hutch, Or a big dog kennel

Will they perch?
Click to expand...
They are not typically known to perch. They are ground dwelling.
Rabbit hutch is and dog kennel are both good ideas. I am building more of a large hutch style. Here's a picture of one that I built so far. It's nearly finished in this photo.
20181215_103415.jpg
 

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