General Quail Questions

[JacinLarkwell]

I'm getting quail soon (Ordering now, so I can't imagine it will be too long as they're a few weeks old when they come)

Is there a certain type of food that's best for them? I've been looking and I'm getting mixed answers between game bird food, wild bird food and non-medicated chick starter.

Are some colors feather sexing or all of them?

Do males sound like roosters or do they sound like drakes? I know they sound different

Do they as a general preference like open homes or places to hunker down for privacy?

 

[cmobley]

What type quail are you getting? I raised coturnix quail I always fed purina game bird starter then changed over to purine layena. They have to have the higher protein feed. I had my pens made out of hardware cloth bottoms and plywood backs,sides and tops. I also put different boxes in the pen so they can separate from each other. Also have a separate pen for wounded birds if they see an injury on a bird they'll kill it to protect the covey. If you get a Male make sure you have atleast 6 to 8 females or a way to separate them. He will breed them to death.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

What type quail are you getting? I raised coturnix quail I always fed purina game bird starter then changed over to purine layena. They have to have the higher protein feed. I had my pens made out of hardware cloth bottoms and plywood backs,sides and tops. I also put different boxes in the pen so they can separate from each other. Also have a separate pen for wounded birds if they see an injury on a bird they'll kill it to protect the covey. If you get a Male make sure you have atleast 6 to 8 females or a way to separate them. He will breed them to death.

I'm getting a variety of colors for the Coturnix quail.

I know this is probably a silly question, but do they care what the hides are made out of? I'm planning to make some out of wood, or would a different material be better?

 

[cmobley]

I'm getting a variety of colors for the Coturnix quail.

I know this is probably a silly question, but do they care what the hides are made out of? I'm planning to make some out of wood, or would a different material be better?

Wood will be fine. I used some of the old black plant planters you get at stores put some straw in it they'll go in and out. Also the store bought feeders are horrible, they sit and scratch out the feeders with their beaks until their empty. I took a piece of 3" pvc about 24" long cut a slot in the top and made square cuts in it so they can only get their beaks in to eat and not drag. I'll try to find a picture.

 

[cmobley]

this is the type of feeder I used. There may be something better now.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Oh wow, I've never seen those before. I'll have to see if I can find something like that. I'm getting those waterers that you attatch a bottle too, like a small dog waterer, would those work or would bowls work better for them?

 

[cmobley]

I used one gallon chicken waterers. I dunno how big of a pen your gonna have I also had a sand box they could get in and bathe in. They stayed in it the most.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I hadn't thought of a sand bath. Would diatamacious earth work or something else?

 

[JaeG]

I hadn't thought of a sand bath. Would diatamacious earth work or something else?

Don't use Diatomaceous Earth - it will irritate their respiratory systems. Mine will even dust bathe in shavings. They aren't fussy.

The quail roos don't sound like a chicken rooster or a duck drake. Look on YouTube to find a video of one crowing. Each boy often sounds a bit different. Some are louder than others. A happy roo should only crow at dawn and dusk. They are pretty quiet otherwise, and unless you give them supplemental lighting during winter they will stop crowing once the breeding season is over.

Hens enjoy having a little house and you'll find they lay most of their eggs there, or in a quiet corner somewhere. Even a plastic guinea pig/rabbit hut will do. They enjoy having rocks and pieces of wood to climb on as well.

 

[Quailobsessed]

Are some colors feather sexing or all of them?

Not all colours can be feather sexed. Wildtypes and italians (and some mutations that look very similar to them) can be feather sexed, but most others can't. Do you know what colours you're getting?