HELP! I need help deciding whether or not to get quail and what breed?

[Vnctan]

I am kind of interested in getting some quail to breed to sell locally and also to sell the eggs but I am wondering what kind of market there is for quail. What breed has the highest demand? They aren't too many people within a few hours of me that even sell quail so I think that it might do well in my area but how many people actually want quail meat and eggs? Are they hard to care for? Time consuming? Messy? Any info would be appreciated.

 

[underground chickenman]

I am pretty new at this myself, but I have hatched my first batch with a 70% hatch rate and only three losses after two weeks. I can't tell you much, except to tell you what I did.

I suggest you start by reading the FAQ sticky at the top of this message board. Then read through the pages and pages of posts on the quail board. Then google raising quail. After a few months of reading, you will have a pretty good idea of what questions still remain to be answered and you can post them here. I am not trying to discourage you from posting, but such a broad general question is difficult to answer. It would take dozens, if not hundreds, of pages to respond adequately, not to mention the fact that the answers are already here somewhere.

Good luck in your search and let us know what you decide to do.

UGCM

 

[JJMR794]

FOR MEAT/ EGG PRODUCTION COTURNIX ARE YOUR BIRDS. SOME FOLKS CALL THEM COTURNIX, OR JAP QUAIL, OR PHAROAH QUAIL. Coturnix, coturnix, japonica. THEY ARE THE ROACHES OF THE QUAIL WORLD! A SINGLE HEN CAN PRODUCE 300 EGGS/YR WITH PROPER CARE AND CONDITIONS. EGGS USUALLY HAVE A GOOD HATCH RATE AND INCUBATE IN 16-19 DAYS WITH A GOOD OVERALL SURVIVAL RATE AS WELL. THEY ARE SEXUALLY MATURE AND REPRODUCING AT 8 WKS IN MOST CASES AND MARKET SIZE IN 10-12 WKS AFTER HATCH. THEY ARE ALSO THE MOST DOCILE AND EASILY HANDLED AND KEPT IN CAPTIVITY OF ALL QUAIL SPECES. A SINGLE ROO CAN TEND ANYWHERE FROM 3 TO 8 HENS AND MAINTAIN FERTILITY, MAKING MORE ROOM FOR YOUR PRODUCERS (HENS) AND CUTTING DOWN ON EXPENSES (FEEDING MORE ROOSTERS) WITH 14 HRS OF CONTINUOS LIGHT A DAY THEY WILL PRODUCE EGGS YR ROUND. NOT ONLY CAN YOU MARKET THEM FOR MEAT AND EGGS BUT THERE IS A NICHE MARKET WITH REPTILE FOOD AS WELL. AS UGCM SUGGESTS DO A LIL RESEARCH AND READING AND CONSIDER IF ITS SOMETHING YOU THINK YOU CAN MAKE A GO OF...

 

[jamesrm]

JJ,
Would you consider the Texas A @ M line just as well suited for a meat production as the Jap quail?

James

 

[crash0330]

As JJMR said For eggs and meat the coturnix are the winners hands down. But if you wanna sell eggs from rare breeds like the valley, gamble and even mountain quail, they usually sell for a much higher price than the coturnix, specially the mountains, I believe they can go for up to $8 per egg. And then you have the bobwhites which I personally own and I think there much better looking than coturnix and there good egg layer too.

 

[Whitehouse Quail]

Quote:
Actually, A & M is a variety of Japanese. It was developed at a university in Texas, which made a bird that grows fast and has all white meat.