I keep Coturnix Quail, and just bought some Gambel Quail eggs. I know they’re flightier than coturnix and take the same food, but need answers to the following questions:
-When can I start to tell gender?
-How many eggs do they lay a year/do they usually sit on and incubate their own nests?
-Can I keep multiple quail together? How much sq ft does each bird need?
-Any other advice on how to keep them is highly appreciated!
Howdy!
* Gamble's can be flighty or relatively calm birds, depends on how much they are handled and have human interaction on a day to day basis.
* Usually within 3 months you can tell the gender of the juvenile birds.
* Gamble's are seasonal breeders, they will lay between 15 to 30 eggs per season/hen.
* Typically they don't set in a hobbyists confined habitat. It would be rare if they did and even more rare if they would brood their young.
* I rear my Gambels in a 300sq.ft. walk-in enclosures, usually 25 to 30 birds per enclosure, ~ 10sq.ft./bird, with lots of foliage, smooth large rocks, stumps and hiding places.
I like to give my birds that I raise on wire at least 4sq.ft./bird. You could get by with less square footage but the likelyhood of them getting into fighting increases with the decrease in spatial capacity.
In an elevated wire cage scenario, I would run 1 male to 5 or 6 hens or as a trio, if less space is available. This is how I raise mine, you may and probably will have a different experince, depending on the enclosure(s) provided.
* They are relatively easy to raise, if you have experince raising other gamebirds. Provide a balanced and complete feed ration of 24% protein and fresh, clean water. Protection from the elements, guard against drafts in extreme cold climates. Wet, cold, muddy environments are lethal to gamebirds.
HTH Good luck and Best Wishes
