I am now an accidental quail owner!

[SBFChickenGirl]

Well... I say I'm picking up two females. But the owner doesn't know how to sex quail. Is vent sexing a thing? Or gender specific feathering, like in chickens? They are adults. Any tips?

 

[SBFChickenGirl]

I will let the picture speak speak for itself...
Bobo, male, female, from front to back.
They're coturnix. No clue what the coloring is called. The male is a lavender grey color.
Bobo laid her first egg today!!! It was so so small and white! The lady who sold me the coturnix (how the heck do you even pronounce that??) gave me eight eggs and told me to fire up the incubator XD. I'm thinking I'll wait till spring to do any hatching, so they'll probably make a nice breakfast.
Speaking of breakfast, what's the chicken egg to quail egg ratio?
She told me they mature and are ready to lay at 2 m.o.?!!? Which is crazy to me!!!

 

[muddy75]

View attachment 2737543
I will let the picture speak speak for itself...
Bobo, male, female, from front to back.
They're coturnix. No clue what the coloring is called. The male is a lavender grey color.
Bobo laid her first egg today!!! It was so so small and white! The lady who sold me the coturnix (how the heck do you even pronounce that??) gave me eight eggs and told me to fire up the incubator XD. I'm thinking I'll wait till spring to do any hatching, so they'll probably make a nice breakfast.
Speaking of breakfast, what's the chicken egg to quail egg ratio?
She told me they mature and are ready to lay at 2 m.o.?!!? Which is crazy to me!!!

Yes that’s the great thing about coturnix, they mature very quickly! You will probably want a few more females for your boy. Ideal ratio is 5:1 to prevent overbreeding. 4-5 quail eggs = 1 chicken egg

 

[Doriss]

Was outside tonight and saw a male and female bobwhite quail walking around my yard. Caught both of them with a fishing net, they were pretty tame (as far as quail go). The male escaped while I was transporting both of them to the chick brooder that I had just cleaned out. It's dark now, so I'm hoping that the male is hiding in the long grass near the coop and will come out in the morning. Meanwhile, the female is in the HC brooder, no way for her to escape, with water and some extra chicken food.

I've never owned quail before, and considering this was an accident, I didn't have time to do any research XD.

So I've got a few questions.
I know that I can't keep the female (now named Bobo) by herself, and with the fox running around, I don't have high hopes for her boyfriend returning... though I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I've heard terrible stories of quail killing each other, so I need to successfully find a friend for Bobo who won't murder her... Any suggestions? I'm finding Cortunix and button quail in my area on Craigslist. I know a bobwhite quail would be best. Would a male or female friend be better?

Can Bobo eat the leftover broiler food I've given her? It's a crumble, not pellet. At least for now till I can get some better food. What kind of food do quail eat anyway?

 

[Doriss]

View attachment 2737543
I will let the picture speak speak for itself...
Bobo, male, female, from front to back.
They're coturnix. No clue what the coloring is called. The male is a lavender grey color.
Bobo laid her first egg today!!! It was so so small and white! The lady who sold me the coturnix (how the heck do you even pronounce that??) gave me eight eggs and told me to fire up the incubator XD. I'm thinking I'll wait till spring to do any hatching, so they'll probably make a nice breakfast.
Speaking of breakfast, what's the chicken egg to quail egg ratio?
She told me they mature and are ready to lay at 2 m.o.?!!? Which is crazy to me!!!

Quail are game birds, so avoid turkey food and hen food. Get a feed specifically for game birds or quail. P.S. Quail can't eat low-quality food without becoming ill (unlike hens), so make sure they have around 25% or even 28% protein in their micro-pellets, and only give treats occasionally to make sure they get the proper nutrients from their main feed first. And plenty of clean water with the pellets.

 

[Kakekoko]

Are you sure this quail is not wild? Bobwhites are wild birds and you should release her. They are endangered in many states.

I rescued some that were hatched but this quail either escaped from somewhere or is a wild bird.