I'm going to try Quails

[major]

I have just made an in-pulse buy on EBay of some Quail eggs,(I know eBay is not the best way to buy hatching eggs)
I managed to get my hands on an octagon 20 Incubator cheep! i have had it plugged in for 7days now and it working grate so i want to try it out

They are going to end up in the freezer (well maybe not all of them!) so i was going to ask...!

1:At what age do they start to lay?

2:At what age do Quails make good eating ?

3:What is the best way to end the little guys life ?

4o they taste good and how much meat is there I thinking one Quail per person?

Thanks for any help.

 

[kovalines]

The quails use to start laying eggs when they're about 45 days, at the same time they're ready for become your meal. About the way of ending their life, I can't said with 100% sure, but my gradma used to kill the chickens and quails cutting their neck, but I don't know if this way is the best. I like the quail taste, but some people don't. I think one quail per person is enought, but I'm not sure of this too.

 

[cva34]

If you haven't found it ,once your in the Quail section ,just above the Threads (is a blue box it says STICKY threads) just below that (Quail notable facts and FAQ)click on it ...Its got Tons of info...cva34
Were talking Cots
1 7W
2 7W
3 Remove Head
4 or so

 

[CoosaQuail]

To start with, what kind of quail eggs did you buy? Different quail lay and mature at different rates.

 

[mrs b. bates farm]

i just ordered 100 from ebay as well..its,my first time raising them.. i got cortnix qyail.. im glad i foun this thread..mbey we can learn from each other..

 

[CoosaQuail]

CVA got it right for Pharoah Quail. I always butcher them no later than 8 weeks because I can't afford to keep them longer than that. I keep my breeders longer to lay eggs though. They will lay at 6 - 8 weeks old as but this time of year they need 16 hrs of light. I always plan on a minimum 2 per person when planning meals and sometimes more. Some people want to "feast" on them.

 

[silkiechicken]

We butchered 2 8-ounce quails. I would say each quail was about the same amount of meat total as two chicken nuggets.

 

[mochicken]

Yeah they dont have alot of meat on them, even the jumbos are not a feast but if you wanted alot of meat you wouldnt raise quail to eat lol. If you bought 100 eggs, only 50 of them hatched, to feed those 50 for 6-8 weeks to maturity then you would see how expensive that can get. What I do is pick my favorite colors or patterns, cull the rest, then out of the birds I picked I decide who is a male and who's a female, then I keep several females and a couple males and the rest of the males go to the freezer.

Out of 50 birds I would probably keep 10 after 8 weeks.

 

[major]

Thanks for all your input, i may keep some just for some eggs but we will see how the hatch goes! I was told they are English White but we will see what they turn out to be (You know E-Bay lol)
I'm starting to get all excited about losing my incubator cherry.....!

I'm all set I think?
Incubator set and running at 99.6 for the past 4days and the humidity is around about 50% (46%-52%) is it normal for it to go up and down over 4 days?

Wish me luck im off to spend some time reading up

i just ordered 100 from ebay as well..its,my first time raising them.. i got cortnix qyail.. im glad i foun this thread..mbey we can learn from each other..

Sounds like a plan Mrs B

 

[bfrancis]

Here are some good cheese stuffed "chicken nuggets"