Inbreeding and Breeding Small flock

[RomanQuailChickenGirl]

HI,
I WANT TO GET 2 quail and breed them just for a small flock. Do you think that's dangerous because of inbreeding and getting too many males?


Thanks,
RomanQuailChickenGirl

 

[sdm111]

No

Do line breeding instead of inbreeding
Research it

 

[RomanQuailChickenGirl]

THanks!!! But what if I only want to do a couple breedings? Is that dangerous? ALso what about getting too many males in a hatch?

 

[Nabiki]

Do NOT get one male and one female. The ideal ratio is one male to five females. One female will be over bred, which will result in injury and quite possibly death.

Once you have your covey of five or six, you can get away with inbreeding for a few years, but will then need to add some new blood. While it is remotely possible that one of your hens will go broody, it is unlikely, so you will also want to invest in an incubator if you want to hatch your own.

You may want to read some of the articles here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/quail.32/

 

[JacinLarkwell]

so what about getting too many males in a hatch?

Eat them

 

[RomanQuailChickenGirl]

Ummmm..okay? Thanks for the info! I'll probably get 2 females and one male! I just want a small flock. Do you guys recommend nesting boxes or not for the quail? Also, How many quail per square foot?

 

[TeresaW]

I need to start thinking about this with my button quail. I have 8 chicks now. They are different ages, I should be able to sex the three largest ones in a few weeks. They are three weeks and a half weeks old now. What age can I sex them?

 

[TeresaW]

Ummmm..okay? Thanks for the info! I'll probably get 2 females and one male! I just want a small flock. Do you guys recommend nesting boxes or not for the quail? Also, How many quail per square foot?

What type of quail? Coturnix don't use nesting boxes. Bobwhites do.

Statistically 1 sq ft. per bird. Ideally more like 2 sq ft. per bird. Even more than that is better.

 

[RomanQuailChickenGirl]

If you want to vent sex them, they have to be at least 6-8 weeks old. Color sex, I don't know.

 

[RomanQuailChickenGirl]

What type of quail? Coturnix don't use nesting boxes. Bobwhites do.

Statistically 1 sq ft. per bird. Ideally more like 2 sq ft. per bird. Even more than that is better.

Coturnix quail. Okay, I like 2 sq ft. per bird. Extra room, no aditude!