Italian Speckled Quail...help please

[UrbanMama]

I was all psyched up to raise quail...ordered eggs from here and ebay to incubate...started doing the research etc. When I realized you needed a game permit to raise them, I decided to pass on the quail and gave the eggs to a friend to raise. The Ebay eggs showed up weeks later (I had actually forgotten them) My daughter had just built her own bator and begged me to let her try to hatch them.

Now out of 20 eggs, all but 9 were smashed, her temps fluctuate quite a bit, but she's really trying. I honestly don't have much hope that they'll hatch because of all of the bad variables, but just in case they do...what do we need to know about these guys? I can't find an exact incubation period on these and am unsure when she should stop turning and bump up the humidty (she's been using the dry incubation method, with the bator in the bathroom for natural humidity)

Again, I'd be super suprised if these do hatch, but would like to be prepared just in case they do!

We may be raising quail after all....

 

[monarc23]

Hey there!
Well 1. their incubation period is 16-17 days, stop turning on day 13-14. Turn everyday (atleast 3 times a day) just like you would chicken eggs...and raise the humidity after you stop turning the eggs just like you would for chicken eggs.


2. "Italian Speckled Quail" is nothing but a fancy name for the Golden AKA Manchurian Coturnix Quail. Simply put "italian speckled quail" is just a color name. LIke calling a purebred dog by it's color instead of it's breed.

They are known as just coturnix quail just as a doberman is known as a doberman not a black and tan doggie.

*using it as an example

* Thier scientific name is "coturnix coturnix".

So that may be why you're not finding much info just type in the search engine something like "Coturnix quail care" etc.

These guys are really fun to raise, raise them up just like you would a chicken chick...heat lamps etc. HOwever they need a nonmedicated game bird chick feed. Instaed of normal chicken chick feed.

They mature at 6 weeks old, and can start laying anytime from 6-8 weeks if kept indoors under artificial light. If not, they will lay in the spring until the end of september normally. these quail can be kept indoors or outdoors...however thier poo has a very high ammonia smell to it so mostk eep them outdoors or in an aviary type set up.

I keep my 20 some coturnix quail in a large rabbit hutch outdoors (they were winterized so they are used to the changing temps----your chicks when they hatch, you should probably keep them indoors until spring as they may not adjust to the temps even by the time they are fully feathered as it will be pretty cold out by then).

ALso if you have cats, grinding them up some kitty kibble in to their food atleast once a week will do wonders for them and they just plain love it.

Good protien source for them. you can also suppliment them with bird seed, however only use this as a treat as it's not nutritionally complete for them....if you feed them seed as a treat also supply them with grit so they can digest it properly.

They are a very friendly quail and can make wonderful pets.

I Love mine and wouldnt give htem up for anything. THey make better pets than button quails IMO.

It is a shame that they are illegal in yoru state without permits...total bummer as they are oneof the most domesticated of quails...adn are not native to the US (they are native to Egypt, Asia and Europe and they are migratory birds...so i advise keeping thir wings clipped or you could loose some to them just flying off when they get scared).

hope this helps!
NIki

 

[shelleyd2008]

Are you sure the law says you need a permit for this breed of quail? Here in KY, you only need one for native species, or if you plan on selling them in large quantities. Or if you plan on releasing them.

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
shelley, i thought the same thing when i read this message, however i went and searched online and sure enough she's not even allowed to have button quail withouta permit states it right in the laws. Such a shame though right!?!?!?! Button quails and coturnix quails illegal withouta permit...it's ludacris! However hopefully the license isn't expensive or hard to get and she can get it and feel safe about raising her quail. I might have other species of quails but PA doesn't allow the others without a permit, so for now i'm happy with my buttons and coturnix, and i'd be so upset if PA didnt allow them.

 

[shelleyd2008]

That is just crazy!! Here the permit is like $75. I will have to get one next year when I do get bobwhites and chukars, but I'm fine for right now, at least so I've heard. It's not like I have tons of them!!

 

[UrbanMama]

Thank you so much for all of the info!

Yup, we are supposed to have a game permit to raise them...and it would be almost impossible to get as we aren't even supposed to have chickens here (zoning is supposed to be changing and I was told by the inspector that "What he doesn't know....") In other words if no one complains, he doesn't have a problem with it. I asked all my neighbors and they were all okay with it (don't know how they'd feel about roo's, but we'll cross that bridge if we ever come to it. for now all we plan on keeping are hens)

We're going to have the buttons in the house, so I'm really not worried about getting into trouble for those. If the coturnix hatch, we'll build a rabbit style hutch to put them in. If these ones don't hatch...I'm really tempted to still get more. It all depends on how far I want to push the limit and where I could put them that they'd be incognito!

 

[lowcountrypoultry]

We only have to have a permit to raise Bobwhite quail, but I didnt know this until after I had had them for about a year and already sold them lol...

its only $5 in SC ....

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
I gotta find out how much it is here in PA...i'd like to raise some BWs.

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
welcome welcome.

I'm getting more coturnix on saturday I cannot wait!

Well I deffinatly can't wait for march (when they should start laying)! EEK!

I agree though what they don't know...

Id' do that too but the GC is out this way a lot on bear issues....so i'd rather just keep what im legally allowed to have hehe....im going to look into a permit though so I can fiddle with the permitty ones.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Oh maybe then we could start a bobwhite trade as well?? I plan on getting bobwhites and chukars next spring. There are just too many bird dog hunters here to pass up that gold mine!!