My Quail Died

[danceswithronin]

I think the two most important pieces of advice are to switch to the game bird feed (very important) and reduce handling, quail are almost like a wild bird in behavior and wild animals stress very badly being handled by humans.

It's not unheard of for quail to die of shock just from being handled, or to fly up and break their own necks on the roof of a hutch or aviary trying to avoid being hand-captured.

 

[Dusk]

Okay, I didn't really pay attention to what she was eating because she ate it so I thought the food was fine for her and I also thought that she was getting enough protein because it was for chickens and she was doing fine and it happened randomly. So I didn't think it was her food I thought it was just her dying of old age.

 

[le_bwah]

Okay, I didn't really pay attention to what she was eating because she ate it so I thought the food was fine for her and I also thought that she was getting enough protein because it was for chickens and she was doing fine and it happened randomly. So I didn't think it was her food I thought it was just her dying of old age.

As far as I know, Coturnix can easily live to be 4+ years old with proper care—oldest I've heard of was 9!

 

[Dusk]

When I researched it said that normally Coturnix live up to 2 years old

 

[le_bwah]

When I researched it said that normally Coturnix live up to 2 years old

That's a bit of misinformation, I believe.

People who keep them for meat tend to kill them before they reach a year old. Many people who keep them for eggs kill them whenever their laying slows down (at around 2 years old). These people don't really get to witness the full lifespan of Japanese quail.

The stress of captivity can contribute to early deaths. Coturnix seem to reach their lifespan potential best in ground pens and aviaries, and live longer when they are not forced to lay during the Fall and Winter.

They can live longer than the oft repeated "2 years."