New in quail hobby

[Fifithechick]

Hey guys, I have just bought few quails (3 females and 1 male). I absolutely don't know anything about quails. I want them to be happy, so I want to make them some cage to look as natural as possible, I can keep them outside when weather is warm, and when it's cold (winter moths) I can keep them in house. Suggest me some ideas if you know how to make natural environment and which food I should buy/make, because I think that food, which is available in local stores, isn't good for them.

How big cage should be?

What is right temperature for them?

Will they be broody when they lay enough eggs?

Are they good mothers?

P.S. They are about 50 days old and breeder told me they already lay eggs.

 

[Green Bean Quail]

Hey guys, I have just bought few quails (3 females and 1 male). I absolutely don't know anything about quails. I want them to be happy, so I want to make them some cage to look as natural as possible, I can keep them outside when weather is warm, and when it's cold (winter moths) I can keep them in house. Suggest me some ideas if you know how to make natural environment and which food I should buy/make, because I think that food, which is available in local stores, isn't good for them.

How big cage should be?

What is right temperature for them?

Will they be broody when they lay enough eggs?

Are they good mothers?

P.S. They are about 50 days old and breeder told me they already lay eggs.

Hey! Welcome to quail raising! Are they bobwhite, cortunix or button?
Minimum cage is 1 sq foot per bird, but you’d be better off doubling or even tripling if you can. I did that and it helps lower aggression and provide plenty of room for hiding and enrichment items.
temp depends on the kind of quail. Let me know and then I’ll get back to you.
Getting cortunix to be broody is really rare, but button pairs will do it more often.
Mothering varies from bird to bird. Again, I need to know what type you have. Anything outside of cortunix I can’t help you with much, but I can see what I can do!

 

[Green Bean Quail]

Hey! Welcome to quail raising! Are they bobwhite, cortunix or button?
Minimum cage is 1 sq foot per bird, but you’d be better off doubling or even tripling if you can. I did that and it helps lower aggression and provide plenty of room for hiding and enrichment items.
temp depends on the kind of quail. Let me know and then I’ll get back to you.
Getting cortunix to be broody is really rare, but button pairs will do it more often.
Mothering varies from bird to bird. Again, I need to know what type you have. Anything outside of cortunix I can’t help you with much, but I can see what I can do!

In any case, for the cages, add plenty of dirt bathing areas, and areas to hide/sleep by. I have a fairly simplistic approach of peat moss that I clump in a corner for bathing, cardboard boxes tunnels that have shavings in them that they scurry into, and fake plants. I also sprinkle birdseed around for treats to encourage scratching.

 

[Fifithechick]

I found some pictures online, because I don't know names

This is the one that I have

And this is the species that I would like to have, but I could never find them here in my country

This one is so BEAUTIFUL but I can't find them here and if I would, they would be soooo expensive

 

[Green Bean Quail]

I found some pictures online, because I don't know names

This is the one that I have
View attachment 2058773

And this is the species that I would like to have, but I could never find them here in my country
View attachment 2058776
This one is so BEAUTIFUL but I can't find them here and if I would, they would be soooo expensive

Oh perfect! You have cortunix! The other ones are California quail, they are very pretty! Lemme get everything typed up for you then and I’ll shoot you the info!

 

[Fifithechick]

Can please take few pictures of your coop and quails too?

 

[Green Bean Quail]

Because you only have 3 females and one male, there is a risk of the male overbreeding they females, so I would highly recommend doubling the cage space. For instance, I have 5 females and one male, in a 16 sq foot cage. I can send you pics of my cage in a minute
FEED- quail need 24-28 percent protein feed. I use prince Gamebird pellet feed, but I also supplement with VERY crushed eggshell and chick grit so the females get extra calcium. Manna pro Gamebird feed is amazing, but expensive. In comparison, my prince feed was 13 dollars for a 50 lb bag, while manna is 11 dollars for a 5 pound. I also give mine cabbage, carrots, berries, occasionally boiled egg whites, and very rarely birdseed sprinkled in the dirt
CAGE- I do not have a wire cage. Mine has a solid floor so I use peat moss to make sure fecal matter doesn’t cake up. I also have piles of hay mixed with shredded paper for burrowing that they adore. I washed my fake plants overnight and then placed them in the cage, I also have two cardboard tunnels and boxes that they climb on.
BROODIE/MOTHERHOOD
cortunix in general aren’t very good mothers. They lay the eggs & leave em. If you want chicks, you’ll probably need an incubator. Tasty, though. I have ONE hen, cashew, that will brood for about two days then she gets bored. Cortunix will bury their eggs, so without a wire cage you might miss some in the litter but I scoop around when cleaning and usually get a few.
NATURAL ADDITIONS-
I have a very small brick for my scissor beak quail as she files her beak against it. I don’t add any outside dirt or grasses because of possible bacteria, only ones I buy and wash.
I clean my cage fully about once every week, but I spot clean daily as needed. They WILL smell of you have them inside. Cortunix can survive outside in 30-90(?)degrees F if you provide proper insulation, cooling, etc but I keep mine inside because I don’t want to risk it.

 

[Green Bean Quail]

the first image I took all of the plants out so you can see the size. I have an additional “dark box” built into the left side of the photo which is where I pile all of the bathing items. They also tipped over their calcium tray, which is that long white box they’re all crowded around

 

[Fifithechick]

THEY ARE SOOOOOO ADORABLEEEEE

Cage I want to make them is 20 square feet, I think that is enough, they will be on ground and on grass, I will try to make some hiding spots of wood and rocks, it's currently 6 degrees C, but usually it's about 15-20 degrees C, should I put some fake high grass, so they will maybe lay eggs there, and luckily hatch them, or should I put some hay?

 

[Green Bean Quail]

THEY ARE SOOOOOO ADORABLEEEEE

Cage I want to make them is 20 square feet, I think that is enough, they will be on ground and on grass, I will try to make some hiding spots of wood and rocks, it's currently 6 degrees C, but usually it's about 15-20 degrees C, should I put some fake high grass, so they will maybe lay eggs there, and luckily hatch them, or should I put some hay?

15-20 should be good, but make sure you’ve appropriately predator proofed the hutch! Fencing, making sure they can’t dig into the cage, etc. I like the fake high grass idea. They’re sure to love that. Hay is good too but I have heard of it cutting the eyes of the quail if they roll in it? I haven’t had that problem yet though.