New Member Raising Quail

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MJSpangler

MJSpangler

Hatching
Apr 23, 2015
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Hello everyone,

just wanted to introduce myself. I've been around chickens my whole life and decided to start raising quail. I Picked up some bobwhite quail to use for training my english pointer, then I figured I might as well just raise some for meat and eggs while I'm at it.
I picked up 4 hens and 2 roosters from a local breeder.
They're in a large rabbit cage right now, but i started to build a pen yesterday
it's 4' long 3' tall and 3' wide. I'm going to add a box roughly 3'X2'X18" off of the side to give them some shelter. The main box is covered in 1/2" hardware cloth.
How many bobwhite do you think I could comfortably fit in there?
I'm planning on picking up a little giant incubator and egg turner (with quail rails) The local tractor supply doesn't carry the quail rails so I think while I'm waiting for them I'm going to try to incubate some of the chicken eggs at my parents family farm. They have buff orpingtons and RI reds. Growing up, we never incubated eggs but we had the occasional hen get broody and hatch her own. normally we buy new chicks every spring. Maybe this will save us from having to.
i've been reading up on some threads on the forum pertaining to raising, incubating and caring for young quail.
i'm really looking forward to this new venture.
happy to be here and looking forward to making some new friends.
thanks!

Mike in MA
 
PS
I brought home the quail on wednesday and i got 2 eggs yesterday.
without an incubator yet. I had 2 eggs for dinner. tasty
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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Bobwhites need 4 square feet per bird in any cage, pen or aviary. They are very hyper and can be aggressive. And they get more aggressive as they age. They are paired off only. Adult Bobwhites mate for life and any lone female with this pair can be killed. If they are still young, under one year, you can keep them all together until they are of breeding age.

You might also want to stop by our Quail section to talk to other quail keepers too...https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/48/quail

Good luck with all your hatches too! I keep Bobwhites and used to do a ton of hatching. Nothing cuter than a baby Bob!!

Welcome to our flock!
 
thanks for the responses and kind words.

I hear my pen might be too tall?
one friend recommended the elevated shelter for them to fly up and down from to get their food. He said it will keep them strong and flying and better suited for training.
Another friend told me that given that height they will try to fly and smash their heads apart and be a bloody mess. Any input? thanks again!
should I have this thread moved to the quail sub forum?
 
Welcome to the flock. I have never been around quail but, remember reading that when they get upset, they fly straight up and bang into pen covers. Some get killed that way.

Hopeful the quail people can give you the facts
 
MJSpangler said:
thanks for the responses and kind words.

I hear my pen might be too tall?
one friend recommended the elevated shelter for them to fly up and down from to get their food. He said it will keep them strong and flying and better suited for training.
Another friend told me that given that height they will try to fly and smash their heads apart and be a bloody mess. Any input? thanks again!
should I have this thread moved to the quail sub forum?
Click to expand...
Depends on how you keep them. If you keep them in an aviary, you should use a 6+ foot tall ceiling. You can even put in a false ceiling with a net as well. Bobs do flush up easily when frightened. If you keep them in small cages, no higher than 12 inches is recommended. If you use something like a rabbit hutch with a 24 inch height, and I use these as coops on my aviaries, put in some fake or reach branches for cover. Make a jungle out of the place. Quail would rather run for cover than flush up. I have never had problems in small hutches using foliage in the hutch for their peace of mind. Quail are ground dwellers in the wild and love to hang out under brush. And with Bobs, it is important to keep them calm. So give them the most natural environment possible.

I wouldn't keep food and water up high. Some of them may get dehydrated for various reasons. Hens that are not hydrated will become egg bound. So keep the food and water on the ground or where ever they do the most hanging out. Like chickens, they are not going to go too far to eat or drink, even if they are hungry or thirsty.

An aviary is the best thing for developing strong flight muscles. The birds will do laps on their own if they have the room. My birds are incredibly strong fliers. They fly around the aviary all the time on their own.
 

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