newbie questions

[qtmomo112]

just adopted a male and female bobwhite and a male coturnix. never had quail before and only know the basics really. any advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks

 

[salim poultry]

i think do not let bobwhite and coturnix live in one cage, bobwhite more agresif and they could serious injury by bitting they friends.

 

[SeptemberQuail]

Hi,

Do you have a female coturnix as well?
The bobs and cots shouldn't really be kept together as bobwhite can be aggressive towards the lone male cot.

So for a little more basic advice;

- Feed them high protein food (at least 22% or above) with added calcium supplements for the hens, which can be provided by crushed up oyster shell, crushed up egg shell or shell grit.

- Quail don't roost or perch. They're ground dwellers and will happily sleep on the floor.

- Minimum space requirement for most quail would be 1 square foot per bird (30cm x 30cm).

- Quail should be kept away from chickens due to the risk of disease which is lethal for the quail.

- They lay eggs pretty much every season except winter. So if you want eggs in winter, you'll need to provide them an artificial light.

- Give them hidey places. Like boxes, plants or anything that they can bury into. It'll make them feel a little more secure.

- Put a container of soil or sand for them to dust bathe in, they love it!

- Quail are hardy creatures, and so can easily survive through winter as long as they're free from drafts and bad weather.

- They can't free range, so unless they trust you and you trust them, you shouldn't let them out of their enclosure or else they'll probably run away.

- They love treats! If you give them treats like mealworms, boiled egg or any other fruit or vegetable (just not avocado) they'll love you. Do it more often and you might earn their trust.

Good luck and welcome to the quail club. :]

 

[qtmomo112]

thank you so much for the info. i rescued them from and unfavorable home and they were all together. no female for the cot but im working on finding him a girlfriend.

 

[SeptemberQuail]

Oh. At least now they're in good hands now.
The quail were probably raised together then if they lived together before. They might be fine now, but if it's breeding season for bobwhite's right now, then... well.. You should separate the coturnix into his own little bachelor pad soon until he gets a mate.

Hehe.

 

[TwoCrows]

X2 on all that has been said above. You will probably be ok with keeping the pair of Bobs with the Coturnix until breeding season. Depending where you are, breeding season generally starts in March or April and runs thru Sept. The pair of Bobs is going to become very territorial and will hurt the Coturnix. So, you have a couple of months to make new arrangements for the Cot.

 

[qtmomo112]

thanks again you guys. ill be working on getting them settled as soon as the hubby comes home.