Pet quail breeds

[Sparrowsong98]

I am considering getting some pet quail, nd wanted to research them, but quickly realized that I did not even know what to research. So, what breeds are best for keeping in a cage in my house. All I know of are buttons, but I have been told that they like to be mean to each other. That said, I am unsure about them, because I currently own to zebra finches who hate each other, and I am afraid I might end up with another problem like that.

 

[K3nzi3]

Quail don't really belong inside. They enjoy being out in the dirt. If you want friendlier breeds, gambel's quail, and bob whites (I believe) tend to be more docile.

 

[JaeG]

Coturnix/Japanese quail are your best pets. They are so docile and domesticated that they often enjoy physical interactions, unlike other wilder quail. They can also be kept in relatively small housing - 1/2-1 sq/ft per bird. You can't keep more than one male per cage (well, it's not recommended for the overall harmony of the group) and he'll need at least 3 females to keep him occupied. Or you can keep an all girls cage. They can be quite smelly due to the high protein food you need to feed them but I found keeping the bedding dry and fermenting their food helps a lot with the smell. They can be quite dusty, as all birds are, but no worse than keeping cockatiels. Plus you get yummy, nutritious eggs every day.

 

[Cityquails057]

I keep quails inside in a large rabbit cage at night and take them out in a covered play pen during the day, and breed while I suggest bobwhites, there very buetiful and hardy

 

[Littlefaceza]

Can one keep quails in a chicken coop with chickens or is it best to keep them separate?

 

[JaeG]

Can one keep quails in a chicken coop with chickens or is it best to keep them separate?

Chickens carry many diseases that quail are not immune to, being less domesticated than chickens. Coryza is the biggest concern so biosecurity measures are essential when keeping chickens and any game birds on your property.

 

[Littlefaceza]

Chickens carry many diseases that quail are not immune to, being less domesticated than chickens. Coryza is the biggest concern so biosecurity measures are essential when keeping chickens and any game birds on your property.

Thanks very much for the advice!

 

[jak2002003]

I have kept many species of quails over the years.

I can advise AGAINST the button quails AKA Chinese Painted Quail.
They are very cute and beautiful, but they can be very mean and aggressive with each other. They also are mostly very wild acting and not easy to tame at all.

Here is my story / experience with them:

I had them turn on each other one moment, where they had been fine for months together. They were in a huge garden planted natural aviary... with lots of grasses, logs, rocks and hiding places... and lots of space. They lived together with various finches, diamond doves and a canary.

There were no warning signs. Once one male started to fight / scalp the others I had to separate him. But then the others started to fight each other the next day so I had to separate them into pairs.

But after a few weeks of peace the males attacked the females and pulled out all the feathers on their backs and made them bleed. A few males scalped their mates too. So I had to keep the males separate.

That was a nightmare because then the males started to scream and crow... which sounds really spooky like a ghost... constantly day and night. It was so annoying... and my neighbours even came around and complained about the noise.

The females that were now in a group on their own started to peck each others eyes and faces and make them bleed...

so in the end they were all in separate cages (9 in total) and were being really noisy and no fun to take care of a lot of noisy injured quails.

They were healing up great, but them started to fight between the cage mesh dividers... again killing another one and scalping more.

I double wired the cages and I waited till they healed up (some had no skin on their heads but healed up great with treatment) and then sold the lot!!!

I will never keep them again for sure!

I really recommend the Japanese Quails.

They come in many different colours, from chocolate, wild colour, light, blond, and white.

They are really placid and naturally tame.

They are calm and quiet and lay lots of big eggs you can eat.

They are funny to watch... dust bathing, snuggling together, sunbathing stretched out, running about and practicing flapping their wings. They will come running to you for treats and can be petted easily (although they are not a bird that likes being held).

I have never had aggression problem with this species, even the males are friendly. At the moment I have 2 males and 8 females.