Quail 101

[007Sean]

Sorry to hear of the delima! Do you have a recall cage? If you have some chicken wire laying around you can make a simple trap to re-catch them...easy peasy!

 

[igorsMistress]

Sorry to hear of the delima! Do you have a recall cage? If you have some chicken wire laying around you can make a simple trap to re-catch them...easy peasy!

Can you tell us how to do that Sean? Please?

 

[007Sean]

You just take about a 3' x 4' piece of chicken wire, make a circle by bring the 2 ends together, cover one end with another piece of chicken wire. On the other open end, take a piece of chicken wire and make a funnel with the wire. Attach this piece to the open end. Done.
I'll see if I can find mine and take a pic of it.
ETA. Put some feed it the trap. The quail will go into it through the funnel but won't get out.

 

[HarleyQuailison]

Thr hubs bought some quail for training our hunting pup. I have them in a coop and they have gamebird feed. But they are adult females and not laying. I’m curious if their laying season is over or if they are like my ducks and quit laying when they are stressed? I’d like to incubate some eggs if possible but have only incubated ducks so far.

Well I just had a huge surprise happen with my pet Bobwhites, my momma girl just bgan laying eggs and I have at least two that I know of. I went from begging for help because she was so stressed and being picked on and chased by the non-mate male, to after he was gone and I held her and calmed her, a few days later, she's laying her first ever eggs. I think it depends on where you are and the climate they are in, stress levels, feeling safe is obviously important. I would try to make them calm as possible, make sure they are mating with males, make sure they are warm and have a place to hide to feel safe to lay, where you can get to of course. It is obviously possible for them to lay right now as mine just did Sunday. I do live in New Mexico however, and mine are indoors with heat sources and in a customised house with upper level roost. Give them a little time to adjust and try to make them feel safe and warm, and I bet they lay eggs for you

 

[HarleyQuailison]

View attachment 1541211 View attachment 1541212
They are flighty little things. This is the best picture I could get without scaring them into flying into the ceiling. What I think is the male is behind the red one. He has a lot more white on his head.

I think the one in the back on the right is a male, the rest look like females to me. But I'm not the expert either, I just know that my male doesn't have the full black and white head yet. Only way I knew he was male is when he began mating with my female. She just laid her first ever eggs!! I'm so excited!!!

 

[Kiki]

I think the one in the back on the right is a male, the rest look like females to me. But I'm not the expert either, I just know that my male doesn't have the full black and white head yet. Only way I knew he was male is when he began mating with my female. She just laid her first ever eggs!! I'm so excited!!!

Congrats!!

 

[HarleyQuailison]

View attachment 1541211 View attachment 1541212
They are flighty little things. This is the best picture I could get without scaring them into flying into the ceiling. What I think is the male is behind the red one. He has a lot more white on his head.

Another way to tell is the feathers on the chest by the wings. I notices when the adult feathers start coming in, the females get this beautiful ginger and white colors with patterns and the males, although they get the same, they get distinctive feathers under there that are white with a black zig zag like stripe...very different from the female, but they almost look exactly alike otherwise. Another way to check is to pick them up and pull the tail up and check for the glands that hold the Quail "Whipping Cream". They use it when they mate, and if you squeeze the gland a little, like popping a big pimple, it will secrete. That's a male. Females have a hole the eggs come out of.

 

[HarleyQuailison]

Congrats!!

THANK YOU!!! I'M EXCITED!!! FOUND EGG#3 THIS MORNING!!

 

[igorsMistress]

You just take about a 3' x 4' piece of chicken wire, make a circle by bring the 2 ends together, cover one end with another piece of chicken wire. On the other open end, take a piece of chicken wire and make a funnel with the wire. Attach this piece to the open end. Done.
I'll see if I can find mine and take a pic of it.
ETA. Put some feed it the trap. The quail will go into it through the funnel but won't get out.

Thanks Sean!

 

[007Sean]

Thanks Sean!

Thanks Sean!

Well the pics didn't turn out good so I did a quick free-hand sketch! 1st pic, then sketch.