Quail Class

[the3quail]

Hello! , this is just a fun little thread, haha.
I made this thread for people who are new to quail, or people who just want to talk about quail.
*also feel free to ask quail questions. Even chicken questions, but mainly quail.

 

[Xouie]

If I had “wisdom” for new coturnix quail owners, it would be:

1. they tend to have a particular aroma. If you’ve done everything to clean and they still have a little funk, that’s just their natural BO (birdy-odor).
2. They take a LOT of effort to hand-tame. They are a low tier prey animal, so being held freaks them out. But with time they can learn to eat out of your hand and even stand on it and get gentle neck scratches.
3. They are ground birds. They may enjoy a multi-tiered habitat but don’t bother with chicken styled roosts.
4. They are excellent producers for meat and eggs. Their egg-to-egg and egg-to-table time is as little as 2 months.
5. They are incredibly fun little birds. Enjoy!
   

 

[Nabiki]

Here's the care sheet I give new quail owners when I sell them birds.

Coturnix basic care sheet​

For new chicks less than 2 weeks old:

Housing:

Chicks will need to be kept in a brooder until about 3 weeks of age. There should be a warm side and a cool side. Keep the temperature between 85-95 degrees in the warm side. The younger the chicks, the higher the temperature they need. If they huddle together, they are cold and the temperature needs to be raised. If they are laying stretched out or panting, they are hot and the temperature needs to be lowered.

Food:

Chicks need a feed with around 28% protein. The amount of protein can be lowered once they are over 8 weeks old. The feed needs to be fine enough for them to eat. They should always have fresh water.

For adult birds:

Housing:

Coturnix quail are quite hardy and can handle freezing temperatures as long as they are dry and have shelter (boxes or some type of small container works). The minimum amount of space is one square foot per bird, but more is better. Remember to subtract the space taken up by food and water from their living space. They are ground birds and are happiest on the ground. If you give them a wire bottom hutch, make sure they have boxes of dirt for baths and to rest their feet.

Food:

Quail thrive on high protein food of around 28%, but can go as low as 20% once they are fully grown. Adult hens will need calcium either offered on the side or part of their feed. If it is offered on the side, it must be ground small enough for them to eat easily. If it is part of their feed, it should be about 3.5% calcium.

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

https://merriquail.com

https://facebook.com/QuailinPetaluma

 

[Fishychix]

@Nabiki, @Kiki look a quail thread!
Here are some of mine.

 

[shrimpsilkies]

For any prospective quail owner, something that surprised me about them when I first started keeping them is how bloody violent Coturnix get! Cull quickly and decisively, it’ll be easier than you think. Otherwise they’re really rather simple birds to keep, especially if you get them hand tame as chicks you might end up with some super friendly cute gems. Bugs do help speed up socializing them, there are few Coturnix that will pass up a mealworm or a cricket even if it means they have to eat it out of your big scary hands!

They don’t really bond with you like more familiar pet birds do, but you can’t beat them in terms of productivity and if you do luck out with a friendly Cot they are the perfect size to hold in a hand (and are very soft and fluffy)!

 

[Crestcrazy2]

Hello ! This is my new male ! His name is kufo !! (Cause he's a pharaoh! Lol )

Here's him with some other quail I have ! Horrible setup I know, that's my I'm building ...this ↓

As soon as it's done i'll move em in ! I'm going to insulate the roof so if they fly up they won't get hurt .

Here's it without all the junk on top!

 

[the3quail]

I thought yours looked a little big
They're so cute, just bigger. Can .i see a pic of an egg?

I haven't gotten eggs yet actually pretty soon though! heres a female of mine!

 

[Kiki]

Aww cute !!!

Did you know if you don't build the cage so tall there is less chance of them hitting their heads?

I mess with my quail a lot every day starting at hatch so they are not afraid of me messing with them...which means they never jump and boink their head.

 

[JadeFarms]

This is cricket, he sometimes free ranges in the house but he lives outside. His cange if about 8 feet tall so if they fly it’s fine, and he lives with day old chicks and watches them grow up. He is 9 months.

 

[Kale the Quail]

I hadn't realised how many people name their quails 'bean' until now.
Here's my Bean