Quail Journal

[irishmick22]

DLS if you look at JJMR's sig he explains it, but at least in the US the caps is on the left...

Eastin: I just got some coturnix eggs from a member here and I'm hooked already ;o) lol and they haven't even hatched.
I got mine for meat and eggs though. So if you want a pet, get a button. If you want food, get coturnix.

 

[Quail's Hollar Farm]

I wouldn't say that countix quail don't make good pets, however for prodution the countix are better. My chinese courtix are actually friendlier than the buttons. Also if your looking for countix check ethnic fruit markets in you area, sometimes they sell live quail for eating. It's how I got mine! If you can find them that way it would be better, so you don't have to spend so much on shipping.

 

[EastinChickens]

Quail's hollar Farm :

I wouldn't say that countix quail don't make good pets, however for prodution the countix are better. My chinese courtix are actually friendlier than the buttons. Also if your looking for countix check ethnic fruit markets in you area, sometimes they sell live quail for eating. It's how I got mine! If you can find them that way it would be better, so you don't have to spend so much on shipping.

Wow, good idea! I will have to do some looking around after I get my pen finished!​

 

[DanielMc101]

This is the second time I have raised quail ten year span between... we just finished our outdoor quail pen plan on adding additional cages as needed but also wanted a little space for rabbits. May have to adjust shelves closer together and add additional front and side height for winter.

Know this is a older post but love to hear from any of the original contributors as to how things have been going. Oh think we are in for just over 400$ for cages and shed

 

[Fishkeeper]

I'd really suggest trying to raise your quail on dirt if you can. They're a lot happier in a more natural environment with places to hide and lots of dirt to scratch in. At the very least, they need a sandbox and some amount of cover- they won't die without it, but they won't be happy either. One bonus for you is that happy quail which feel safe will start to use specific laying spots, so the eggs wind up concentrated in a few places instead of just everywhere.

 

[le_bwah]

I'd really suggest trying to raise your quail on dirt if you can. They're a lot happier in a more natural environment with places to hide and lots of dirt to scratch in. At the very least, they need a sandbox and some amount of cover- they won't die without it, but they won't be happy either. One bonus for you is that happy quail which feel safe will start to use specific laying spots, so the eggs wind up concentrated in a few places instead of just everywhere.

@DanielMc101 look into quail tractors/movable runs. Ground pens can be just as clean, cheap, and easy to maintain as battery cages, with the advantages of being kinder to the quail and more enjoyable to look at. $400 might get you anywhere from 30-100 square feet, depending on access to materials and willingness to use pallet wood (based on calculations from my own projects).

 

[DanielMc101]

Thank you for your thoughts. @Fishkeeper my cages have a slope to the floor with a lip to catch the eggs outside of the cages so no poop stains on the eggs. Birds are dirty animals although I want my birds to be happy I also want them to be healthy and clean. Removing them from contact with 95% of their poop is why I use cages and being able to torch the cages if their is a illness.
I have raised quail, turkey, several kinds of ducks, chickens (300 at a time), geese, guinea fowl, and finch. There are many ways to raise birds but the one thing I think holds true across all is they will poop anywhere, then walk in it, lay in it, peck in it... with the exception of ducks and geese wire is where it’s at for my two cents.
@le_bwah tractors would be my first choices if I would/could move them daily but I know myself well enough to know that wouldn’t happen so the grass would suffer and cleanliness would be lost. I tried duck tractor twenty years ago it worked well in the beginning... not knocking tractors just different strokes for different folks got to know yourself

 

[Fishkeeper]

If you use deep litter, it all gets broken down like in the forest floor, and the birds stay healthy. You can look around on this forum, lots of people have happy, perfectly healthy quail on the ground.

 

[Little Jerry Seinfeld]

If you use deep litter, it all gets broken down like in the forest floor, and the birds stay healthy. You can look around on this forum, lots of people have happy, perfectly healthy quail on the ground.

With a little adjustments you can have both raised cages and deep litter. Im doing that .
Right now i have a trio in an outside pen it is a prefab rabbit hutch from tsc, two stories tall, with a ramp, but working on making the ground deep litter, its just starting with an inch of sand and some straw. The top layer is wood slats for the floor and a sandbox. They are slowly figuring out the ramp... they definitely prefer the ground even though it is all 4 wire sides and so rather exposed, the top they feel more secure in, with only aquarter of it being wired, but like to play on the ground...

and my other trio is in a super large grey tote i replaced part of the widest side with hardwire cloth, and inside is up to 5 inches deep litter. Every 3 to 5 months i toss it out and start again with one inch of sand with 1 cup of sand added twice a week or more. This works pretty good in the tub but the quail have decided the best thing to torment me with is to knock their water over, flood the land and make me clean out and start over! So the wire is easier for me and less stinky, but they do seem alot happier with a full ground of sand... someday i would like a larger ground pen deep litter so they can have the best of all worlds! My quail friend keeps his on just wire with just small dishes of sand.


Daniel, you say tractors would be your first choice if you could do it, well my first choice if i could do it, would be to predator proof wire several acres of land all around my house here on our farm and let my quail live in a giant natural aviary!! maybe the front yard for my chickens and the back yard for my quail ah my dream farm! But meanwhile im stuck with tons of hutches and a few coops, because we have so very many predators my chickens can't roam free. Our peacocks and turkeys that roam free get thinned out pretty often im afraid! (Sorry for the tangents)