Quail questions! Please help!

[KareyABohr]

Ok, here is my situation.
My DH stumbled upon about 32 quail eggs and is excited to get them into the incubator. In our relationship, he hatches, I brood.

My question is once they hatch, what in the heck do I do with them?! Do I feed them chick starter? I know when they get older there is a game bird feed to feed them.

How long do they take to reach sexual maturity, how do I sex them, any yummy recipies anyone would like to share?

They go into the brooder tonight so I have about 20 days to figure this all out.

THANKS!

 

[Teach97]

What kind of quail? It matters...some take more some take less days...also...there is a starter ratio available for chicks...Purina makes one called Game bird Startena...it is a 30% protein.

Will work on the recipies later

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
wow I wish my store sold Game Bird Startena!!!

yeppers need to know what species of quail you're speaking of, coturnix take 15-16 days to hatch, and mature in 6-8 weeks

bobwhites take like 23 days to hatch, and take several weeks to mature (much more than coturnix).

If you HAVE to and can't find game bird feed you can feed chick feed,, however try to find nonmedicated and you'll need to suppliment protien sources if the protien isnt high enough. The game bird feed i feed is specialized for many types of birds, but the protien is low so i suppliment with bugs (meallies and such), boiled eggs, and even kitten food (ground up).

 

[KareyABohr]

Bobwhite Quail he says....

 

[KareyABohr]

Can I brood them in a cattle waterer like I do my chicks?
So they are mature in 3 or 4 weeks?
How many of them do you need per person to eat for a meal? What is the cock to hen ratio for breeding, Do you even call them cocks and hens and how can I tell the difference?!

Thanks so much for all the good info!

 

[CoyoteMagic]

You can brood your bobwhite in there, you are just going to need to have a cover on it because these little boogers can fly!!!

Have a small mesh net handy at all times with these guys!!!

 

[First To Hatch]

Can I brood them in a cattle waterer like I do my chicks? Probably

So they are mature in 3 or 4 weeks? I believe bobwhites are mature at like 20-22 weeks


How many of them do you need per person to eat for a meal? Depends how much you eat, and if their are side dishes aswell


What is the cock to hen ratio for breeding, Do you even call them cocks and hens and how can I tell the difference?! I guess you can call them cocks and hens I just call them females and males lol, but 1 male to 2 females is a good ratio, if they are normal bobwhites then you can sex them by apperance the male has white on his face and the female doesn't

heres a good example i got from google

http://images.ebsco.com/wingscapesgallery/3196.jpg the male is on the right and the female is on the left

also you can read this http://thatquailplace.com/quail/bobwhite.htm

you can find alot of information on them just by going on google

 

[KareyABohr]

Thanks!
Wow 5 to 6 months is a long time for such a small bird!
This will be really interesting!

Now that I have a good grasp on what they need for care, that is! I always think...Would I want ME for an owner?

 

[Teach97]

Not only does it take six months...they are much more particular about light when they lay. Without alot of effert you aren't going to get them to lay through the winter...most folks with them don't do it unless they go fairly large scale...

You mean everyone doesn't use cattle troughs? I thought everyone turned them into brooders once they got holes!

 

[KareyABohr]

Teach 97 that is exactly what we do with them! I also have a few that don't have holes that I use as "ponds" for my ducks.