Quail Tractors?

[PatS]

It seems like most of you all have nice rabbit-hutch looking quail pens. Is there a reason not to make a small chicken-tractor type house for them so they can poke around in the grass and visit a new place every day or so? Are they too delicate or skittish to be moved? I'm thinking ahead, we're just getting the chicken coop built, but I think I might be interested in getting coturnix down the road.

Also, it seems like a LOT of BYC people are from the West Coast, but the quail folk are from the south or back east. Do we have west coast folks who sell quail eggs, too?
Thank you,
Pat

 

[shelleyd2008]

I think the main reason people don't keep their coturnix in tractors is because of worms. Coturnix are 'table ready' at 12 weeks old, and laying eggs by 8 weeks in most cases. If you were to put them on the grass, not only would you have 2 wait 2 weeks after worming them to eat their eggs, but I think it's like a full month before eating them. Since there is such a quick turn-around with coturnix, it is really not worth it to raise them on the grass.

 

[kelseygirl707]

I got my eggs from an ebay seller in Oregon, I ordered 15+ barnyard mix and got 50 eggs including 16 Coturnix eggs, and I only paid $1.04 + shipping for them.

She doesn't have Coturnix available on ebay right now, but maybe you could ask her.

here is the link to her ebay page, she's an awesome seller.

http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/thema...SI&otn=4&ssPageName=MERC_VIC_RCRX_Pr4_PcN__SI

 

[kelseygirl707]

Oh, and

, I have spent a lot of time in Medocino county, I actually met my hubby there (In Ukiah). Oh and also got Lymes disease there, lol.

Glad to have another Nor Cal Chicken addict on here!

 

[saddina]

I'm in SoCal, there are a few of us on here, I think the differance is that here quail meat is as ususual as having Dim Sum would by in Ky.

 

[PatS]

Thank you for the quick replies!

Saddina, my dad hunted, so I had quail as a kid. But I rarely see it served in restaurants, and now that you mention it, none of my friends' dads hunted so they probably never had it. It's not something I see in the butcher's display case, either.

Hi Kelseygirl, and thanks for the welcome. We get out of our small little town once or twice a month and head to the big city. . . Ukiah!

Chico is a beautiful place. I love its atmosphere. Thanks for the ebay reference, I'll look into it.

shellyd, WORMS? From grass? Like trichinosis or something? And they get into the meat and eggs? But people here free-range their chickens and I don't think they worm them. (Or is this something I just don't know they do?) Where can I learn more about this? I thought it would be healthy for the little buggers, I didn't think it could make them -- or me -- sick!

 

[saddina]

I didn't know untill I was 30 that "chicken fried steak" was NOT a south way of saying "breaded fried chicken fillet".

But I'll happy knock back enrite platters of thai and vietamise food. I grew up in SF, and the best part of my birthday is it's always during Chineese new year, so i'd get parades and plates of moon cakes..... dang now I've the munchies, who has the squid?

And yes she means intestinal worms, like the sort you poop out. Birds get them from pecking at other birds droppings (and some equally unsavory ways).

 

[PatS]

I grew up in SJ, just a short drive south of you. I think the thing I miss most about living there was the wonderful variety of foods. Although Ukiah does have a couple of sushi places, now.

Wouldn't the worms be gone when you clean the birds before cooking them?

 

[saddina]

The golf course I lived across from was on Bernal Drive, and I married a boy from Morgan Hill.

When I was first married we lived on 5th street just short of Japantown, and there was quail eggs during the Sunday morning farmer's markets. I miss home, but not the housing prices.

 

[kelseygirl707]

Ohhh, man that is just sad when Ukiah is the big City, LOL. I am a born and raised Santa Rosan. I'm going Crazy in Chico, without a Macys, LOL.