Quail vaccinations???

[TheChickInn]

Hi! My son would like to show quail next year through 4H. I have had chickens for years, but no nothing about quail. We just purchased some hatching eggs on ebay, and will be putting them in the incubator next week. After they come out of the brooder, I plan on keeping them in a 3'x 3'cage in our chicken coop. How many quail can I keep in this size cage? - I would like to keep 1 boy and 2-3 girls. Also, I currently vaccinate all of my chickens for Mareks, Newcastle/Bronchitis, and LT. Do I vaccinate the quail for these diseases also, or are there other diseases that I need to worry about? I have not been able to find much information about raising quail- any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

 

[TwoCrows]

Quail are not suseptable to Mareks or Newcastle disease and mainly Bobwhites are the ones that can get Quail Bronchitis, usually from wild birds entering their facilities. Rarely do quail need vaccinated and I don't know of anyone that does it.

All this being said, do not keep your quail in your chicken coop. One of the biggest disease that quail can and do get is Coryza, which is given to them by chickens. The chickens can show absolutely NO signs of this disease and unless you have your chickens tested, they may have it. Coryza kills quail.So keep your quail separated, at least 20 feet away. Never share waterers, feeders, cleaning utensils, wash your hands and change your shoes if you keep your quail in aviaries.

A 3x3 foot pen will hold about 7 birds comfortably. But less birds will give them more room and the more room the better they will be. If you are keeping Coturnix quail, it is better to keep 1 male and 4 females. The male can literally mate a couple of hens to death. Other types of quail such as Bobwhites, Gambels, California's, ect...are kept in pairs only.

Good luck with your quail adventures!

 

[TheChickInn]

Great information....thanks so much!

 

[WaterfowlWierdo]

X2 TwoCrows!

Also for 4-h I wouldn't suggest doing quail, but then again I show a goose up on the table :/
If you are committed to showing quail (being that one awesome person in the poultry barn!) I would suggest to use coturnix as they are much calmer. And after they hatch I would pick one (a strong healthy one) and seperate it so it bonds to you primarily, then hold it (dont play, just hold gently) and talk to it a lot but quietly. then once it is adult size, reintroduce him/her and every once and a while take it out of the pen and give it treats like mealworms and what not. I would clip its wings as well so it doesnt fly off the show table! Also practice fitting and showing it alot! It took time and effort to train my goose to quietly stand on a table in front of a crowd, it will stress them so be easy on them. When you stray away from the typical show birds (bantams and other small calm birds) People will focus on you the whole time and the judge will surely see you mistake! So if your kid pulls it off he will earn respect in the poultry barn for sure! I am thinking of trying a quail this year as well and I know its gonna be a process!