Quail...

[k625]

What exactly do quail do? I would not mind a few, and was wondering what exactly they do lol, and if they are good to go with bantam chickens? I think they are really neat looking, and I have the space.

 

[KyleD.]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=102281 Says it all lol!

 

[Debi214]

Quail don't do anything but give you really small eggs and if you call "bob-bob-white" (you have to do the whistle) they will usually call back. It was just really neat to have them and I kinda miss it. I do think they would work great with banty's.

 

[kenbanny]

quail are great i have 10 pharroh they give around 7 eggs aday and yes bantams are great with them i use a banny hen to hatch out my eggs

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quail are much better layers than chickens, if you take into account feed to egg ratio. A coturnix quail hen will lay 1 pound's worth of eggs for every 1 pound's worth of feed they eat. They mature much more quickly than chickens do, the coturnix can start laying as early as 5 weeks, sometimes earlier. They are also full size at 12 weeks old (for coturnix).

As for keeping chickens and quail together? I wouldn't recommend it. Quail are best kept off the ground, unless you don't plan on eating them. If you do, and they are on the ground, you would have to worm them, about every 3 months. Plus, the quail are somewhat smaller, depending on what type you get. It would just be asking for trouble, in my opinion. You can, as stated before, hatch quail eggs under a broody hen, but I would seperate the adults.

 

[k625]

Thanks everyone! They sound really neat to have! I was reading the first response, that was sent, but could not hear what the quil crowing sounded like. Are they loud?

Also, if they were to live on the ground, why would they have to be wormed every 3 months? My chickens are on the ground, and they dont get wormed? I just dont know much about this

 

[k625]

oh..forgot to add.. No I wont be eating them. I would try their eggs, but I just cant eat them myslef lol