Quail?

[matthewschickens]

What do people do with Quail?
Is it true they can not touch the ground?
Are their eggs good eating?
How do you kill them?
What is the market for them?
What are good breeds?
How much housing do I need per bird?

Thanks!

Matthew

 

[smallbluejellybean]

I keep quail because I love them. (I have King Quail/Button Quail 3 hens and 1 cock)
Mine run around on the ground most of the day.
Yes they are good to eat and have way more protien than chicken eggs. The japanese use them alot.
Well, I wouldn't want to myself, but I guess the same way as you kill a chicken.
Not sure. You would have to research in your local area. Here you can sell a pair to a pet shop for about $10.
If you are going to use them for meat and there eggs, probably the Japanese Quail would be the best - they are the largest.
I think its approx 1 square metre per pair or 2 to 3 hens to a cock.
If you are going to breed Japanese Quail you will need an incubator as the hens hardly ever brood or lay on the eggs, King Quail (the smallest quail) does.

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
MATTHEW--- PICK A SPECES AND TRY TO LEARN ABOUT JUST THAT SPECES--- THERE ARE A FEW DIFFERENT TYPES OF QUAIL AND THEY VARY GREATLY FROM SPECES TO SPECES IN EVERY ASPECT OF THEIR CARE

 

[smallbluejellybean]

My quail are good botttom of the aviary cleaners. That isn't the whole reason why I like them. They help make my aviary feel balanced. They are on the ground and the canaries are in the air. Also quails do also need their own food supply, not just left overs. I have them as I had to give away my chickens, as my new house has a smaller block. King quails or buttons have a nice song, very cute - like a wolf whistle sometimes. Jap quails sound like a frog or cricket and sometime screach. I had Japs before these and gave them away too as they started to attack the canaries and me.

 

[Overeasyplz]

lol, burst into flames...JJ kills me! I am a noob too, I had a pair of coutnix when I was a teen, I loved them. Never did anything with them, just pets...

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
Coturnix are a great starter breed. They are friendly, don't take too much space (min 1sf per bird) and do well in cold climates. Check out Monarc23's thread on Coturnix .

 

[canter6]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

Quote:
Coturnix are a great starter breed. They are friendly, don't take too much space (min 1sf per bird) and do well in cold climates. Check out Monarc23's thread on Coturnix .

I'm going to side with JJMR as far as picking a species and doing the research, but like you, I think coturnix are a great starter species in general. (To avoid a colorful PM)

I will add.

If someone really wants to raise bobwhites, then don't waste time on starter species. That can teach very bad habits that must be unlearned when switching to the real species one wants to raise.
No matter how "Complicated" a species is to raise, if that is what you want to raise, then do the research, secure all the hardware and go with it.

I started with bobs because that's what you are suppose to raise in GA.. We didn't work out so I switched coturnix, and we are doing quite well together.
Coturnix are my quail of choice at the moment, but your results will vary.​

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
Coturnix are a great starter breed. They are friendly, don't take too much space (min 1sf per bird) and do well in cold climates. Check out Monarc23's thread on Coturnix .

I'm going to side with JJMR as far as picking a species and doing the research, but like you, I think coturnix are a great starter species in general. (To avoid a colorful PM)

I will add.

If someone really wants to raise bobwhites, then don't waste time on starter species. That can teach very bad habits that must be unlearned when switching to the real species one wants to raise.
No matter how "Complicated" a species is to raise, if that is what you want to raise, then do the research, secure all the hardware and go with it.

I started with bobs because that's what you are suppose to raise in GA.. We didn't work out so I switched coturnix, and we are doing quite well together.
Coturnix are my quail of choice at the moment, but your results will vary.

You are so PC! LOL!
You're right. And it all depends on whether the OP wants them as fun pets or for meat/eggs, or bird-dog training, etc. Research up front is the key. I don't know how many times I've seen threads that start "Help! They're hatching... now what?"

I've got Bobs, A&Ms and a few Valley Quail (just cuz I like them, but they don't do so good at -20F... they stay indoors.) The Bobs can be a lot of work, and aren't as friendly as the Coturnix, but most people up here want them for training purposes. They don't want them to be friendly! LOL! But there's so much information on the web that anyone should be able to make a decision about what breed they want before they start.