quails???

[AHappychick]

Can someone tell me more about these? are they like chickens? other than the button ones what are the most popular one? do they take a lot of work? What do people do with them??? Are the eggs and meat eaten (I know some are) , if so which is the best breed for that.

I really have my hands full but I am curious, I have been reading treads about them and seeing them hatch and they are quiet cute. What do they require, is it pretty much like a chicken? Can they withstand the winters or do they need heat? do the males crow?

 

[KellyHM]

First of all, plural for quail is quail...no s on the end.

A lot of people use the bigger breeds, like Coturnix and Bobwhite for both meat and eggs. They require pretty much the same things as chickens. The males crow, but it's not as loud as a chicken, although it does kind of sound like a dinosaur. The Coturnix are pretty tame and are kind of like "mini chickens." I don't really know how cold hardy they are...mine live outside, but it doesn't get below freezin that much and never below the upper teens.

 

[AHappychick]

opps Quail, I guess I am like my ds who says fishes instead of fish.

 

[KellyHM]

Quote:
LOL, we all do it sometimes.

 

[mario49]

i also have a questionwat do they eat? i heard game bird feeed and it looks a little big for them so ......>?????

 

[KellyHM]

When they're babies you have to crush it up (I put mine in the blender), but when they're older they can eat it fine.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

I feed my Bobwhite Purina Flock Raiser just like I do Chickens. We run it through a coffee mill to make it a bit finer for them.

I love the wonderful cooing sounds they make in the morning and when they are coveying up for the night. My young males can get a bit nosiy, in the early evening. That seems to be when they are calling to the females. But it is such a beautiful sound, Bob-WHITE! Bob=WHITE!

 

[Mrs MIA]

IMHO, the coturnix are the most friendly of the breeds. More like a mini-chicken.

I've never given my quail regular chicken food... I've always heard that gamebird feed or turkey feed was the best... whatever had the highest protein. They lay such big eggs that they need 24-28% protein when they're growing. I try to keep it at at least 20%, and grind up egg shells for calcium.

They do really well in smaller spaces when you have pairs or trios, but for more than that they really like their space. Monarc23 has a wonderful thread on Coturnix quail, so just do a topic search for coturnix and I think you'll come up with a lot of information to help you make your choice.