Questions About Bobwhite Quail Care

[CountryBoy16]

I would like to try keeping some quail but first need to know how to properly care for them. As for as housing them goes I have a rabbit cage that measure about 4 foot long by 2 foot wide by 2 foot high and is elevated off the ground. Will this be adequate or should I keep them in a pen on the ground? How many birds could I keep in a cage of this size? What should I feed them? And I would also like to know if I could use my silkie hen to hatch quail eggs? Any additional info or tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[James the Bald]

I believe the rabbit hutch would be fine for Bobwhite, but there may be a concern about when your birds get startled.... they will launch straight up and bust their necks. I'm also not sure about how many you can house, somebody else will have to chime in about that.

Here is a thread that has a lot of good information about Bobwhite quail.

Also, it's pretty hard for me as a Crimson Tide fan to share info about Mississippi State with another Alabamian, but their poultry science department has some great info about quail.
Good luck.

 

[TwoCrows]

Bobwhites need a lot of space, about 4 square feet per bird. They are big, hyper and aggressive toward each other during breeding season. They are kept in pairs and mate for life with one bird. You can not keep more than one female with one male as the female of the mate can kill the lone female.

Rabbit hutches make a good pen for Bobs and you would be able to keep one pair in this amount of space. Too keep them calm, you might cut some tree branches from your back yard tree and prop them up in the corner to give them a hidey space and security. As James above has said, they do flush easily and can hit the ceiling. Giving them some natural cover will help prevent this from happening.

Some people have tried Silkies to hatch quail eggs, but many times the eggs get crushed under larger fowl. So it may or may not work.

Feed them gamebird food or something with 24% to 28% protein. They also love greens, quartered fruits, dried fruits, nuts, seeds and of course the meal worms.