Questions about Quail

[RUNuts]

Good Morning!

1) Does anyone know how much fertilizer the deep bedding method creates for a small flock of, say, 6 quail? Or even as many as 12?

I put a cubic foot of wood chips under and in the cages and should change it every 2 weeks. Compost piles grow quick. I let the chickens stir the stuff under the quail cage so it can last a little longer depending on rain.

2) How many years do quail hens lay eggs?

I just harvested my 1.5 year old hens that were still laying eggs. I was down to 4 hens and a male from the original group. The other 8 hens and males passed. Some for unknown and a couple trying to introduce new males. 2 years was what I was told with quail lifetimes expected not to exceed 3 years.

3) For those of you who breed your own quail: how do you manage genetic diversity in your flock? Do you buy new quail from different breeders every year?

To breed diversity, you need a bunch! This is my second year and I'm planning on getting a new batch later. Since I'm small scale, it just isn't making sense to maintain that many quail. The eggs and the meat back up. The excess eggs were the reason I down sized.

Best wishes in your new hobby and bon apptite!

 

[Any_name_not_taken]

Thank you for all of these answers!

 

[MageofMist]

Thank you for all of these answers!

Also, something I found fun with Quail... They can learn tricks surprisingly quickly, but have the attention span of a fish and are easily distracted. XP