Questions about quails (and other birds)

[Finchbreeder]

What we in Australia call King Quail - the small ones - do best with one male to 2 females in a large space.
While coturnix quail are bigger, and if you want eggs, these are what you want. The coturnix can be kept with 2 males to 6 females.
Small quail and finches and canaries should be kept in enclosures with 600mm deep metal into the ground to stop snakes and rodents digging in, this metal should also go up the sides of the enclosure 600mm to prevent these pests getting in. The wire you have is totally unsuitable for the smaller birds. But totally suitable for the larger ones if you put the metal as suggested above to keep their heads in. Weerios/Cockertiels are generally one of the most gentle of hookbills.
Only birds that live alone need mirrors to prevent isolation issues. Otherwise mirrors are a nuisance and sometimes a danger.
Hope these comments from my 30+ years of small bird keeping are of some use to you.

 

[FatherFalcon]

Yes, quail have been renowned for their potential anti-allergy effects. There is no right way, but there is a way that seems more effective through the research and personal trials..

Quail are fairly easy to raise. once you get it down.

As for the allergy thing, the body needs time to get used to things, and it should also be done in waves so as not to overwhelm the body.

2 weeks on 1 week off or 6 days on 1 day off
(prevents desensitization)

Slow start - build tolerance
week 1-2
1-2 raw eggs ( mixed into something like juice and honey for taste)

week 3-4
3-5 eggs raw (spread through the day or all at once)

Make sure the eggs are safe.

Pregnant and immunocompromised people should take caution.

raw eggs - preserve more ovomucoid proteins
boiled eggs - may reduce activity in the O'proteins

the proteins contain ?(trypsin)? - alllery supressant
and also the enzyme - Lysosyme - anti-inflammatory

As for the the other birds and housing

I'd keep the quail separated.
competition for food and water. pecking order.
(I have heard that wild birds and waterfowl spread avian flu?)
disease spreads from other birds to quail faster than most....

During their juvenile weeks, they get really jumpy due to hormones and seasonal behavior patterns.

proper ratios 4;1 , 5;1 or adequate hiding areas.

Hope this helps

 

[Ital]

@Papaye hello if you are still here and keeping quail, how did it go with the allergies? I’d heard of quail protein being hypoallergenic but not treating other allergies, interesting.

If rats are stealing eggs they are probably also stealing the bird feed, if you mix chilli powder with it the rats won’t eat it but the birds won’t mind, they can’t taste it.

Do you know what you’re allergic to? We have allergy and intolerance clinics in the uk that can find out with a finger prick blood test, the allergy test is called IGE and the intolerance test is IGG, they’re about £80 each here, probably best to have both because untreated intolerances can cause other allergies.
You might be intolerant of something you’re feeding the quail that’s getting on your hands or into the eggs.

Lastly for an antihistamine we have a lot of ribwort plantain growing here, it’s a powerful antihistamine, the leaves can be eaten as a salad, added to smoothies, or made tea with and the seeds make a kind of porridge substitute, for stings and bites you can just rub the leaves on your skin.

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

@Papaye hello if you are still here and keeping quail, how did it go with the allergies?

Sorry for replying so late : I have not logged in for a while now...!!

I still don't have quails : I was planning to buy them during Summer, but then, a rat has sadly killed a duckling in the run I was planning to use for quails...

Thus : before buying quails, I have to secure my run, AND catch as many rats as possible.
(They are TINY! And I have seen them go through cracks so small I don't even know how they do it...)

If rats are stealing eggs they are probably also stealing the bird feed, if you mix chilli powder with it the rats won’t eat it but the birds won’t mind, they can’t taste it.

Yep. And it is good for the birds!
(I have found that pepper is a natural dewormer.)

I actually do use it sometimes in the feeders, but after a while, it becomes relatively expensive... especially because I also use powder Cayenne pepper to repel badgers.

Do you know what you’re allergic to?

For some of my allergies, yes...

Honestly, I did not have half of the allergies I have now before they activated a cell phone tower not far away from my house, so...

We have allergy and intolerance clinics in the uk that can find out with a finger prick blood test, the allergy test is called IGE and the intolerance test is IGG, they’re about £80 each here, probably best to have both because untreated intolerances can cause other allergies.

Blood and skin tests are not accurate - there are a lot of mistakes.

My allergy blood tests and my allergy skin tests have never given the same results...
I have been stated allergic at some things I know I am not, and allegedly not allergic to some things that have actually given me severe allergy reactions.

I am not planning to see another allergist : last one I have seen was of no help to me; and since I have found that antihistamines cause me paralyzis - among other things -, I don't even have any reason to try getting help by a doctor anymore...

You might be intolerant of something you’re feeding the quail that’s getting on your hands or into the eggs.

I have read about people being allergic to wheat, and so, unable to eat their chickens' eggs IF they feed wheat to them!
I can't imagine how hard it is for them...!

In food specifically, what I am intolerant is, in fact, pesticides.
Pesticides burn me on contact, and even have destroyed my dental enamel (just by eating fruits, huh!)...
Because of that, eggs are one of the only things I can still eat. (But I can't eat the ones sold in stores.)

Lastly for an antihistamine we have a lot of ribwort plantain growing here, it’s a powerful antihistamine, the leaves can be eaten as a salad, added to smoothies, or made tea with and the seeds make a kind of porridge substitute, for stings and bites you can just rub the leaves on your skin.

Good to know.
Thank you, sincerely, for this information!!
(I try everything I can.)

I have already found some things to be of actual help, thankfully.
It is the reason I am able to take my time to secure the run for my future quails.

If I can secure everything before Spring, I will buy quails in 2026, and then post my experiences with quails' eggs (VS allergies) here.
(Even if it doesn't work as I want it to, at last, I would have tried...! I am very curious.)