-Raising Bobwhite Quail-

[lalaland]

I was just given 8 bobwhite quails, supposedly about 3 months old. I put them in a spare chicken run, and they went nuts for the sandy dustbathing area. They were dustbathing for about 10 minutes straight, and then again every few minutes.

I'm trying to sort out them, but think there are 3 males and 5 hens, or possibly 4 and 4. Is this going to be a problem?

I have them in a small chicken coop with lots of dried grass and hay on the floor. I had to kind of shoo them in there when it got dark. They are more or less in a pile.

Will they learn to go in the coop at night? THe run is hardware cloth roofed and sided, with a steel roof over about 1/3 of the run for shelter from sun and rain. Is it ok to let them decide whether to go in or not?

is there such a thing as free ranging quail, or are they like guineas - likely to just disappear in the fields and woods?

 

[solstice]

This might be the thread for me if you don't mind a newby, that has failed miserably at hatching bobs, snowflakes the first time.
Seems like a lot of experience here.

 

[ahuff]

I'm looking for a bobwhite breeder around Sonora ca any help????

 

[seth osborn]

dose any one have bobwhite quail for sale in the Seattle area

 

[firestomp]

It's late in the season I am told for fertile eggs. You can get anything you want from Strombergh hatchery, look them up on line. very old and reputable company. I had 15 out of 30 infertile. they had the breeding farm send out replacements at no charge I got 17 eggs in the incubator right now. Trying to get a good start on the bobs. Have had great luck with the cuturnix quail. I read a lot about ground verses wire on past posts, I am new to BYC. Just as a thought, I put "rabbit resting pads" in my pen. I use 1/2 x 1/2 wire and they have tabs the go into the wire and lock down. You can get these at BASS cage company. I raise meat rabbits and other things as well. They work great. My quail battery is all vinyl coated. As for keeping the 2 breeds together, they say they will readily interbreed. I may try and find out. The Bobs are smaller than the cuturnix, as are the eggs and chicks. bobs can sit on a quarter when hatched. I am up in the air still of making a flight pen. We have coopers hawks and I am afraid the quail will flip out and kill them self's.

 

[seth osborn]

thanks i'll check it out!

 

[aviaryP]

I have 4 bobwhites that are currently in a aviary 8ft by 8ft by 6 ft tall and i live in florida. The colder it gets at night has been 60 °f so i have kept a light on for warmth at night but i dont know what type of lightight i can get at walmart. Plus i don't know if i should keep the light on at night. Especially because I'm using for hens for eggs

 

[firestomp]

These are a very hardy bird and used to northern low temps. I think you shouldn't worry about a heat source for them at all. They have adjusted to your climate and will keep on doing so. As for light, for eggs. If you have anything close to 12 hours of light a day, you should get eggs. I have a light that comes on at 5 am for my chickens, since it gets dark so early here in Indiana. If you really think you need light, a 60 watt florescent screw in bulb will be fine. If you insist on heat, get a red heat lamp made for this (they are 250 watts) and are a radiant heat source. They are very rugged, and made for chickens and anything needing a heat source. NOTE, it will cost a good bit for running it. You can adjust the wattage or heat output by putting an inline dimmer switch with the round hanging or clamp on silver fixture (made for these lights). MAKE sure the fixture is made of porcelain to cope with the high heat at the bulbs base. I use a 600 watt dimmer switch mounted in an outdoor light switch box with a male and female plug in made of outdoor extension chord. I use this on my Coturnix quail pen, I just dim it down when the temps change and have it all the way up when they are going to the single digits. We have had 0 deg. weather here and their water and areas around it stay in the 40 deg. range. Again, I don't think you need heat, but be carefull if you use this as they will be extremely hot and could cause a fire if it contacts bedding, or possibly even wood walls. FOR SAFETY, I WOULD USE A PLUG IN STYLE GFI RECEPTACLE ON ANY OUT DOOR PLUGS. YOUR OUTDOOR WIRING MAY HAVE A GFI BREAKER, IN YOUR BREAKER BOX TO PROTECT ALL OUTSIDE CIRCUITS, DEPENDS ON WHEN YOUR HOUSE WAS BUILT. THESE DEVICES WILL PROTECT YOU FROM ELECTROCUTION FROM ANY WIRE YOU MAY CUT INTO OR WATER GETTING INTO A WIRE, OUTLET,OR TOOL YOU ARE USING. MOST BUILDING CODES NOW REQUIRE THIS PROTECTION FOR OUTSIDE POWER SUPPLIES AS WELL AS BATHROOMS AND AROUND KITCHEN OR UTILITY SINKS AND SUMP PUMPS.

 

[aviaryP]

@firestomp thank you. My hends are about 5-7 weeks and no eggs yet. The lights go on around 7pm and i leave it on til the morning around 6am. Is that bad?

 

[firestomp]

they don't need light at night. In fact it is better for them to have a dark period. My Bobs were quite older before the first egg showed up. I have read that white light can cause pecking, fighting and agitation in Bob Whites. It was said that yellow or red light works best. I have found that if they are fully feathered, well fed (30% protein if you can find it, or the highest chick starter protein 28% available from TSC here) and water, they will do just fine without our babying them. My wife found a place that deals in purina products, and gets me any amount at a time of the 30% protein game bird feed I want. This stuff is really hard to find and is $30 a bag. You can get 11 lbs of great quality (no junk) meal worms at amazon called NATURES PECK for $60 delivered free. There is no way you can find this pound for pound for the price at any store, I guaranty that. I feed mine a 1/2 cup every other day. I give this in their house, they love them, are 100% protein, and it lets them scratch around. A good mix of shelled seeds and white millet is great as well. They LOVE greens. tie them in a bundle and hang them, I raise radish and chicory. All my animals love this and nearly any other greens you want to give them, and they come back in the spring. This is just what I do, I give all of my animals the best feeds I can get, They are my enjoyment as well as table fair at our house.
As far as raising to eat. I raise the Coturnix quail for that. They are bigger, start laying at about 6 weeks, and can be dressed out at 8-9 weeks. A lot faster and larger than Bobs. The way I do it, I have the breast and legs in one piece. Wrap with bacon and smoke them little jewels, apple,cherry,oak,grape,pecan woods are great for these,chickens,and rabbits. A little mesquite goes a long way, as it is a very heavy smoking wood. Hope this helps, Good luck and have fun.