Raising Quail Question

[justjr27]

Hi everyone I am new to this website. I came across it while researching raising & breeding quail. I have always loved having all kinds of animals just haven't had the space/property to house them. Now that I do I want to get into the caring and breeding of some of them. I don't have any wishes or plans to be a commercial operation by any means. I just want to have them to enjoy and just sell the offspring.

I'm looking into getting these species Snowflake Bobwhite, Mexican Speckled Bobwhite, California Valley, Blue Scale, Gamble, Mearns and when I get a little more exp. Mountain. I want to start with maybe a male & 2 hen of each and keep them in there own pen. I might keep to of each later at the most.

My question to you guys that know a lot more than me is "Everything lol". No really I would gladly appreciate all the info on caring breeding & hatching them. I would also like to know the egg production that having these pairs together will produce "Like I stated before I don't want to be commercial so don't want to be overrun by eggs".

I kinda have a idea from searching around on what cage I plan on building, but don't know if they will work for all different quail I plan to keep. I plan on building a 18"H x 3FtW x 3FtL wood floor and completely covered roof. I plan on cleaning the pens once a week.

Like I stated before any and all info is greatly appreciated. Looking forward to hear & interacting with you guys Thank you.

 

[tlstal]

i don't know which state yorur in but you might want to check and see if there are any regulations on some of the breeds you have picked just to make sure you don't need a permit

 

[justjr27]

Tistal, Thank you for the reply. I live in Miami, Florida "City called Homestead". Its a rural city a lot of farming and agriculture land down here plus I live in a section called the Redlands with is a little more country most homes have 1/2 acre lots all the way up to 15/20 acres.

Thanks again for the reply. I have looked into this if not mistaken I don't need one if not going to sell any birds, but I am so going to apply for the permits so that everything is legit.

 

[TwoCrows]

All the species mentioned here are generally kept one male to one female during breeding season. These New World quail are not colony raised. They tend to mate with one bird for life. If you try to keep another female in with a mated pair, the female of the pair can kill the lone female. If you have a ton of space, you can keep more pairs together. Otherwise, they need to be kept separate from each other during breeding season.

They are challenging to keep as a beginner as these birds are flighty and nervous and it is easier to keep them if you are familiar with quail before hand. But that does not mean you can not start with them, just keep this in mind.

 

[justjr27]

Twocrowsranch, Thank you for taking your time and replying and giving some info. Ok so that means that whenever they are not breeding they need to be seperated or can the pairs be together all the time, and if they need to be seperated can all sexs be together or do they have to be put together with same sex. Those this go for all the species that I want to keep.

 

[TwoCrows]

The breeding season runs from spring thru fall, provided you are not adding light or heat year round. During this time, you should keep the pairs separate from each other in their own quarters. If you have large aviaries or very large pens, you may be able to keep more pairs together. Generally these types of quail need 4 square feet per bird. If you are keeping them in smaller pens, it is advised to put in a cut branch from a tree and prop it up in the corner of the pen for privacy and security. These guys flush VERY easily and the comfort of natural branches will keep them from doing this for the most part.

After the breeding season is over, you can mix them all back together, males and females. Once paired, they will remain a pair, although mingle in with the others during the off season.

You should, however, keep the different species separate from each other and each in their own environments. Some of these types are more docile and others are a bit more aggressive.

 

[justjr27]

I am planing to just have maybe 2 hens and two males at a given time whatever chicks these provide I will sell or trade so basically I will not be adding any light, but heat might be a problem like I stated before I live in down south in Florida it is old here average temps are 80 to 90 degree temps all year except for your occasional cold front in winter that only drops temps around 50 to 60 degrees and it only last 2/3 days at most. I heard that high temps well keep quails of all type breeding all year, with that my concern would be damage to the hen and more eggs than I know what to do with lol.

What would you feed "Adult/Breeding/Young/Hatchling Birds etc". On what schedule "Mornings/Afternoons/Everyday". Like I stated before I plan on keeping each pair "Or Male/Male & Female/Female when not breeding" in a 18" high, 3ft wide, 2ft long wood floor and completely covered wood back and roof. Also do you know any quality breeder with good bloodlines that will be able to provide me a young pair of each species I mentioned above.

Twocrowsranch I would really like to Thank you for your help and for taking your time to guide me in the right direction again Thank you trust me that it is greatly appreciated.

 

[TwoCrows]

In the size of pen you have mentioned here of 3x2 feet long, you will only be able to keep one pair during breeding season. If you try to squeeze in another adult pair, you are asking for trouble. You can however, keep several young quail, that are not yet breeding in this pen. Quail can even be docile enough during their first year of breeding to be able to keep several pairs together. But once they have reached their second breeding season, you will probably run into trouble. You could probably keep 2 pairs in this size of pen during the off breeding season.

These breeds will not be of breeding age until 6 months of age. The aggressions will usually start after one year old and progress as they age.

I am not positive about how the breeding season might go in Florida, but just the shorter days of light alone can shut them down on the laying and breeding. I would imagine they will take a break on their own, but you will soon find out! LOL

If you are starting with babies, feed them gamebird food or turkey food, something with 26% to 28%. If you are going with quail over 6 weeks of age, you can go with a flight conditioner or something with less protein...24% to 26%. If all you can get is one of these feeds, (sometimes quail feed is hard to get), then you can feed either one of these to chicks or adults alike.

I am sorry to say that I do not know of anyone in your area that deals with these birds. You might check this breeders directory and maybe somebody can help you get these types of birds. I have not seen many of these people on line here in over a year now, but you can always give them a try. Good luck!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/460102/second-try-gamebird-breeder-directory#post_5817690

 

[ylly]

I keep my Valley pairs in cages that 30"W x16"H x6'L. Solid roof closed in at one end 2' box with a small entrance with a solid floor. The other end has1 x1/2 wire floor. I keep pairs , trios and even 1 quad, but you have to watch and make sure everyone is getting along. I had to move a female out of a trio last night cause one wouldn't stop chasing her, which was ok cause I had an extra female. Hope this helps.
16 " high so the don't fly up and kill themselves.

 

[James the Bald]

OK, I'm kind of confused. You said that you don't want a "commercial operation", but from your initial post, that's more or less what you will be doing.

I intend to have one breed: Texas A&Ms. Mine are still chicks. I have 3 cages, one for breeding (collect fertilized eggs to be hatched), one for non-fertile eggs (that will be used for cooking/baking/eating), and one to fatten up extra males. I haven't constructed a "grow out" cage yet, but that is in the works. As you can see, I have only one breed and will have 4 cages, whereas you plan on 6+ breeds of quail.

Also, you described having pens 18" high... that may be a bit too high. When quail get spooked, they bonk their heads on the top of the cages causing injury and sometimes even death. The average quail grows to 9" tall, and by giving them 9" of flight, it could be an invitation for disaster.

Just my opinion, but I would start out with one breed, then add other another as you gain experience.