Rookie quail keeper

[Mitsos Lamprogiorgos]

I need information about two breeds of coturnix quail.

For the italian one bred for eggs.

And for the recessive white of Texas (a & m).

I want to know if I can keep only two females, if they are highly stressed when they see a cat out of their cage, if they are people friendly, if they can be kept together without having to be debeaked, if they cat eat whole corn and whole oat etc.

Thanks.

 

[le_bwah]

The varieties of Coturnix don't really behave differently from one another, because they are separated by (sometimes single-allele) color mutations and size/egg-laying proficiency. They aren't separate breeds, like you get with chickens.

You can keep two females just fine as long as there aren't any males around (but three bachelorettes would be better, so one doesn't get lonely if their only flock-mate dies).

My birds live on the ground in an open-air aviary and have seen my cats since the day they were hatched. Only one of them even acknowledges they're there (and she's nervous to begin with). As long as they have early exposure and feel like they always have the option of getting away from a predator, they shouldn't get too stressed.

Coturnix are only people-friendly if you hand-raise them and continue contact with them into adulthood. Mine come running to me when they see I have treats, but are otherwise indifferent (no desire to be held, etc.). They let me pick them up and examine them, but only for short periods of time. I've never been attacked by my quail.

These quail can be kept together without being debeaked, so long as your flocks are single-sex or your male-to-female ratios are ideal. You shouldn't get fighting so long as the gender issues are managed around spring and summer, and as long as you give the birds plenty of space (more than 1 sqr foot per bird) and things to keep them occupied (treats, dust baths, things to climb, etc.). Widespread fighting in a flock is typically the fault of the owner; always look for ways you can improve birds' living conditions before you choose to mutilate them.

I've never tried giving mine whole corn or oats, but I imagine those foods would be too large for them to grind down completely (remember how big these things are in relation to chickens). People usually feed their adult quail 24-30% gamebird feed, or get a high-protein blend mixed locally. Do not try to replace this with typical chicken feed, as it won't have a high enough protein for these fast-growing, fast-aging birds.

 

[Mitsos Lamprogiorgos]

The varieties of Coturnix don't really behave differently from one another, because they are separated by (sometimes single-allele) color mutations and size/egg-laying proficiency. They aren't separate breeds, like you get with chickens.

You can keep two females just fine as long as there aren't any males around (but three bachelorettes would be better, so one doesn't get lonely if their only flock-mate dies).

My birds live on the ground in an open-air aviary and have seen my cats since the day they were hatched. Only one of them even acknowledges they're there (and she's nervous to begin with). As long as they have early exposure and feel like they always have the option of getting away from a predator, they shouldn't get too stressed.

Coturnix are only people-friendly if you hand-raise them and continue contact with them into adulthood. Mine come running to me when they see I have treats, but are otherwise indifferent (no desire to be held, etc.). They let me pick them up and examine them, but only for short periods of time. I've never been attacked by my quail.

These quail can be kept together without being debeaked, so long as your flocks are single-sex or your male-to-female ratios are ideal. You shouldn't get fighting so long as the gender issues are managed around spring and summer, and as long as you give the birds plenty of space (more than 1 sqr foot per bird) and things to keep them occupied (treats, dust baths, things to climb, etc.). Widespread fighting in a flock is typically the fault of the owner; always look for ways you can improve birds' living conditions before you choose to mutilate them.

I've never tried giving mine whole corn or oats, but I imagine those foods would be too large for them to grind down completely (remember how big these things are in relation to chickens). People usually feed their adult quail 24-30% gamebird feed, or get a high-protein blend mixed locally. Do not try to replace this with typical chicken feed, as it won't have a high enough protein for these fast-growing, fast-aging birds.

Can I give them grower for chickens with about 17% protein? And change it to layer for chickens when start laying eggs? Again 17% protein.
There is no gamebird feed available in Greece. We are a third world country.

 

[le_bwah]

Can I give them grower for chickens with about 17% protein? And change it to layer for chickens when start laying eggs? Again 17% protein.
There is no gamebird feed available in Greece. We are a third world country.

If 17% is all you've got, it will have to do. See if you can get your hands on some mealworms or other bulky insect, alive or dehydrated. Grind them up and supplement them into the grower, it will give the birds a protein boost. (Many kinds of worms/larvae can be grown at home off of table scraps, which is cheaper in the long run than buying them dried). It also wouldn't hurt to give them a probiotic if you can find it (to help them get the most out of their food).

What kind of housing are you thinking of for your birds?

 

[Mitsos Lamprogiorgos]

I don't know what kind of housing they need.
Do they want soil under their feet?

 

[le_bwah]

I don't know what kind of housing they need.
Do they want soil under their feet?

They would certainly appreciate living on a substrate they can dig and nest in, like wood shavings, straw, or dirt. Some people keep them in prefabricated runs, but it can be cheaper to build your own depending on the materials you have available. Some people also keep them on wire in raised cages; I believe this is unnecessary if there are other methods available to the owner. You can keep them right on the ground. If you do, you will need to watch out for mites and internal parasites, and be able to treat for these pests if they overwhelm the birds.

The number of birds you want will determine how big the cage needs to be. As a general guideline, a cage should be large enough that each bird has more than one square foot of space. Bigger is better in terms of keeping fighting down and natural behavior up.

It's nice to have a cage that is easy to access, either one you can lean into comfortably, or one that is tall enough to walk through. Height is also important to the birds. Very short cages (e.g. 1-2 foot tall) discourage them from flushing upwards (so they don't hit their heads), and tall cages (greater than 4 feet) give them room to flush safely.

Any holes in the cage/wire should be a half inch or smaller, to keep predators out. You will also need to line the ground around the outside of the cage with hardware cloth/chicken wire, to deter predators from digging in.

Cages should either have a solid-walled section that birds can shelter in, or scattered pieces of cover that allow them to get out of the elements. The birds will feel safer if they have the option of cover (and will lay eggs in cover more predictably).

There are plenty of designs on the internet, including a ton in this thread on BYC: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/show-me-your-quail-pens.280575/

 

[JaeG]

Just be aware that rats love quail (if rats are a potential issue) and I've had rats grabbing them through half inch hardware cloth (they even managed to chew it a bit as well - I hope they broke their teeth!). I've never had a problem in elevated cages though and I prefer a solid base with some kind of bedding. If you use hardware cloth as the base you must keep it very clean because poop can form hard pieces that can give your quail bumblefoot. Think about ease of cleaning with any cage design.

 

[Mitsos Lamprogiorgos]

Well, hello again guys.
I was just collected information about quails and quail feed.

The best breeds for production we have in Greece are the jumbo brown (heaviest layer), the golden layer Coturnix (best feed to egg conversion rate) and the white layer Coturnix. The white ones eat less than the jumbo brown, lay better than the jumbo brown, fight less than other quail breeds, have less stress and, in general, are the most balanced for being sustainable.

Making room for them: I will buy cages designed for layer quails, as I am going to just keep females. But, many farms don't sell only females. They will not have added light. They will have access to the sun rays and they will be protected from rain and cold. I am thinking to protect them from rats using guinea fowls out of their cages. But, I am wondering if this will cause more stress or if guineas will eat their feet and bully them.

Feed: I make my own germ using wheat and oats. I also have chicken scratch in a mash form (only 10% protein). I always use syzygium aromaticum in the animal feed and don't have red mites problems. I use apple acid vinegar in the water and it is always as clean as possible. I found three types of quail feed. The two of them have very big amounts of coccidiostats, so I am not going to use them. One of them is labeled to be for both "laying and reproducing". Can it be used in both females and males?