Santa Rosa Quail

[Star Chicken]

Does any one know if you can have quail in Santa Rosa? I have never had quail and would love to start some up can you pleas give me an over all view on them. and send me pics of your quail and quail hoses. Also tell me witch breed is the best for laying and if there friendly to hold/pet.

THANK
YOU

 

[TwoCrows]

What state are you in? The best thing you can do is ask at your local town hall. They know all the laws and regulations for keeping poultry.

Most quail are not cuddly and don't care to be held at all. Unless you coddle them a lot as babies and make house pets out of them, they will be pretty aloof and stand offish. You can get them to eat from your hand and come running for treats, but quail are not like chickens, dogs or cats.

The best breed to start with are Coturnix quail. Easy starter bird. They are kept in a colony type fashion, 1 male to 4 to 7 females. If you are only wanting eggs, you can keep just females and you can keep them in any amount together. No males are needed for just eggs. They require about 1 or 2 square feet per bird, but more space the less aggression you will have.

You can keep them easily in rabbit hutches. They don't require nest boxes and do well in all climates.

Good luck with your new quail adventures!

 

[Star Chicken]

Thank you, I live in California. How often do they lay eggs is it once a day or more like once a week. I'm really excited to find out if I can have them. I was told a long time ago that I may need a permit but I don't know if that's true.

 

[TwoCrows]

If you go with Coturnix quail, you do not need a permit in the U.S. to keep them. Permits are for keeping native species like Bobwhites, Gambels, Blue Scale, etc....

Coturnix are good layers and will lay 5 or more eggs a week. They start laying at an early age, sometime around 8 or 9 weeks old. They are seasonal layers, which mean they lay from spring thru till fall. If you wish to have eggs during the winter, you would need to add extra light to keep the eggs coming. Laying year round can be stressful on quail and unless you really need the eggs, it is best to let them rest thru winter. Some people use extra lighting longer into fall and early in the spring and let them rest during winter.

 

[Star Chicken]

Thanks, that's a relief that you don't need a permit!!!

I'm so glad you respond to my post! Do you have Coturnix quail if so can you send me some pics of them and there coop?