Scaled quail

Hi there I briefly had a blue scale quail and it wasn't a great experience due to how frightful it was.

When I first got into quail, I researched coturnix and was trying to buy some. There was only an ad for a single blue scale quail for $10. The mate had died by hitting its head while scared the owner said and he didn't know if it was a boy or a girl. He didn't seem to know much about them other than that, including the age.

Well the poor thing turned out to be so wild, we literally couldn't even make eye contact without it freaking out. I limited contact but I still had to feed, water and clean him and I felt horrible every time because he had a great chance of hurting himself in his stress and maybe even dying like his mate did by a head injury, even though I padded the top of his cage.

He made a beautiful call that sounded very tropical and like a heartbeat, he desperately wanted a mate. We figured out it was a male and tried looking for a female with no luck, they're pretty rare at least in Ontario, Canada and seems it would have run us at least $200 IF we could find them.

This is not how I want to keep an animal, especially a bird that obviously wanted to fly away every time it seen a human.

So we contacted Bird Kingdom in Niagara Falls, Canada and they fell in love with him and offered to home him in their huge walk in aviary with tons of plants and other small birds.

He got through quarantine and is now the gem of the aviary !! They are still looking for a girlfriend but describe him as fulfilled with his own territory and lots of ground cover and the option to fly.

We plan to visit him soon

We spoke to a man who says he keeps him in a white box lit with blue light and everything is automatic including the eggs rolling out. That kinda sickens me, knowing the strong and wild personality these birds have.

I personally wouldn't get any again

 

I have raised various quail breeds and currently have Blue Scale and Valley breeds. I can tell you that the Valley is the most frightful quail I have ever raised (crazed maniacs) and the Blue scale one of the most curious. Both were raised together until they reached 4 months of age, so both were equally exposed to people and handling.

With that being said , I recommend a large pen for this breed, at least 7'0 tall and at least 4 sq. ft. per bird. I have not had any issues with them bonking their heads since they have been adults and gained flight control. They will fly while you are in their area initially, but quickly become curious and approach visitors. It is not unusual for them to land on your shoulder and just look at you. This also makes them easy for predators , 1/2" wire is a must with these birds. They will literally stick their heads through chicken wire just to get a better look at a hawk or owl.

As for your request on birds. I do not know of anybody with adult birds for sale but eggs are fairly easy to come by during the spring / summer months.

Well I hope this helps and glad to see interest in these great little birds.