Should i get Quail? ~ LOTS OF QUESTIONS

[BantyHugger]

What purpose do quail serve that chickens and ducks don't? How much room would they need? I have a 9ft by 4ft pen. Could i put 6 in there? What colors do they come in? Do they like to be handled? What kind of housing do they need? Do i need special feeders, waters, and brooders?

Mariah

 

[duckncover]

Quote:

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
Basically the same purpose

How much room would they need? I have a 9ft by 4ft pen. Could i put 6 in there?

If you have coturnix, you could put at least 36 birds in a cage that size!! They only need 1 sq. ft. per bird

What colors do they come in?

Brown, golden, tibetan, A&M (white) rosetta, red, tuxedo...there are a lot!

Do they like to be handled?

Not handled like you can hold and love on them, but some of them don't mind being 'messed' with. The browns and goldens are the best, the other colors are kind of spazzy. But it depends on how you handle them. I have some A&M that were raised with jumbo browns, and they aren't spazzy at all, unless I'm holding them

What kind of housing do they need?

Basically, all they need is shelter from the elements. A cover over the pen, and/or a 'box' for them to hide in is enough.

Do i need special feeders, waters, and brooders?

Special waterers, yes, as babies. They make quail water bases, the chick ones are too big. They'd get in them and drown. Other than that they are much the same as any other bird.

 

[simplyscrambled]

I live in the 'burbs and can't have a rooster. With quail, I CAN, which means fertile eggs, so I can incubate my own eggs, trade eggs, replenish my stock, perhaps getting into breeding for colors, sell excess birds for feed money... FUN!!

The rest, what the others said.

 

[saddina]

What purpose do quail serve that chickens and ducks don't?

Speed, They lay and are harvestable at 8 weeks, my hens at 22 weeks still aren't laying. So in over 5 months I'm still eggless.

 

[BantyHugger]

Wow, quail sound great! I could have 36 quail

What else would i need to know to get some of these little guys? How much do they eat? Are they very food efficient?

 

[saddina]

Start here:


https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=102281

Affectionatly called Nicki's Sticky, it should cover most questions (the first 2 pages are the "meat" of the post). After that just drop any questions on the board, and we'll be right with you, call now opperators are standing by!.....

Sorry 1 too many infomencials last night.

 

[shelleyd2008]

They are much more food efficient than chickens are. A hen coturnix will lay 1# of eggs for every 1# of feed she consumes. So as long as you can keep them from wasting their feed, they are very efficient layers! I have about 50 quail, counting the buttons, and a 50# bag of feed will last them at least a month

monarc23 has an entire thread devoted to coturnix quail. They are very good birds for meat or eggs. They start laying anywhere from 4-10 weeks old, they are 'table ready' at 12 weeks old, some varieties can get up to 1# live weight. There is a whole ton of plusses to these guys!! not to mention they are the cutest babies!! Next to buttons that is

 

[swtamour]

I've been considering raising quails as well. Are they loud? If the males are not loud, how many male do I need per female? Thanks.

 

[saddina]

Not too loud, on the link above is a clip of a male crowing, my son calls it singing. I think most people keep 1 male to 4-6 girls.