Starting with jumbo Brown Cotournix Quails

[James MacKay]

Good evening all

My Name is James MacKay , I live near Gaborone Botswana in Africa.

I would like some assistance with information please.

I have families that I know who are really suffering financially and would like to help them set up with a few quails, the reason is that they have a few chickens however we have a lot of wild animals and the chickens end up getting take buy these wild animals.

I would like to buy then a few quails, both for slaughter and eggs, I would like to know ? do you have to have males for the females to lay eggs?

If any one has any advice on making cages please let me know, we don't have access to money so we will have to look for things to recycle to make the cages these are families that are trying to survive on $3.00 a day. They really need all the help they can get to get started once they are up and running they will keep it running. The reason I am helping them is life has dealt them a few bad blows, they are not lazy folks , its just that they are struggling to get back on there feet.

 

[MrNappy]

No, you don't need males for females to lay. I don't have any cage designs but if you want some them then checks out this:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/2/Coops It's mostly for chicken but there might be some for quail.

(And as always

Have nice day (evening))

 

[FenDruadin]

Hi James MacKay.

How wonderful for you to help them get started with quail! The nice thing about quail is that they can keep them in cages in the house if they want to, and predators won't be able to reach them. If the cages are outdoors, they need to be very secure to keep predators out.

Can you give us an idea of the type of materials you have easy access to? Maybe we can give you ideas for using those materials to make the cages.

Basically, what you need is about 1 square foot per bird. Any cage will work fine, as long as you meet this requirement and give them food and water, and protect them from predators. You can use a bird cage, hamster cage, chicken crate, dog crate, etc. Of course, they also need air and light.

I don't know what kind of predators you have, but around here, raccoons can reach through wire & grab quail legs or wings and kill them that way, even if they don't get into the cage. Make sure any openings are small enough to prevent small predators injuring or killing them this way.

Cages can be made with plastic, wood, metal, and/or wire. Quail are very easy to keep and produce meat in six weeks from when they hatch. They start laying eggs about the same time, so they are a fast source of food. You only need males if you want to raise more quail. The only problem is that quail are short-lived, only living about two years, so you will want to give them the ability to raise more. You'll also need a way to incubate the eggs, as they will not naturally do it themselves.

Good luck, and keep us updated. Definitely and interesting & wonderful project.

 

[FenDruadin]

Oh, also think about how they will feed their quail. Do you have a ready source of grains and protein? They need a high protein diet, so it may be beneficial to raise insects of some sort--mealworms or soldier flies or whatever is convenient and cheap to start in your area. Beans and other high-protein veggies, as well as meat scraps, can be a good source of protein.

 

[James the Bald]

James, welcome to this site, and I wish you lots of luck with helping your friends family. There should be more people like you helping others in need.
MrNappy did mention that you don't need a male chicken to produce eggs, but if you would like a "continuous supply" of quail, you would need one male to fertilize the eggs, have the eggs incubated to hatch out chicks.
Again, I wish you all the best of luck.

 

[James MacKay]

Hi everyone thanks for the reply's, my friends live in a very rural setting and quite far away from town.. When I mean rural I mean very rural , the animals that raid are leopards hyean's , honey badgers and lynx. I have managed to get them a few dogs so at least when the predators come around the dogs will warn them. With regards to building material I will try and buy them some kind of wire mesh and they can try and find straight branches in the bush that we can use to make these cages. Water and food they are growing a lot of their own veg so I will also try and get them some seeds and they can plant( I will try and research on the net what they eat.

Another question If there is a male when they lay fertile eggs how many eggs are laid at a time? and how good are quails at brooding there chicks.

 

[FenDruadin]

Whoa. Honey badgers. Leopards. Those are serious predators. Amazing to hear about.

I would highly recommend that the quail be kept indoors, so the cages can't be broken in to.

What kind of homes do your friends live in? The quail cages can be built out of ANY materials--as long as they have the right amount of space, have at least some air flow, and keep them in--they'll be fine. In fact, they could possibly even just keep them on the floors of their homes, running loose, as long as they can keep them from escaping.

As for food, they will want to grow things like beans and peas for the protein content, and save any meat scraps--perhaps if a dog kills a small predator or similar, some of the meat can be fed to the quail.

You may also want to check out Heifer International. It's an international organization that helps families in need by training them and then providing them with livestock and everything necessary to maintain and benefit from the livestock. They may have a program that would help your friends.

Please keep us updated. I'm fascinated by the challenges your friends face.

 

[James MacKay]

Well like I say its very rural, they have brick walls with a thatch roof most of the houses are round like rondavels, Everyone is very weary to have quails or any other fowls in a house as we have a lot of snakes ( black mamba, puff adders, cape cobra's) . Thank you very much for the Heifer International details, the biggest issue we face is just getting the basic setup to keep the birds unfortunately I have'nt won a lottery yet.

 

[humboldtchicken]

You will have a hard time keeping quail with so many preditors. Cement is best bet, everything else will be chewed threw and snakes will love them.

 

[chiqita]

Coturnix quail are not like chickens they very rarely will raise their own young. I don't know any quail that lay all year and raise their own young. Even with losses your friends might be better off with chickens . if you can get wire with that many predictors I'd recommend a double bottom. 2 layers of wire offset so a preditor can't grab the feet and pull it out the bottom.

I hope you find them the right birds!