taking care of quail

[i like emus]

so i have a few questions. what do i feed them how big of a chicken coop. how much room do they need. how long do they live.how many days does it take for them to hatch. whats a good breed. whats a good incubator. i know i need two but should i get more. how long tail they are full grown. how much should i feed them. thanks

 

[JaeG]

Coturnix are great to start with as they can be kept in big groups at 1sq foot of space per bird. It's best to keep one male per cage with a group of 3 or more females depending on how aggressive he is. Some boys are sweethearts, some are monsters (and don't breed from them because personality is genetic). Your cages need to be about a foot high or very tall (6ft) as when startled quail flush upwards. If they get up enough speed before hitting the ceiling of their cage they can kill themselves or injure themselves very badly. A foot high means they don't get up enough speed to do any damage.

Other common quail species are best kept in pairs only and need more space. Coturnix are the friendliest because they are so domesticated. They can live between 3-5 years though females lives are shortened if they are given supplementary light so that they are forced to lay year round. My girls get a break in the winter. It depends on the genetics as to how big they are but mine are a bit bigger than my hand (it's a girly hand so not huge).

I've used a cheap incubator with great results. They hatch in about 18 days and are easy to incubate, but you can lose one or two initially after hatching as some just don't seem to recover from breaking out of their shell. You need to teach the chicks where the water is by tapping the surface, and marbles/stones in the water bowl are essential as quail drown very easily, especially when they are freshly hatched and not strong on their little legs. Initially scatter ground up food everywhere in the brooder (that has non slip flooring) so wherever they peck they'll find food. By day 3 they know where the food bowl is. Heat lamps are easiest to use in the brooder to keep them warm enough. They feather up by 4 weeks old and can start laying anywhere from 6-12 weeks old depending on how much light they are exposed to.

They need gamebird crumble and chicks need 30% protein in their feed. Adults need 22-24%. Most people feed ad lib as quail don't over eat. They love a treat of sprouted alfalfa, sprouted sunflower seeds, bugs (not too many mealworms), scrambled egg etc.

Some colours can be visually sexed (golds and pharaoh) but others you have to wait until they are mature, then you can tell by their behaviour or by vent sexing.

 

[007Sean]

Nothing to add here JaeG has said it eloquently!

 

[Hope Hughes]

Agree @JaeG layed out all the info!
Us crazy quail peeps are alaways around to help if you need us!
You can also check out the quail section in the learning center for more information too!
(Just click the word quail aboveand it will take you right to it)​