thinking about some quail. Need some info i know nothing but willing

[Tammy N]

Hi all , i am new to quail so now i have none but i do really want to learn before i get them.
Id like to have them in my potting shed area and i am not sure that would be ok either .

where i am at i may not get away with having chickens still checking into it but we have tons of red wigglers and spiders and the mites are going after my new seedlings every year,

so i thought maybe some quail as the chickens would be too big,

if not then i could always make a new home for some . like i said i know nothing not even the type of diet they have so if someone is willing to teach me as a mentor i would greatly appreciate it ,
Tammy

 

[TwoCrows]

You need to decide what type of quail you are interested in keeping..Coturnix, Bobwhites, Gambles, etc...Most folks keep them in what they call pens. (check out the sticky at the top of the quail section for pics of pens). I keep mine in an aviary setting.

Quail are not as noisy as chickens, however if you keep a lot of them, they can get loud.

You will need to find Gamebird food for them as they need a high protein diet.

Do some research here on line into the different types of quail and the housing needed. You can then come back here and ask specific questions. Good luck!

 

[TwoCrows]

Oh, and

 

[Stellar]

 

[Tammy N]

Ty Both i was looking and the scaled Quail seems to be ok for my area ,
I have a guy locally that has a brown quail and well they seem not to be doing to hot or maybe its just the breed ,

I read the scalded Quail is easier to raise ?

also I was looking at the BYC and love the red and white coop.
If i get chickes i could use that for them . No typo i have called chickens chickes for many of moons LOL . i just get so excited,

I just had quail eggs after not having them for 14 yrs and really enjoyed them my Hubby hated them but my new other half was like WOW.

My hobbies are my pixie bob cats and my Fly fishing so i can see some fun in the Scalded a they loose their feathers ,
but i am not sure if i have ever had quail dinner and do not know if i could with a pet,


so my questions are the BIG one is any way

Yrs ago i used to order from Murray Mc Murray Hatcheries but reading over 300 complaints since 2007 has me scared since the Biggest amount was 2010 and 2011.
where is a safe place to order my chickens and Quail ?

is it better to get quail eggs verses Chicks ??
what is a Good Wire gauge for the sides and top as well as Is straw acceptable for the coop on the quail ?

GBS will be hard to find in florence oregon but we do have pheasant breeders 2 hrs away in Coquille that own the Grange ,

if i make a 8 by 12 with 4 being housing how much room do i need for the scalded quail to be able to fly ?

thats the stuff that has me i could make a 10x12 by 12 high with a nice coup area . and do these birds sit on their own eggs ?

Just a lot of thoughts and a lot of unknowns for now .. Id like to get a few good opinions and thats why i came here . I read books but 99% of the time there is no one that can answer the question once i read the book .

I created the NZ blues my first girl i took to show was one they based their approval on in arba so im not new to animals but when i want something i do look into it to see if and make sure i have everything correct i do not like sad days or bad surprises and want everything right from the get go then learning the right way before hand is easier for me . Thanks again for your time ,

 

[rittert3]

Well it sounds like you want blue scaled quail and in my opinion they arn't a beginer bird, quail are also better purchased privatly than through a hatchery. Most of them have a min. of 100 day old quail per order and speaking from experience those numbers can be very overwhelming for somebody with out much experience, and easily end in money loss and frustration.

 

[Tammy N]

Thats what i am just reading i bought 6 books on quail i wanna do this right.

 

[Bigdtc]

I just got into quail myself and have learned a lot here. There are lots of folks very generous with their information. I think the Cots are considered more of a beginner quail. They are great layers and the meat is excellent. I'm not sure of your area that they might do well but I see members from all over with the Cots from Ak to Az.. Cots, and likely all quail species, need a lot of water. Now that I've had mine for a little while I am surprised at the amount of water they drink. The other thing I've learned is that they are pooping machines.. They just convert a lot of feed into eggs and meat so they poop a lot. Great if you have a garden as it's high in lots of good nutrients for veggies. They do not sit on their own eggs either, you'll need an incubator to hatch them.
I was fortunate to purchase mine from a guy that had some locally after going through a bit of a fiasco trying to get you ones sent. I also purchased eggs from E-Bay that are in the incubator now. Cots only take 16 - 17 days to hatch so things happen pretty fast with them as they start laying at 6 weeks or so and are table ready at the same time..
Maybe you could try a few Cots and once you get comfortable with them move on to Blues?
Good Luck and welcome!