Thinking of investing in quail... Lots of questions!

[Jrose]

I've been rooting around the internet for a few hours now- I was searching for chickens on craigslist (need a few more girls) and noticed how many quail adds there were! At $1/chick, it's easy to fantasize about!

So I've been trying to formulate some ideas. I currently have 5 hens, not quite enough eggs- or chickens Love my girls. They pen up at night in a 14x16 chain link dog run with a chicken wire ceiling and a coop inside, and free range a half acre orchard by day. I have two large dogs that have thwarted curious foxes, skunks, coyotes, bobcats, and more! The girls are happy and safe.

Anyways, I have been planning to raise feeder rabbits for the pups- I try to keep them on a "true doggy diet" of natural and wild meats (no, it doesn't include chicken... can't bring myself to do it!). I started eyeballing the quail today to supplement with this. I've read that the coturnix quail are flightless, and they happen to be widely available around here for $6/dozen fertile eggs or $1/chick. They don't seem to require much housing either. So I guess I'll list my unanswered questions:

- Do they just keep breeding and producing- and are they naturally broody? What breeding maintenance may be required? I don't want to mess with manual incubating.

- What's their breeding rate/how many birds are required to create an ample supply? i.e. harvesting 5 or more adults per week once established. (more interested in meat than eggs)

- How big of a pen would this amount of birds require?

- Are the coturnix truly flightless- Can they be "free ranged" in an area fenced 4' high? (galvanized perimeter fencing with 2x4" 'openings') If so, do they return to their roost at night like chickens so they can be penned for safety?

- Do quail and gardens get along? i.e. can they free range in a mature garden without destroying it like my hens would? I'd love to be able to establish their pen in the garden (50x100') and let them out during the day (maybe I'm dreaming? )

- What about food? My hens gorge on grubs and compost and need no supplement during the summer months. Can veggie scraps and foraged bugs sustain quail during the growing season?


Thanks much to everyone in advance! I've always used the site but never actually posted until now. Many a chicken question has been answered by backyardchickens.com!

 

[drumstick diva]

I popped in out of curiousity . You raised some good questions and I hoped someone had answered you. I'm sure they will, as soon as they see this thread.

 

[James the Bald]

$2.12
Welcome to the quail forum. OK, Ok, ok. Now that the pleasantries are over with, let me catch my breath. Here is a thread that I think everyone should read atleast once, if not twice.

 

[Jrose]

Very informative read, thank you. I could never guarantee keeping them separate, so I guess I might have to scratch the quail idea (no pun intended). I actually started out my quail research with several articles about folk who house chickens, quail, and other game birds together! Guess you just never know!

 

[veggiecanner]

We raised rabbit for our dogs and have gotten rid of the rabbits. Too many times of waiting for litters that didn't come.
But we have decided that the quail would be too expensive to raise for dog food. They eat very little garden scraps. And the feed here is quite pricey.
We did cull 4 roos last night and there was some scraps for he dogs but not much. It is possible they may get the adult breeders as they age out. Which is not much for 2 large dogs.

 

[TwoCrows]

I've been rooting around the internet for a few hours now- I was searching for chickens on craigslist (need a few more girls) and noticed how many quail adds there were! At $1/chick, it's easy to fantasize about!

So I've been trying to formulate some ideas. I currently have 5 hens, not quite enough eggs- or chickens Love my girls. They pen up at night in a 14x16 chain link dog run with a chicken wire ceiling and a coop inside, and free range a half acre orchard by day. I have two large dogs that have thwarted curious foxes, skunks, coyotes, bobcats, and more! The girls are happy and safe.

Anyways, I have been planning to raise feeder rabbits for the pups- I try to keep them on a "true doggy diet" of natural and wild meats (no, it doesn't include chicken... can't bring myself to do it!). I started eyeballing the quail today to supplement with this. I've read that the coturnix quail are flightless, and they happen to be widely available around here for $6/dozen fertile eggs or $1/chick. They don't seem to require much housing either. So I guess I'll list my unanswered questions:

- Do they just keep breeding and producing- and are they naturally broody? What breeding maintenance may be required? I don't want to mess with manual incubating. Generally quail do not go broody. They have lost the instinct to do so. So you will need to use an incubator.

- What's their breeding rate/how many birds are required to create an ample supply? i.e. harvesting 5 or more adults per week once established. (more interested in meat than eggs) Depends on how many you want to keep, how much room you have, and what you plan on doing with them.

- How big of a pen would this amount of birds require? Coturnix quail require about 1 - 2 square food per bird. The more space you can give them, the better off they will be.

- Are the coturnix truly flightless- Can they be "free ranged" in an area fenced 4' high? (galvanized perimeter fencing with 2x4" 'openings') If so, do they return to their roost at night like chickens so they can be penned for safety? You can not free-range quail. You will never see them again. Even clipping wings will not stop them. So they will need to be contained at all times.

- Do quail and gardens get along? i.e. can they free range in a mature garden without destroying it like my hens would? I'd love to be able to establish their pen in the garden (50x100') and let them out during the day (maybe I'm dreaming? ) Quail love all sorts of veggies, greens and fruits. Similar goodies to what chickens eat.

- What about food? My hens gorge on grubs and compost and need no supplement during the summer months. Can veggie scraps and foraged bugs sustain quail during the growing season? No, it can not sustain, however it is good to add these things on the side to break up boredom and add healthy alternatives to gamebird food.


Thanks much to everyone in advance! I've always used the site but never actually posted until now. Many a chicken question has been answered by backyardchickens.com!

 

[veggiecanner]

Very informative read, thank you. I could never guarantee keeping them separate, so I guess I might have to scratch the quail idea (no pun intended). I actually started out my quail research with several articles about folk who house chickens, quail, and other game birds together! Guess you just never know!

When I started learning about them , there were lots of articles that said you could keep them together or I might have not gotten them either.
Have you thought of pigeons. I understand they set their own eggs.

 

[Jrose]

Thank you for your answers, Two Crows! Putting the nail in the coffin on the quail fantasy Always good to be realistic!

Veggiecanner- The dogs are mostly eating kibble right now due to a fruitless hunting season last fall. Otherwise they typically live on eggs, fish, and wild game. Between the orchard and the garden I pretty much feed myself spring through fall, with ample amounts of veggie waste and excess for the hens and other critters. I have owned rabbits in the past, but never intentionally raised them for food. Many of the folks I've talked to about it recommend it.
I have not thought of pigeons/doves! I know many folks who shoot wild pigeons on their farms by the hundreds and still can't get rid of them. I've always thought of them as being a little less cleanly I guess, which might not be a fair judgment since I know nothing about them. Wouldn't the same "cross contamination" threat still exist with pigeons though? And they wouldn't truly be economical for me to raise unless they willingly eat veggie/fruit scraps. I only feed store-bought grains in the winter when it gets cold and I get lean on scraps.

 

[veggiecanner]

Thank you for your answers, Two Crows! Putting the nail in the coffin on the quail fantasy Always good to be realistic!

Veggiecanner- The dogs are mostly eating kibble right now due to a fruitless hunting season last fall. Otherwise they typically live on eggs, fish, and wild game. Between the orchard and the garden I pretty much feed myself spring through fall, with ample amounts of veggie waste and excess for the hens and other critters. I have owned rabbits in the past, but never intentionally raised them for food. Many of the folks I've talked to about it recommend it.
I have not thought of pigeons/doves! I know many folks who shoot wild pigeons on their farms by the hundreds and still can't get rid of them. I've always thought of them as being a little less cleanly I guess, which might not be a fair judgment since I know nothing about them. Wouldn't the same "cross contamination" threat still exist with pigeons though? And they wouldn't truly be economical for me to raise unless they willingly eat veggie/fruit scraps. I only feed store-bought grains in the winter when it gets cold and I get lean on scraps.

A small incubator for your own hens eggs might be what you need.
You could get both meat and eggs from you existing stock. A few banties would hurt either.

 

[Jrose]

Interestingly, we just got done culling several roosters. The farm across they way had 5 rogue roosters that recently discovered my hens. The poor girls were being terrorized! Upon chatting with the neighbors, I was given chicken catching supplies and a good-luck handshake. Apparently they hated the darn things.
The gnarly old grease balls were only good for dog food, but at least I can sleep at night with the window open now and my girls can free-range again.

This was my second experience with roosters, and neither experience made me want to keep any around. Mean, loud breeding fiends that wouldn't give my girls a moment's break. I've heard some breeds produce more docile roosters, but I don't know which breeds those are. I'd be more interested in just buying $.99 chicks and raising them for a few months if I'm going that route...

Maybe someone on here has a good rooster experience they can encourage me with?