We've had quail for a while, and we incorporated them into our Rabbit/Earthworm Food Web: http://velacreations.com/blog/365-quail-and-worms.html
They work ok in that role, but not great. They don't scratch enough to really keep the top of the rabbit manure stirred up, we have to go through with a rake every few days. They do eat the fly maggots, though, and they produce eggs well. In the winter, not so much, below the cages is a bit dark. In that space, they have lots of space and plenty of room to move around (about 5 square meters for a dozen quail).
In our area, there are feral quail and wild quail. The distinction I make is that the wild quail are native to this area (mostly scaled quail). The feral quail are courtunix. Now, Courtunix are known for not breeding readily on their own. But, the feral courtunix here obviously do. Assuming their ancestors were the same domesticated courtunix we all raise, how could they have survived and bred in the wild?
My hypothesis is that the quail require environmental "triggers" to make them broody, and raised in wire cages, the quail do not experience those triggers. So, most of us never see any of our quail go broody.
I provided a space with lots of straw in our quail/rabbit/earthworm setup, figuring that being on soil/compost with lots of bugs to eat and more space, possibly the protected straw area there might be a trigger in there somewhere. No luck. Not one quail went broody. They laid plenty of eggs in that space, though.
We've got the chickens tilling the hillside for us right now, so we like to take the rabbit manure out there to them to get incorporated into soil. So, we decided to try something different with the quail, as we don't need them in that space right now. We have a garden (~150 square meters) that's full of wicking beds, enclosed by 1m tall chicken wire. There's lots of cover from the squash, tomatoes, etc. There's plenty of bugs around to keep the quail occupied.
We clipped the wings of the quail, and made them a home base, with feed and watering station. It's basically a small, protected cage that gives them some protection. We locked them in this cage and set it in the garden for a few days. Then, we opened the door and let the quail free range within the garden space. The quail do good in the space, and have established small areas below the canopies of the plants. They've been keeping the grasshoppers in check, so we're letting them stay there until we see something that needs to change.
But 2 weeks ago, we discovered something interesting. A quail setting on 9 eggs, in a very well protected nest on the edge of the garden in the tall johnson grass. She is absolutely invisible, even if you know she's there. Somehow, some way, this space/area/environment "triggered" this quail to make the nest and set those eggs. This is a quail that was raised in wire cages her whole life and never before even hinted at being broody, even though she had many chances. She's a couple of years old, and has laid hundreds of eggs. What was the trigger? The open space? Open to the elements (outdoors)? The tall Johnson grass and "hands off" approach? I have no idea.
All I know is that something "triggered" her broody instinct, and she knew exactly how to make the nest in a very good location that's well covered and well protected. What will happen? Will she hatch a clutch? I have no idea, but we watch with great enthusiasm. I have since noticed several other nests around, depressions around plants and in the grass. A few have eggs, and we're letting them be, just to see what happens. If more quail go broody, we know we've stumbled on to something here.
They work ok in that role, but not great. They don't scratch enough to really keep the top of the rabbit manure stirred up, we have to go through with a rake every few days. They do eat the fly maggots, though, and they produce eggs well. In the winter, not so much, below the cages is a bit dark. In that space, they have lots of space and plenty of room to move around (about 5 square meters for a dozen quail).
In our area, there are feral quail and wild quail. The distinction I make is that the wild quail are native to this area (mostly scaled quail). The feral quail are courtunix. Now, Courtunix are known for not breeding readily on their own. But, the feral courtunix here obviously do. Assuming their ancestors were the same domesticated courtunix we all raise, how could they have survived and bred in the wild?
My hypothesis is that the quail require environmental "triggers" to make them broody, and raised in wire cages, the quail do not experience those triggers. So, most of us never see any of our quail go broody.
I provided a space with lots of straw in our quail/rabbit/earthworm setup, figuring that being on soil/compost with lots of bugs to eat and more space, possibly the protected straw area there might be a trigger in there somewhere. No luck. Not one quail went broody. They laid plenty of eggs in that space, though.
We've got the chickens tilling the hillside for us right now, so we like to take the rabbit manure out there to them to get incorporated into soil. So, we decided to try something different with the quail, as we don't need them in that space right now. We have a garden (~150 square meters) that's full of wicking beds, enclosed by 1m tall chicken wire. There's lots of cover from the squash, tomatoes, etc. There's plenty of bugs around to keep the quail occupied.
We clipped the wings of the quail, and made them a home base, with feed and watering station. It's basically a small, protected cage that gives them some protection. We locked them in this cage and set it in the garden for a few days. Then, we opened the door and let the quail free range within the garden space. The quail do good in the space, and have established small areas below the canopies of the plants. They've been keeping the grasshoppers in check, so we're letting them stay there until we see something that needs to change.
But 2 weeks ago, we discovered something interesting. A quail setting on 9 eggs, in a very well protected nest on the edge of the garden in the tall johnson grass. She is absolutely invisible, even if you know she's there. Somehow, some way, this space/area/environment "triggered" this quail to make the nest and set those eggs. This is a quail that was raised in wire cages her whole life and never before even hinted at being broody, even though she had many chances. She's a couple of years old, and has laid hundreds of eggs. What was the trigger? The open space? Open to the elements (outdoors)? The tall Johnson grass and "hands off" approach? I have no idea.
All I know is that something "triggered" her broody instinct, and she knew exactly how to make the nest in a very good location that's well covered and well protected. What will happen? Will she hatch a clutch? I have no idea, but we watch with great enthusiasm. I have since noticed several other nests around, depressions around plants and in the grass. A few have eggs, and we're letting them be, just to see what happens. If more quail go broody, we know we've stumbled on to something here.
Last edited:
