Want to get into raising Quail need help on how to get started

[countrygirl911]

hi i live in mississippi i already have several chickens but i would love to raise a few quail but i am no sure how to start. i am not sure about what they eat or what there housing should be and how big or if they can all live in one coop or need to be seperated. also what is the best quail to keep. any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[Stellar]

My website has a ton of info on quail. There is a sticky but it's a copy and paste kinda thing and a bit outdated.

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

I'm new to it as well and after making my head spin with info I decided to do this:

Corturnix quail (many colors and names - pharoah, A&M, english whites, etc etc ) - they are more domesticated and friendly than bobs or other wild types, they also go from hatch to laying/butchering in 8 weeks time.

I have a big colony type pen that is 7X5 - (rule of thumb is 1 bird per 1 sq ft minimum) I am keeping my now breeding/laying flock of 16 hens and 5 roos (I chose 5 that I liked and so far no issues with them)....they get along great .... fix you a large pen above ground, or on the ground with a wire bottom that you can pull/roll (tractor) - mine are on the ground - many prefer to keep them off the ground however.

OR you can keep them in trios or quads in smaller cages (2X2 or 2X3 single cages ) many design rabbit hutch type cages and seperate sections for their trios/quads.


Feed - flock raiser works pretty well, anything thats a crumble and they need a higher protein than chickens.


They don't use coops typically - I just use a pallet jacked on legs at one end, with PVC siding/roofing on top of it. - they get under there to get out of the rain, but on nice nights they sleep in the dead middle of the pen strewn about randomly.