What's the Deal with Quail?

[kurby22]

Would a fence be enough to deter predators? I'm afraid of the fact most of their needs might lie with predators, although less needy birds are definitely a pro for me!

Predator proofing is the biggest concern with quail, as everything will eat quail. I have hardware cloth rabbit hutches for my quail because I didn’t have the space to make them a big predator-proofed ground pen, but if you can sufficiently protect the boundary of the pen with hardware cloth they can be on open ground. Your pen will need a top though as quail can fly away and birds will take them!

 

[kurby22]

Thanks! Males raised together won't be aggressive? I initially planned to take out any other males besides the one, but I had no idea males raised together wouldn't fight!

As long as they have enough hens to share you should be good! I have 7 quail at the moment and only one I know is male, so I’m waiting to vent sex them to figure out how many males to keep. I don’t want them to over use my hens!

 

[Nabiki]

Thanks! Males raised together won't be aggressive? I initially planned to take out any other males besides the one, but I had no idea males raised together wouldn't fight!

They have a better chance of getting along, but that doesn't mean that they won't fight. It depends on the personalities of the birds. Some will get along, others will kill each other whether they were raised together or not.

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

Great! I didn't know you could compost the poo, thanks for the info!

Best compost ever. I'm growing full-sized tomatoes for the first time thanks to quail.

 

[Kelly Klumpp]

Best compost ever. I'm growing full-sized tomatoes for the first time thanks to quail.

Just curious, what composter do you use? Now, I want to get one

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

This composter:
IM4000 Dual Chamber Tumbling Composter (Black)

If you have enough sun to get the heat process started, it takes about 3-4 weeks to cure the bedding: way faster than the traditional "whatever" heap compost I gave up on long ago.

My recipe consists of poo scraped from the mat under the wire cage and bedding from the run: dried leaves and grass cut up using an electric weedwhacker and pine shavings from the feed store. I typically only collect the stuff every 2-3 months or after a heavy rain, whichever comes first.

IM4000 Dual Chamber Tumbling Composter (Black)

 

[kurby22]

This composter:
IM4000 Dual Chamber Tumbling Composter (Black)

If you have enough sun to get the heat process started, it takes about 3-4 weeks to cure the bedding: way faster than the traditional "whatever" heap compost I gave up on long ago.

My recipe consists of poo scraped from the mat under the wire cage and bedding from the run: dried leaves and grass cut up using an electric weedwhacker and pine shavings from the feed store. I typically only collect the stuff every 2-3 months or after a heavy rain, whichever comes first.

View attachment 2688873IM4000 Dual Chamber Tumbling Composter (Black)

I have one just like this! Love it!

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

Cherokee Purple Tomato

(not yet ripe & still growing)

 

[kurby22]

Cherokee Purple Tomato

(not yet ripe & still growing)
View attachment 2688951

Dang!! That’s a happy tomato!!

 

[FloorCandy]

This composter:
IM4000 Dual Chamber Tumbling Composter (Black)

If you have enough sun to get the heat process started, it takes about 3-4 weeks to cure the bedding: way faster than the traditional "whatever" heap compost I gave up on long ago.

My recipe consists of poo scraped from the mat under the wire cage and bedding from the run: dried leaves and grass cut up using an electric weedwhacker and pine shavings from the feed store. I typically only collect the stuff every 2-3 months or after a heavy rain, whichever comes first.

View attachment 2688873IM4000 Dual Chamber Tumbling Composter (Black)

I have the same one I think, I have green doors tho. I love it so far.