- May 26, 2011
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Hi people who know more than me!
I'm hatching a plan (hatching...heh...get it?) to raise quail in Northern California (suburban San Jose), and am having a hard time finding sources for live California Quail or fertile eggs. Any ideas? I prefer to drive and pick them up if they're chicks.
Been looking at quail pen/coop designs & don't like any of them. Cramming a dozen birds in a plain wire cage indoors doesn't sit well with me. I want the quail to have a mix of places to hang out, from a sunny dirt patch, to a protected "tree" roost, places to hide & all of it fairly easy to care for since I'm disabled. I wanted chickens, but I'm afraid they'll eat my organic heirloom/rare plant seedling project & honeybees. I'd like it mostly up off the ground a few feet to save my back, with oil pans slid underneath to collect droppings for my compost. I also like the idea of a PVC pipe watering tray that hangs on the outside, has small slots for them to poke their head through & drink, and a pond pump to keep the water circulating through to a big plastic garbage can resevoir. I also want to be able to slide dividers between sections to corral them into a smaller area for easier catching or to separate warring parties. I have (over-ambitious) plans to grow as much of their food as possible & try to keep their diet as close to what they'd eat in the wild. That includes raising mealworms or some other bug for wiggly protein treats.
What do you think? Am I California quail dreaming? Mostly I just want to know where to get them.
Peace,
Betty Beekeeper,
Bad Kitty Micro-Farm
San Jose, CA
I'm hatching a plan (hatching...heh...get it?) to raise quail in Northern California (suburban San Jose), and am having a hard time finding sources for live California Quail or fertile eggs. Any ideas? I prefer to drive and pick them up if they're chicks.
Been looking at quail pen/coop designs & don't like any of them. Cramming a dozen birds in a plain wire cage indoors doesn't sit well with me. I want the quail to have a mix of places to hang out, from a sunny dirt patch, to a protected "tree" roost, places to hide & all of it fairly easy to care for since I'm disabled. I wanted chickens, but I'm afraid they'll eat my organic heirloom/rare plant seedling project & honeybees. I'd like it mostly up off the ground a few feet to save my back, with oil pans slid underneath to collect droppings for my compost. I also like the idea of a PVC pipe watering tray that hangs on the outside, has small slots for them to poke their head through & drink, and a pond pump to keep the water circulating through to a big plastic garbage can resevoir. I also want to be able to slide dividers between sections to corral them into a smaller area for easier catching or to separate warring parties. I have (over-ambitious) plans to grow as much of their food as possible & try to keep their diet as close to what they'd eat in the wild. That includes raising mealworms or some other bug for wiggly protein treats.
What do you think? Am I California quail dreaming? Mostly I just want to know where to get them.
Peace,
Betty Beekeeper,
Bad Kitty Micro-Farm
San Jose, CA