Yesss!! Getting some quails this saturday! :D + questions

[magicpigeon]

I'm not exactly "new" to quail breeding but my experience was INCREDIBLY limited to paddy's market quality jap quails...already about 2 months old. I'm getting 5 x 3 week old quail chicks this Saturday and have some questions:

1. What temperature should my brooder be?
2. Can I feed my quail chicken starter? And for how long?
3. When can quail chicks be moved outside permanently?
4. Is 5 sufficient enough to almost safely have a female and a male? I'm trying not to get too many but obviously if I only get 2 the chances are...

5. Can Jap quails go broody? If not, are doves/pigeons/silkie hens a close approximation? lol

6. What is the lifespan of a non-hatchery, breeder quality quail?

I'll post some pics once I get them. I'm planning on getting 2 fawns, 1 brown and a white.

 

[BobwhiteQuailLover]

Quote:

 

[Wifezilla]

2. Can I feed my quail chicken starter? And for how long?

No. You need game bird starter. The protein level of chick starter is way too low.​

 

[Robo]

Quote:
4. Is 5 sufficient enough to almost safely have a female and a male? I'm trying not to get too many but obviously if I only get 2 the chances are...

One male to 3-8 females is best.
5. Can Jap quails go broody? If not, are doves/pigeons/silkie hens a close approximation? lol

6. What is the lifespan of a non-hatchery, breeder quality quail?Don't count on broodiness, that is very rare. If housed right they can live up to 5+ years. Normally about three or four.

I'll post some pics once I get them. I'm planning on getting 2 fawns, 1 brown and a white.

 

[Robo]

Quote:

Bobwhite Quail Lover please stop posting incorrect information. Coturnix quail can lay at 6 weeks. In the summer they can go in an outside brooder as soon as they hatch. At around 6 weeks coturnix reach full maturity. These are NOT bobwhites.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
#1: You should have the brooder as close to 100* as you can get the first week then lower it 5* every week after that.
#2: Quail should have higher protein though I've raised all mine on a 20% flock raiser and they did just fine.
#3: Moving them outside depends on what time of year and your temperatures. I usually move mine outside when they are around 3-4 weeks old if the temps are in the 60's or higher. Lower than that and they wait til they are at least 6 weeks old.
#4: 5 chicks? That might work, though you could end up with all of one sex even with that, just the luck of the draw.
#5: Rarely (think 'near impossible')
#6: 3-5 years I believe, hatchery or not. Males live longer usually. It's more about how you manage them, if you keep the hens laying year-round non-stop they won't live much past 1-2 years.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
4. Is 5 sufficient enough to almost safely have a female and a male? I'm trying not to get too many but obviously if I only get 2 the chances are...

One male to 3-8 females is best.
5. Can Jap quails go broody? If not, are doves/pigeons/silkie hens a close approximation? lol

6. What is the lifespan of a non-hatchery, breeder quality quail?Don't count on broodiness, that is very rare. If housed right they can live up to 5+ years. Normally about three or four.

I'll post some pics once I get them. I'm planning on getting 2 fawns, 1 brown and a white.

You can keep 1 male with 1 female, it just depends on the birds.

 

[magicpigeon]

Thanks for the replies

Just one more thing- is fawn recessive or dominant over white and brown? Just wanting to know, I don't want to completely breed out pure white

 

[shelleyd2008]

White is recessive to everything (incomplete dominant over tibetan), fawn is recessive to brown. If you want to hatch white birds you'll need 1 of each sex...or you'll have to do a lot of crossing back to 'pick it back up'.

 

[Robo]

Brown is dominant, and white is recessive. Not completely sure about fawn but think t is recessive.