Keeping quail

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baronrenfrew
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Keeping quail

Post by baronrenfrew » Thu Sep 29, 2016 5:33 pm

Since I got you folks thinking with the thread on quail eggs and allergies, i thought i'd add a few points on keeping quail.

Coturnix quail are very easy to keep, and will take the cold surprisingly well. I last kept them in a shed and temp would drop to -30 with no losses (but eggs would freeze like rocks) so I controlled laying with lights. I had them in a 6x5 pen on shavings, changed it every couple of weeks, but some eggs would disappear in the shavings. If kept on wire, they look a little "dissheveled" but otherwise healthy. They love a bowl of sand for a dust bath. The manure can be really ammonia smelling. If surprised they would "flush" but would fly up about three feet. They loved this setup.

Any bird to be kept in a cage should be put in the cage as young as feasible. If they know "freedom" they never settle in to cages after.

I had bobwhites but they would flush like mad when I went near the cage and could tear their heads open so the cage should be just tall enough for comfort; or with a solid roof.

Coturnix are very active breeders and may damage the hens. I would rotate the males in and out.
In a cage I have read that they do better in dense groups.

Al has been doing well with quail outdoors 24/7 and his pen is against a building wall but is facing North (!), where I would face it East or South (mindful of summer sun).

I had bobwhites in my stone bank barn, and the barn would heat up very late in spring so they wouldn't lay until June. (It could have been lack of light as well, as I didn't have a timer/light setup.) They were free in a very large pen, the hen laid a clutch of eggs, then she died and the male incubated them!
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Jaye
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Keeping quail

Post by Jaye » Thu Sep 29, 2016 6:50 pm

Baron, I would really like to get more details on keeping Coturnix outdoors; i.e., type of housing and outdoor enclosure, predator proofing, etc. Not a big fan of keeping any birds on wire flooring (or in the house), so would like to try setting up something like a covered run with secure housing overnight. Do you know what their minimum space requirements are?
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kenya
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Keeping quail

Post by kenya » Thu Sep 29, 2016 7:07 pm

Do coturnix come in different colours? I see tuxedo and snowflake or they a different kind?
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Maximus
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Keeping quail

Post by Maximus » Thu Sep 29, 2016 7:45 pm

What does flush mean?
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kenya
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Keeping quail

Post by kenya » Thu Sep 29, 2016 7:50 pm

Maximus wrote:QR_BBPOST What does flush mean?
I think that's when they scare and jump straight up.
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JimW
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Keeping quail

Post by JimW » Thu Sep 29, 2016 8:50 pm

kenya wrote:QR_BBPOST Do coturnix come in different colours? I see tuxedo and snowflake or they a different kind?
Lots of different colours....wild, white, Italian, rosetta, tibetan, tuxedo, silver, silver tuxedo, golden.........

The snowflakes you see are Bobwhite quail, at least I have not seen snowflake coturnix, my snowflakes are bob whites.
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baronrenfrew
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Keeping quail

Post by baronrenfrew » Thu Sep 29, 2016 10:25 pm

Bobwhite Quail domestic varieties include Georgia Giants, Tenessee Reds, Snowflakes, and Blondes

Coturnix varieties include the list Jim made and: Texas A&M Jumbo whites, etc. in the wild they live all across Europe and Asia.

Housing for Quail is basically the same for all.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/homestea ... az81sozraw

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-foo ... s-zbcz1306

https://poultrykeeper.com/general-quail ... ing-quail/

The bottom line is that rats will kill quail, so keep that in mind for housing and security. Also think how you will remove eggs and catch birds when needed. If coturnix escape, they are gone, but fly and run poorly. Bobwhites run and fly well, but will stay as a group. Hunters use bobwhites to train dogs. They "plant" birds in grass, get the dogs to find them and they flush (fly off, more of an explosion, some birds such as rooster pheasants cackle when flushed). One bobwhite is set in a live trap (not unlike a minnow trap) and they'll call to each other and eventually all will be in the trap. So an escapee bobwhite will hang around "home" until caught (by you or the neighbours cat).

The bottom line for housing is ventilation but not drafts, and for winter a full shelter (like a mini chicken house) is fine. I've never heard of coturnix going broody but bobwhites will if given enough privacy.
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windwalkingwolf
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Keeping quail

Post by windwalkingwolf » Fri Sep 30, 2016 2:04 pm

What is their optimal lifespan, and how long do they lay for? I have heard they will go broody if kept on the ground in a big tractor, anyone know if this is true?
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kenya
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Keeping quail

Post by kenya » Tue Oct 04, 2016 2:13 am

So I got my coturnix quail, 3 females and 1male, seem very calm. Very pleased with them can't wait for my first egg. Will let you know when I get one. We'll see if it helps with allergies at all.
IMG_20161003_155718.jpg
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kenya
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Keeping quail

Post by kenya » Thu Oct 20, 2016 6:47 pm

Ha! Ha! So I ended up with 2 males, my husband is laughing his head off!
What colour eggs are those of you with quail getting?
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