Quail?

[RussBoy 77]

Anyone experience of quail? Our back garden not big enough for chooks so thinking about maybe some quail for eggs etc.

looking for info on housing etc do they need perches, nest boxes or what? And do they lay well throughout year?

Many thanks in advance, Russ.

[Merlin21 143]

My mate keeps quail they lay well ,very small eggs about a mouhfull .. they don't need a perch and best way to keep them is in something small as they lay their eggs anywhere and everywhere on the ground . seen them in an old cabinet type thing with mesh 75 % way round and a small box at one end to sleep , there were about 4 levels with each level having quail . heard they lay best kept like that .. hope this helps ..

[Chicken_man 1,651]

Try on cage & aviary section too, some of them boys might keep Quail as well.

Atb

[francolin 449]

they will lay daily, can be kept on chick crumb,do ok in small hutch ect, the cocks will fight if housed together,i had mine on wire floors,and lights on timer in winter and got hatching eggs all year round down side they smell if kept in big numbers

[Blooded 62]

Yes they definitely smell, same smell as when the partridges go to shoots in those plastic crates. I keep them in rabbit hutch type setups, only issue is when I first tried this a few years back I left the standard mesh on the hutch and all the birds were killed one night, don't know what by, maybe rats? Since then I have used a smaller mesh and had no trouble. Atb

[forest of dean redneck 11,530]

I had Japanese quail, the males fought each other and tried bonking the females to death,the females picked on smaller or weaker ones,and the less I ended up with the quicker they started dieing, also lost a few when cleaning ,they are quick.

I fed mine on chick crumb,mixed bird seed,millet etc.

Would I have them again no,even though I quite liked the call of the cock bird.

My alternative choice would be bantam chickens.

[Blackbriar 8,569]

I used to keep Japanese and Italian varieties.

 

Apart from keeping males separate, I built a small, low run with a converted rabbit hutch on the end and let them come and go as they pleased, just shoo-ing them inside at night, for safety. They're ground nesters, so you won't need perches, but any run and nesting litter will need to be replaceable, of course.

I kept a dozen females, and I had eggs every day of the year (though not always 12 at once), and often had more than 12 eggs a day in the summer. Feed them on chick crumb, millet stems, with some cabbage stalks etc - the sort of things chooks like, really.

 

If you handle them and get them used to you, the get quite friendly after a time. Smashing little birds !

 

(I sold the eggs at £2 a dozen BTW)

Edited August 3, 2015 by Blackbriar

[francolin 449]

Yes they definitely smell, same smell as when the partridges go to shoots in those plastic crates. I keep them in rabbit hutch type setups, only issue is when I first tried this a few years back I left the standard mesh on the hutch and all the birds were killed one night, don't know what by, maybe rats? Since then I have used a smaller mesh and had no trouble. Atb

stoat ,weasle ?

[francolin 449]

theres all variations out there,i had large for meat,smaller strain for layers,in all colours,golden,white,brown bronze, I also had bob whites,painted,california,and some I cant remember the breed there all easy to keep,some don't breed as freely as japs,but are worth a bit more,i miss the quail,but not the buyers that turned up always a car full atb.

[lurchers 2,754]

My mate has just bought some in to breed for hawk food again,as he struggled to find a supplier close to us

[francolin 449]

My mate has just bought some in to breed for hawk food again,as he struggled to find a supplier close to us

don't know how far from you mate,but I used to go to teeside ,a bloke there bred hundreds,he was into hawks.

[lurchers 2,754]

I work down Middlesbrough mate on pest control how far away are you then as it mustn't be far.

[Rabid 1,936]

I kept a lot of quail a few years back, males fight, bonk girls silly sometimes, even the girls fight if you introduce new ones in as they are very territorial, but once you know the do's and donuts they are easy to keep and get very friendly, I used to enjoy keeping them and may start again soon

[PeskyWabbits 464]

I had quail a few years ago but they were getting depleted one per night. I just found a headless corpse on the inside of the cage.

After I had rehoused 'Gail' the sole survivour, my cat caught a stoat/weasel, so it made sense.

The weasel could fit through the cage but only the quail heads would.

 

I didn't get any more as it seemed a lot of effort for gobstopper eggs.