Coturnix quail

[Aussie Whip 4,159]

Anyone on here raise Coturnix quail for meat and or eggs.I'm thinking they are  more efficient than chickens to reproduce and grow to egg laying and meat size.

[spudlington 3]

I’ve kept Japanese Quail for eggs and eaten a few of the birds too. Eggs were really tasty and the birds eat so little compared to chickens so yes they are efficient. I kept mine in a small broody house with a run on grass, they’re a bit crap at using the nestbox so eggs are laid wherever they feel the urge that day. Also everything I read said they have a poor homing instinct so if you let them free-range during the day they will just f*ck off into the hedgerow for the night.  I only ever killed two at a time so dry-plucked which felt slow and a lot of work for a tiny amount of meat. Killing a large number at a time and wet-plucking might be more efficient. 

[Mr Wilkes 3,066]

Kept the same, they did produce a lot of eggs. The wife used them in salads. I killed a couple and they tasted superb , one of the best meat I’ve eaten. I found if you  can get them to a week old they do very well but like all game birds their only mission I life is to commit suicide.

[spudlington 3]

One thing in particular that the eggs are really good for is wrapping them in minced venison to make scotch eggs.....so so good. 

[forest of dean redneck 11,769]

I had jap quail for short time they are quick ,escape artists , mean sex mad birds 

you need lot of hens to cock ratio and they are aggressive towards each over and once one showed a weakness or injury they would turn in it , also to get best out of them I had to have lot of different feed In, 

I had greens , birdseed and chick crumb and Bantam layers pellets .

to much work I felt never ate any so can’t comment .

tbh I prefer seramas

but don’t keep any animals now.

[keepdiggin 9,561]

On 14/09/2020 at 22:10, forest of dean redneck said:

I had jap quail for short time they are quick ,escape artists , mean sex mad birds 

you need lot of hens to cock ratio and they are aggressive towards each over and once one showed a weakness or injury they would turn in it , also to get best out of them I had to have lot of different feed In, 

I had greens , birdseed and chick crumb and Bantam layers pellets .

to much work I felt never ate any so can’t comment .

tbh I prefer seramas

but don’t keep any animals now.

Why don't you keep animals no more dean?

[forest of dean redneck 11,769]

55 minutes ago, keepdiggin said:

Why don't you keep animals no more dean?

Seperated from wife Moved out now divorced ,Work full time Then out with girlfriend and Can’t keep animals here Pretty much covers it .