# questions (a lot of them) about keeping quail



## mirigraber (Dec 14, 2009)

I'm interested in keeping Coturnix quail indoors for eggs (not to sell, just for us) and have a lot of questions! I'm not expecting anyone person to answer them all and would appreciate any advice others can share. I'm most concerned about proper housing, quality of life for the birds, cost, noise, and over-population. I live in a double block and I have tenants next door. I have a huge attic that is over both sides of the house. I could use droppings for compost of a relatively small (apx 200 sf) vegetable garden as well flowers and two fruit trees but do compost kitchen scraps also and wouldn't want to be inundated with droppings. I buy about 4 - 6 doz free-range chicken eggs per week (my family eats a lot of eggs because most of us are vegetarian) from a local farmer @ $3 per dozen. Sorry this is so long but I love animals and don't want to get into anything I can't handle. I guess my main questions are:


*Can keeping quail in a large ventilated attic with a fair amount of natural light work?* Would there be issues with temperature in summer and winter? I can open windows and the attic has a very high peak but I wouldn't want to get into a/c or supplemental heat. I live in northeast PA and get by just fine without a/c in my room. I'm not sure of the temp of the attic in winter but thought I would measure it through this winter to get an idea of the range. I could cover the aviary with blankets on cold nights but I don't know how effective this would be with a large aviary.

*About how many quail would I need to supply the rough equivalent of 4 - 6 doz chicken eggs a week?* How does the cost of raising quail compare to spending $60 to $80 a month (cost of eggs and travel to and from farm) on chicken eggs? Being self-sufficient is important to be but I would like to save a little money if possible and certainly not spend more than I'm spending now.

*How much work is involved?* How much time would I spend feeding, watering, cleaning the cage, and collecting eggs apx per week? How often does the cage need to be cleaned to not have a strong odor? How much compost would I be carrying down 2 sets of stairs?

*I have read online that quail rarely hatch their own eggs in captivity and was wondering if this was accurate?* It would be nice to be able to occasionally hatch my own chicks as needed to keep a certain number of birds but wouldn't want more than I could care for. 

*I saw comments in another thread about roosters being noisy. Would my tenants be disturbed?* If the tenants didn't have to know there was an attic full of quail over their heads that would be perfect. Some people might not approve of this but I don't really want to request any kind of permission from our zoning office. 

*What kind of ratio of male to female birds works best?* What do you do if you hatch birds and find that you have too many roosters? I would be happy to give birds away but am guessing this is hard to do with roosters. I wouldn't want to use any birds for food. 

*What is need for the well-being of the birds.* It's important to me that the birds have a decent quality of life and I'm okay with making a large aviary. Any info on size or expense to build would be great. Any info on health concerns would be appreciated as well

*I'm also curious about the taste of the eggs.* The eggs we get now are pretty good quality. I'm not fussy but the kids can be particular at times. 

* I've read lots of different things about feeding?* Could anyone give me an idea about economical but nutritious feed?

* Does anyone know of good disease free place to get eggs?*

Thank you in advance to anyone who can answer even 1 or 2 questions! Any info about books or internet info would be greatly appreciated as well.


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## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

I have quail!
Actually, taking the excellent advice to start small and see how you do with it, I have 5, 3 males, 2 females. I really love them and have been doing research with the idea of getting more.
So I am a self-confessed rank newbie, but from what I've learned so far I'd really like more.

What I've learned so far.
1)Attics in PA. I am recently moved from PA and attics roast all summer and freeze all winter. You can get a High/Low thermometer to see how great a range, but I wouldn't plan on keeping any critter in an attic without temp control. 
I had a friend who lived herself in an insulated attic, unless she was there to open windows and turn on fans - or space heaters - the temp swung alot. Her little guinea pig actually died on one of those days that was very chilly in the morning and hot at mid day. She beats herself up about leaving a window shut to this day, years later.
So I'd figure out a way to regulate the temp or find another spot.

I've known more then one person to keep them in rabbit-type hutches outside with great success.

2) I have no idea. I can tell you the eggs are a little smaller then a quarter, and I would guess 3? would = a med egg and 4 a large.<guess> To us they taste EXACTLY like chicken eggs. And they lay nearly an egg a day. Math anyone?

3) I have 2 cages, 18 inches x 2 feet (3 in one, 2 in the other) and clean them every 4 days. I bed with shavings and a little handful of grassy hay. Lots of people use wire bottom cages, but their feet are small and their poop is big, I don't think it would be less work. You could probably bed with a smaller amount of peat.

Hey! There is NEVER too much compost! Though carrying any amount down 2 flights every few days would get old fast. Pulley and bucket out the window?

4) I understand that they it's kind of a freak thing for them to hatch their own, you need an incubator. Mine show NO interest in their eggs, they just lay them where ever, walk and poop on them.

5) Mine really aren't noisy at all. The girls are just as loud when they "cricket" but it's not really loud at all to me. I have the best roo with the girls and the other 2 I am happy to keep as pets because they're cute - and there's only 2 of them - and they're a pretty color, if (when!) I get more girls, I'll likely get the more common white or brown cortunix and give them to my colorful boys.
Even though I'm happy keeping my 2 just as pets for now, I really can't imagine a pet market for excess males. I'm sure you could give a few away, but not many, and I imagine some cruel people would want them for live feeding of reptiles or cats _(Note; I have *no problem *with keeping reptiles or raw feeding of pets, but the food animal should be pre-killed!!)_
I understand they taste as much like chicken as their eggs, and if (when!) I get more, I full anticipate finding out. There's really nothing else to do with them.

Oh! Nearly forgot! Males can NOT be crowded at all or kept in a mixed group. They will kill each other. It will not be pretty.

6) I have a trio that are ok. One of the males was too rough with so few girls and tore one up (she's fine now)so I swapped him out. I understand that the best group is 6 to 10 females and one male per cage. One square foot per bird. 

7) They're pretty domesticated, don't fly, don't perch, haven't been really interested in anything I've put in there for their "habitat enrichment" I've heard they like to dust bathe :shrug: haven't tried it yet.

8) Like chicken! But teeny.

9) Mine get high protien game bird crumbles. I paid $9 + tax for a 40 pound bag. After study, this is standard. Mine haven't really picked at any greens I've given them. With only 5 birds, I'll have that bag for a _while_.

10) I don't know of any diseases they're prone to? Most people order eggs online. The BYC forum has a quail page and many members sell eggs.There's a member here who sells them, but I don't know their name or I would tell you to pm them as they surely know* FAR* more then me. I was planning on just getting some from Ebay from a seller with good feedback for shipping.

I've made an incubator with a styrofoam cooler, a light bulb and some tin foil more then once. There are LOTS of instructions online.

So from one beginner to another, this is what I've learned with lots of study and my tiny sample of birds. I really like mine alot.
Why don't you try a few and see what you learn? Good luck and WELCOME to the forums!!


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## mirigraber (Dec 14, 2009)

Hi Otter. Thank you so much for all the info and for sharing your experiences! It was really nice to get such an in depth answer. I think you're right, starting small is the way to go. When I am excited about doing something I have been known to get a little carried away  I will have to do a study on the attic. I would feel awful if something happened. I feel bad for your friend. I would be like that.

I'm curious about the habitat enrichment. I'm envisioning a branch they refuse to sit on  What do they do all day? I'm curious what they're like and if they interact with people. We had a parrot when I was a kid and he had a lot of personality but he didn't lay eggs either so I guess he had to compensate. Where do you keep your birds? I'm assuming inside but am curious where. I couldn't have them on the first floor because my dogs are crazy. I'm not sure what would happen with the cats.

It doesn't sound like caring for them is unusually labor intensive. And what's a little more work anyway? I appreciate all the specifics about their cages and upkeep. You mentioned not having had quail meat. I have eaten wild bobwhite quail. I've always found it difficult to eat anything I had to dress and never liked dark meat but I thought it was okay - lol not a great review but actually coming from me, not bad.

I enjoyed reading about your little flock (is that the right term for quail?) It made me think that I might just get a few as pets and take it from there. I am still very concerned about extra males. I wouldn't want them to be live feed and while I'm not opposed to the humane slaughter of animals I am not sure I could kill them myself. The family would probably be happy to try it, though 1 (of the 3 who eat poultry) won't eat dark meat so might not like it. 

Thanks for the welcome. I think I''m going to learn a lot here!


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## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

I wish I could get a picture, but can't right now. Mine are in a shed in a stacked cage with solid bottoms. The cages are 3 x 2 with the top one divided. The quail are only taking up the top one for now. In this set-up I could easily keep 2 breeding trios on top, 6 to 8 layers in the middle and a grow-out cage on bottom. This, a little brooder and an incubator could pretty much keep me in quail, so no need to take up a lot of room. Two such cages filled with layers would provide a lot of eggs.
I'd be happy to have a couple in the house, but where we live right now is incredibly tiny. But they are pretty things and not loud at all. 

LOL, habitat enrichment has included branches they niether perch on or hide under, greens they don't peck at, the little bit of soft hay they show no interest in (and certainly _no_ desire to nest with - even a leghorn chicken wil fix up a nestbox a_ little_ if you give her hay!), and a hollowed out log type pet thingy that is also niether perched on nor hidden under. Though I did once find a single egg under it. But as I said, they just lay them any-old where. They feel the urge, pause and lay.

What they do mostly all day is cage pace - which has no relation at all to the size of the cage. In fact, too much empty space seems to make them nervous and they spend their time crouching, ready to fly straight up (and brain themselves on the top). They just seem to like to run. I'm sure if they could figure out a hamster wheel, they'd use one, lol. 
That and interact. They are constantly displaying to each other and mating. Any little thing sets them displaying and vocalizing. When I put my hand in the cages they react like it's one of the opposite sex and display.

Their neither friendly nor unfriendly. If I reach in to get one they hurry around but are as likely to run over my hand as away from it.

As far as the excess males go, probably humane slaughter is the kindest thing. As I said, if they feel crowded, or you miss a girl, or the ?the moon is in the wrong house? they will kill each other. It's like they decide "Yup, today Fred's gotta die" and they proceed to peck Fred's head blind and bloody and leave him in a miserable huddle - but often not yet dead - so you have to do the deed of mercy yourself.

It's a hard hurdle to get over for nearly everyone who isn't raised raising thier own meat, and some who are. Since you have pets, just kill and skin and petfood. Your dogs and cats will be healthier and it will be easy enough for you to just cut off some breast meat when you want some. According to my math (yours may differ) raising quail is cheaper then buying good quality cat kibble. If (when!) I get to raising them on a larger scale, that is the ultimate fate of most of mine.
Even big ones are pretty small, and I can't see going through all the work of plucking and dressing out for the table except as an occasional treat. I understand the skinless breasts cooked up in a little butter are great and I bet the cats won't miss it.

The skins and feathers can be composted, or salted and stretched flat and the feathers used for crafts. I've heard some people sell them to crafters and fly-tie ers, but I don't think I'd count on that as income. 

You could try advertising that you have quail and seeing if there is someone who would be happy to do the buthcering for you in exchange for the majority of the birds. Try putting up a flier at your nearest feed store. Maybe someone has quail and would sell you just some females and you wouldn't have to worry about it.

Below where your name is, third to the left is the Search feature. Try typing in Cortunix.


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## Schroeder (Oct 3, 2008)

Its "Coturnix" They can be killed , cleaned and skinned in about 1 minute. Three or four make a fine (gourmet) meal.


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## TheMartianChick (May 26, 2009)

I keep quail in the city. If you would like to see one of my quail hutches, you can find a photo here:

http://mission-2-mars.blogspot.com/search/label/quail 


[*]*Can keeping quail in a large ventilated attic with a fair amount of natural light work?* Like the others who have posted, I wouldn't recommend keeping them in an attic for the summer. They really aren't very heat hardy and their poop has a lot of ammonia. Mine live in a hutch in my backyard in the city. Even though it is winter and we've had some extreme temperatures, they are still doing fine. They have lots of straw, plastic over the screening and heated water bottles when the weather gets really cold.

[*]*About how many quail would I need to supply the rough equivalent of 4 - 6 doz chicken eggs a week?* 
Once the hens reach 6 weeks of age, they will lay an egg almost every day. I tend to use 3 or 4 quail eggs for each chicken egg that a recipe calls for. I spend about $11 per 50lb bag of feed which lasts them about 2 1/2-3 months. I have 15 or 16 birds. I built their hutch out of scrap material and a new roll of welded wire.

[*]*How much work is involved?* 

I spend about 15 minutes per day on feeding and watering and an extra 30 minutes per week on miscellaneous related tasks. I use rabbit waterers and chick feeders to minimize the daily chores. Quail poop falls right through the floor of my cages because they are made of welded wire, so not a lot of poop builds up unless I have straw in there to keep them warm.

[*]*I have read online that quail rarely hatch their own eggs in captivity and was wondering if this was accurate?* 

Definitely true... One of my first purchases was an incubator. My birds aren't in the least bit interested in going broody.

[*]*I saw comments in another thread about roosters being noisy. Would my tenants be disturbed?* 

Quail roosters can be noisy. Our tenant in the house next door was being driven crazy by one of our roosters. The rooster had been separated from the rest of the bevy because he had been badly beaten. The butt-whooping that that he received wasn't enough to make him stop calling out to all of the quail hens. All day, all night. ..He even screeched "AFLACK" when there was a full moon. Finally, I had to build him a separate hutch and give him a girlfriend.

[*]*What kind of ratio of male to female birds works best?* 
We keep only one rooster in each section of the hutch. Any more and they will kill eachother. I stopped hatching more birds because I have no desire to build any more hutches. The choices are to sell the roosters, eat them or build more hutches.

[*]*What is needed for the well-being of the birds.* 

Quail don't really need much in the way of entertainment. They need a hutch of some kind, good food and clean water. The floor of the hutch really should be made of welded wire to keep their feet clean and in good shape. They tend to develop poop balls on their feet when they are kept on wood.They are susceptible to diseases that chickens can catch but the diseases can be fatal in quail as they are really more like wild birds and don't have the same immunity. It is okay to raise different types of fowl, but it is important to keep them in their own areas.

[*]*I'm also curious about the taste of the eggs.* 

The eggs taste exactly like chicken eggs to me. Some people think that they are a bit sweeter, but I don't notice any difference at all and I'm pretty darn picky about a lot of things.

[*]* I've read lots of different things about feeding?* 

Wefeed Blue Seal Game Bird Crumbles. Quail need more protein than chickens. We also supplement their protein year roiund with meal worms that we raise. They also like treats from time to time...dairy products, apple bits, some seeds and weeds, etc...

[*]* Does anyone know of good disease free place to get eggs?*

I had heard negative things about ordering eggs from the hatcheries and didn't want to order quail chicks through the mail. I eventually got eggs from someone who also posts here at HomesteadingToday and from someone who posts on another site. Both groups of eggs hatched really well. However, the HT poster hasn't posted in a long time. I won't have any fertile eggs until Spring because I don't provide the quail with supplemental lighting. I can provide some contact information for the two sellers in a private message. In some states, (like NY) a permit is required to keep quail. My permit was issued by the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation.
[/LIST]


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## mirigraber (Dec 14, 2009)

Otter said:


> I wish I could get a picture, but can't right now. Mine are in a shed in a stacked cage with solid bottoms. The cages are 3 x 2 with the top one divided.


I like the idea of keeping them outside. I have a garage and a little shed. My son inherited my dad's old pool table and put it in the garage. But that doesn't automatically mean there couldn't be quail. The shed would probably work. It's small (4 ft x 8 ft) but it would probably be fine. 

The only thing that concerns me about keeping them outside is I just don't know about zoning here. I asked about ducks and the woman at the municipal building seemed offended on behalf of the entire town. So I'm afraid to ask about any other birds. I was thinking I would just go in and read the zoning rules for myself and deal with any issues as they come up. As I understand it, state game laws only relate to bob white and I have to say that I agree with that. I think inspection and licensing probably is a good idea when people are raising birds to release into the wild population and I don't really want to run afoul (cute pun?) of the Pennsylvania state game commission.



Otter said:


> It's like they decide "Yup, today Fred's gotta die" and they proceed to peck Fred's head blind and bloody and leave him in a miserable huddle - but often not yet dead - so you have to do the deed of mercy yourself.


LOL. Poor Fred. Does this happen only when there is more than one male in the cage? Or even just among hens? We have had a female German shepherd (not being bred) in the apex of her heat this week and I'm not sure about taking on any additional animal drama 




Otter said:


> Since you have pets, just kill and skin and petfood. Your dogs and cats will be healthier and it will be easy enough for you to just cut off some breast meat when you want some.


That is an excellent idea. I have 2 big dogs and multiple cats and 1 cat and 1 dog have pricey ongoing medical problems. Both need special food and the dog needs medical supplies. I feed my female dog premium food and supplement with left over protein when we have it, which is not all that often. The cats would be happy with whatever they got. I am thinking of doing a homemade kidney diet with my male dog. I ordered a book by a holistic vet on medical issues with dogs and cats. There is a recipe in there for a kidney diet which requires eggs. I spend a lot of money on my pets. Offsetting it in any way would be worth thinking about.




Otter said:


> Maybe someone has quail and would sell you just some females and you wouldn't have to worry about it.


That might be a good solution but I think that if I decide to deal this I may have to deal with killing a bird at some point and have to think about that. Again, thanks for the great answers. I am still factoring all the info in which is a good thing!


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## mirigraber (Dec 14, 2009)

Schroeder said:


> Its "Coturnix" They can be killed , cleaned and skinned in about 1 minute. Three or four make a fine (gourmet) meal.


Okay. I have to ask. How is that done? My grandmother kept chickens. She chopped off their heads I think but I never saw it done. I don't necessarily doubt my ability to go through with something like that (except that knowing me the bird would escape) but I'm not sure that I would feel comfortable doing it. Eating the meat would be hard for me. I do eat a little poultry from time to time so it's not really that. I have had some exposure to hunting and have prepped and cooked pheasant, quail and rabbit. I will eat it but only for the sake of not hurting somebodies feelings. Not because I disapprove of hunting btw, but just because that's the reaction I have. Which makes Otter's suggestion about pet food something I really want to consider!


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## Freeholder (Jun 19, 2004)

I've wondered about quail, too. How noisy are they in comparison with chickens? And how long are their useful lives?

Kathleen


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## mirigraber (Dec 14, 2009)

TheMartianChick said:


> I keep quail in the city. If you would like to see one of my quail hutches, you can find a photo here:
> 
> http://mission-2-mars.blogspot.com/search/label/quail


Wow. Great blog! I have a blog also. Would it be okay if I follow yours? The hutch is really nice. I'm pretty sure I could do something similar and we have lots of scraps from remodeling. Also a home depot gift certificate  



TheMartianChick said:


> Once the hens reach 6 weeks of age, they will lay an egg almost every day. I tend to use 3 or 4 quail eggs for each chicken egg that a recipe calls for. I spend about $11 per 50lb bag of feed which lasts them about 2 1/2-3 months. I have 15 or 16 birds.


Thanks for the numbers. I do want to sit down and do the math. I'm not in a position to lose money on anything really right now. Because of my feelings about battery hens and to a lesser extend the conditions free-range chickens are kept, I buy free-range eggs from a nearby farm. Also milk. It's nice to see the cows walking around in the field and know that they are living normal cow lives and I would feel the same way about quail. Not paying $3 a doz for eggs would be okay too though I am probably not getting a cow  Do the hens lay in winter outside? I'm curious too if they have to have a certain amount of light or temperature in terms of egg-production.




TheMartianChick said:


> Quail poop falls right through the floor of my cages because they are made of welded wire, so not a lot of poop builds up unless I have straw in there to keep them warm.


Is there a certain size for the wire? I know I have seen chicken wire at home depot but am not sure if that's the same thing. Does the poop fall through the wire when you use straw or does it all get mixed up together? (Sorry for all the questions!) How often does the straw have to be changed? I could make use of a certain amount I'm sure.



TheMartianChick said:


> The butt-whooping that that he received wasn't enough to make him stop calling out to all of the quail hens. All day, all night. ..He even screeched "AFLACK" when there was a full moon. Finally, I had to build him a separate hutch and give him a girlfriend.


That was very nice of you. Is he still noisy?



TheMartianChick said:


> Quail don't really need much in the way of entertainment.


LOL. That's good. I'm catering to enough family members the way it is!





TheMartianChick said:


> I won't have any fertile eggs until Spring because I don't provide the quail with supplemental lighting. I can provide some contact information for the two sellers in a private message.


That would be great! I will probably be waiting till Spring to implement this (assuming I go forward with it). So please let me know if you have some to sell!

Thanks again to anyone. I'm learning soo much. I think it will be great thread for others considering raising quail to refer to. I love to read but for things like this nothing beats talking to others who have direct experience!


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## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

LOL, hope I didn't send you on thw wrong search with my mispell. That's what I get for trying to post with the baby on my lap.

I couldn't really tell you how loud they are compared to chickens, but mine seem quieter then cockatiels. At their loudest, they are a little louder then my budgies at their loudest. Does that help anyone? Mine will crow and "cricket" both quietly and at the top of their lungs.
I can't hear them from the outside of the shed at all unless I am a foot or two from it and they are being as loud as they can.

Now I haven't done quail, but I have done small chickens (chicks) and injured birds for mercy's sake and a sharp meatcleaver and the kitchen cutting board for a quick beheading is easy, merciful and sure. Don't freak when the beak gapes once or twice. You can also grab the head in one hand with the bird firmly in the other and give a quick HARD jerk.
The only problem with that is no matter how much you steel yourself up for it, some people have such a strong inhibition against hurting something that they don't jerk hard enough. Hopefully you will have it so firmly fixed in your mind to "pull hard" that you will do what I did the first time and pull the head clean off. The neck breaks before any tissue rips and the bird never feels it.

There are several posts on how to prepare birds for the table. Maybe with more practice I will be able to do the whole process in a minute, the killing and skinning of chickens only takes me 2 minutes, and it only adds seconds on to it to filet off the breast meat, but cleaning for a whole roast bird takes me longer. 

Bantam roos, anything that was culled for sickness and scraps go to my pets. I had 2 dogs and still have several cats who are pretty sensitive to kibble and the more natural food I can give them, the better they do. Which was actually one of my main motivations behind getting quail. By my math, it's more expensive then the cheapest pet kibbles, but far less expensive then the good stuff they need for their kidneys and allergies.

Where in NEPA are you? I recently moved from the Scranton area. Look up the county codes and the township codes and some areas are also under the jurisdiction of a borough. But all the codes are online. Look it up - don't ask. The folks behind the counter don't know and it is easier for them to say no and put you on a list for inspectors to come out and harass you then for them to know the actual laws. Best if YOU know the laws and have them printed out and ready. Many townships have prohibition against the raising of birds for commercial purposes. basically that means you can't be selling eggs or dressed birds for consumption.


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## TheMartianChick (May 26, 2009)

Mirigraber- Feel free to follow my blog... I'd love to have someone else along for the crazy urban farm ride!

One way that you can make sure that your birds pay for themselves is to put an ad on Craigslist offering eggs for sale. I sell a 10 pack of quail eggs for $3 and offer a discount if they buy more than 1...Most buy 3 packs, which I sell for $8. That almost pays for a bag of feed. We only have to sell three packs a month and we get all of the eggs for eating that we want.

My birds do not really lay in the winter. There aren't enough daylight hours and I also think that they are sensitive to the colder temps. I get one egg per week from a very diligent bird. Last week's egg was frozen solid when I got to it.. Good thing that we also have chickens!

I used 1/4 inch welded wire for their cage floors. The wire is much stronger than regular chicken wire and the size ensures that their feet don't get caught in it. We have a few stray cats that love to watch "quail tv" so we have to make sure that the birds are secure. With straw added the poop tends to get caught up and stays in the cage. I usually just pull the straw out when it starts to build up... About once a month. 

As for Bert, the quail that got beaten up, he still made the "AFLACK" sound but it wasn't as frequent. He seems pretty happy with his girlfriend Flirt. I've only seen female quail go after a male once he's been injured. Kind of like how chickens will pick at the wound of another bird.

To answer BlueJuniper's questions- Quail are nowhere near as noisy as chickens. The generally make a cricket sound when they are happy. The "AFLACK" sound can carry a ways, but it kind of sounds "natural" and fits in with the other bird noises that we have in our neighborhood. My neighbors know that I have them and only our tenant ever complained about that one bird. He is also my brother in law and he tended to keep his windows open. However, we made the mistake of keeping the birds in the house until they were almost 7 weeks old because the hutch wasn't finished. The roosters drove us crazy! One bird would crow and then the next...back and forth.

Quail only live about 3-4 years. They will still lay, but they aren't quite as regular about it. I would probably say that their useful lives are about 2- 2 1/2 years. The good thing is that as long as you have access to fertile eggs, you can always hatch out their replacements. 

I've always felt that in a long term emergency situation, quail are better than chickens because they are prolific layers, the eggs hatch in about 17 days and the hens begin laying eggs about 6 weeks after that. The catch would be having a way to hatch the eggs if there was no power. Next spring, I plan to test a few ideas that I have about hatching without electricity. Quail eggs are so forgiving when it comes to fluctuating temperatures that I figured that they'd be a natural to test my theories on.

If all goes well, I should have good fertile eggs by May. I will definitely let you know when they are available.


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## Freeholder (Jun 19, 2004)

Thank you for your answers! Do you think a bantam hen could hatch quail eggs out? Or would she be too big?

I agree with you about quail being better 'survival' birds than chickens in some respects -- them being quieter would be a very good thing if you had to hide the fact that you had livestock (rabbits are good for this reason, too). But I wonder if it would be easier to feed the chickens entirely from home-grown stuff? That would include some offal from butchering, surplus dairy products (I have goats), and raising some worms for them. 

Kathleen


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## TheMartianChick (May 26, 2009)

BlueJuniperFarm said:


> Thank you for your answers! Do you think a bantam hen could hatch quail eggs out? Or would she be too big?
> 
> I agree with you about quail being better 'survival' birds than chickens in some respects -- them being quieter would be a very good thing if you had to hide the fact that you had livestock (rabbits are good for this reason, too). But I wonder if it would be easier to feed the chickens entirely from home-grown stuff? That would include some offal from butchering, surplus dairy products (I have goats), and raising some worms for them.
> 
> Kathleen


I wouldn't think that a "regular" bantam could hatch them out...Maybe a Sebright could, as they are pretty small. The big problem that I see is that the eggshells on quail eggs are pretty thin. Most chickens kind of mix the eggs up with their feet to turn them. They can be a bit rough. 

I do grow a few things that the quail seem to like. They seem to like amaranth and any bugs that I can find in the garden. I tend to give them the grass that has gone to seed at the back of my property, too.You can always feed them scrambled or crushed hard boiled eggs as a supplement or cook and mash some vegetables. They are omnivores like chickens, but they just eat food that is in smaller bits and pieces.

The interesting thing about them is that different hatches of the birds seem to like different things. I have one group that likes almost anything that I offer them. Others will turn up their beaks at a lot of stuff other than their food. I have fed them oatmeal and various kinds of fruit bits. If you have feed for other animals, then you can often feed quail the powdery bits that are sometimes in the bottom of the bag or strike it with a hammer. It might not be the most nutritious for them since they require so much protein.


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## Freeholder (Jun 19, 2004)

Hmm, it seems that I read that the Sebrights don't go broody much, but there are a couple of other really tiny bantams, I think (Seramas? Do they go broody?). Might be worth trying a batch, at any rate, just to see if it would work.

Kathleen


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

I know a breeder who breeds a LOT of quail. She supplies Murry McMurry, and quite a few other suppliers along with some game farms. She hatches out 3000 chicks at a time. She does it all in her basement.


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## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

BlueJuniperFarm, Olde English Game bantams are the smallest I've ever seen (having never seen a Serama except in pictures) Brooding fiends and certainly small enough to do the job. 
Mille Fluer and Porcelains I've seen have been pretty small too. Easily Sebright size or smaller.

I got a few Buff Brahma banties from Sandhill. They are pretty tiny. The one I had go broody was very careful with her eggs and I think she could hatch quail eggs. I'll find out when she goes broody again! Nothing to lose and she's a broody girl.
The Dark and Light Brahma bantams I got from there were bigger then the Buffs. The Darks might be able to, but the Lights were the biggest and pretty flighty. 

Sandhill has the OEGB too. I think the trouble would come with the hens raising the chicks. I think you'd have to take them from her once they hatched. Call me a sap, but that always makes me feel bad.


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## Janossy (Feb 3, 2006)

We had quail for awhile. I loved having a few quails for pets, but when we got up to having about 50 or so it wasn't "fun" anymore. All they did was poop, eat and fornicate.......alot! Numerous eggs that were good but chickens are easier. JMHO


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## TheMartianChick (May 26, 2009)

Janossy said:


> We had quail for awhile. I loved having a few quails for pets, but when we got up to having about 50 or so it wasn't "fun" anymore. All they did was poop, eat and fornicate.......alot! Numerous eggs that were good but chickens are easier. JMHO


Yep! that pretty much sums up their existence... I love sitting in my backyard listening to the little cricket sound that they make. I rate them about equal with my chickens. The quail don't seem to crab at me the way that my chickens do, though.My chickens are funny, but grouchy! They also made me wait a long time before producing any eggs.


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## mirigraber (Dec 14, 2009)

I'm sorry I wasn't able to reply earlier. I sell things on ebay and have been trying to start on etsy and holiday season is busy. I have gotten some great answers here and learned so much! Some people were so funny and everyone was helpful. 

The jury is still out on the quail. After hearing everyone's experience, I'm pretty sure that I would like to have them and that the eggs would be a real help. (Especially since I am now making my own dog food and use even more eggs than I did before.) 

*There are a few issues that bother me*: Butchering excess males in one of them. I think I could probably do it if I had to but am not sure that I want too and I know it will freak out the family. I'm also concerned about zoning also and worried that the neighbors might report me if I try to stay under the radar. 

*Oh if anyone is checking this I just thought of another question:*

I know that hiding them is probably wrong but the zoning people here have OCD. I have a relatively small yard with a 2 car garage (used as my son's personal pool hall). About a third of the space I have is garden and will probably be 1/2 this year. If you were going to try to hide quail in a situation like that, where would you do it? 

I don't think I'd be able to shut them in the garage seeing it's being used and it might not be very nice for them either. I have been trying to think of things I could build that would be pleasant for them and also not visible to the neighbors (houses are pretty close together here and all two stories so people can look down into your yard if they want to).

I have decided that I would start small (thanks Otter!) if I decide to go ahead with it. And that I should probably wait till I'm sure I can manage the new garden space (and a couple other project I have planned). So maybe later in the summer. Thank you to anyone who replies!


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