Quail owners, please educate me!

[miss_thenorth]

When quail hatch, and you put them in the brooder, you must dip their beaks in their water bowl (that has marbles in it) If you don't do that, they won't know to do it themselves, and they will dehydrate to death. If you do not put marbles (or the like) in their water bowl, they will drown. If you remember these two things, quail have no problems staying alive, IME. i always put thm on their food too, just for good measure.

 

[big brown horse]

Thanks M_TN and rebecca100.

 

[Wifezilla]

I heard the chicks are suicidal

I have had mine in a cage on wire and now on the ground. I prefer on the ground. I think they do too.

 

[Bettacreek]

Is it true they start laying at 6 weeks old? Some can start at 5 weeks, but, 6-8 weeks is average. Just make sure that they get lots of light!

How long do they lay? Honestly, I'm not 100% sure, but if I remember correctly, they'll lay for a year before you should replace them for constant eggs.

How long do they live? I think up to five years, if you let them live that long. Productivity won't last that long though.

How often do they lay? Once a hen gets laying, you'll get one per day. She may skip three days or so per month.

How easy are they to keep? VERY! Mine are in 2x2 rabbit cages. They get fed and watered once a day. Nothing else. Nothing special to it. Even if you get escapees, they're very easy to catch. We had a bunch get loose and 2 and 3 year olds were picking them up out of the "wild".

How big of a "house" would they need? Not big at all. I had 8 or so in a 2x2.

What do they eat? I've used 20% to raise the chicks. I'm moving to a 27% for the next group. I use Purina 20% layer for the breeders.

Are they loud? Not really. They'll probably scare the jeebers out of you the first time you hear one crow, but it's not loud at all.

What are your favorite kind and why? Look for a good jumbo coturnix. Goldens and browns are generally the largest, plus they're easy to sex out as soon as they get chest feathers. Sure beats waiting until they're fully mature!

What do you do with their eggs, besides making pickled quail eggs? They can be used just as any chicken eggs can be. They're certainly a huge hit for deviled eggs. They're used often in Asian gourmet.

Are they worth it? Yup. They're excellent layers and neat little birds.

 

[TheMartianChick]

My quail are over a year old and they still lay every day. I did not give them supplemental lighting during the winter since we had plenty of chicken eggs to tide us over.

 

[Bettacreek]

When quail hatch, and you put them in the brooder, you must dip their beaks in their water bowl (that has marbles in it) If you don't do that, they won't know to do it themselves, and they will dehydrate to death. If you do not put marbles (or the like) in their water bowl, they will drown. If you remember these two things, quail have no problems staying alive, IME. i always put thm on their food too, just for good measure.

I've never had to do either for chicks. Quail waterers (the kind that you put a jar on) are perfect for the first few days, then I switch over to an 8oz "hamster" water bottle. As for dunking their beaks, I'd be weary, they're so small, it'd be hard to get them deep enough without getting water in their nostrils.

 

[ToLiveToLaugh]

We never had a problem from dipping our quail's beaks. They were bobwhite, don't know if that would have any influence, but they would just shake their heads after we dipped the beak.

Can water in the nostrils like that really cause problems?

 

[TheMartianChick]

We never had a problem from dipping our quail's beaks. They were bobwhite, don't know if that would have any influence, but they would just shake their heads after we dipped the beak.

Can water in the nostrils like that really cause problems?

I would assume that it could lead to aspiration of water into the lungs if they inhaled. I usually use a bottle cap with a couple of those flat marbles that you buy in a craft store for the first couple of days and then switch to a quail waterer. I don't usually hatch out large numbers, though. I do train them to a water bottle though after a few weeks. (I did learn that on BYC!)

They really are suicidal little birds!

 

[Jamsoundsgood]

Great, now I want quail. My poor, poor husband.

 

[TheMartianChick]

I love having them in their little hutches in the backyard by the garden. I really think that they provide me with a sort of therapy when they make their little chirpy cricket sounds.

My birds just went through the NPIP testing last Friday. It was really nervewracking as the vet tech pricked them to obtain one drop of blood. It was like having one of my kids get vaccinations. I was really drained for the day and it was only 10am when she finished testing them!

If you haven't already, make sure that you read the threads on BYC about raising quail. I probably got most of my information there.