A few questions on keeping quail?

I’m considering buying an outdoor chicken ark & raising a few quail for eggs.

• How much space should I provide per quail? (square feet)

• What’s the best kind of feed to provide?

• How do quail fair with other animals – dogs etc.? Do they spook easily?

• Are they amenable to being handled?

• How many quail should I get, males/females?
(I don’t need fertile eggs as I only want eggs for eating.)

• How frequently will the females lay eggs & how many will they lay?

• Is there anything I should or shouldn’t do to encourage the production of eggs?

• What is a quail’s preferred nesting material?

• Would it be safe to let them free to roam, supervised, around a well enclosed garden?

Any advice on these questions or any other helpful advice you have would be appreciated!

2 Responses to “A few questions on keeping quail?”

  1. offlights on June 22nd, 2010 7:26 pm

    -1 square foot is the "set" number, with some people giving them more or less.

    -The higher the protien the better, a 30% game bird feed is generally considard ideal, but many people use chick starter (about 24% protien) without a problem.

    -Some are, some aren’t, the biggest problem is are the dogs good with the quail.

    -Some are, some aren’t. Coturnix are generally the calmest and most friendly of the quail breeds.

    -If you don’t want fertile eggs, you don’t need males. If you decide you want males after all, 1 male to 3-5 females is the norm.

    -Depends on the breed and season, among other things (including food and stress). The coturnix is the best breed for egg laying and will give just about an egg a day in a good season. Keep in mind that as they age they will give fewer eggs (with chickens those eggs are also bigger, but I don’t know about quail).

    -Quail DO NOT like change, so keep everything as much the same as you can, including type of food and where they live (treats are fine) or else they may stop laying at all for several weeks. If you’re feeding a lower protein food and your quail are not laying at the age they should, try increasing their protein.

    -Unlike chickens, quail don’t typically "nest", they lay where they’re at so you don’t need a nest box.

    -Enclosed including a net over the top? Quail can fly pretty well when they want to, and unless you clip one of their wings (only one, to keep them flying in a circle instead of up) they may fly right out of the garden. If the fence is high (6ft. or so?) and wings clipped or a net over the top, it should be fine if supervised. Be sure to have a way to get them back in the cage!

    Good luck!

  2. ilovemydoxie on June 22nd, 2010 7:26 pm

    I got a incubator for Christmas and hatched quail eggs so, here is what I did with them:
    1. Get as big of a box as you can. Cardboard is fine when they are babies.
    2. Any kind of starter bird food
    3. Quail are wild birds. They will not let you hold them and are totally feral even if you hatch them yourself.
    4. No.
    5. Get as many as your incubator will safely hold. Remember, they will not all hatch.
    6.Don’t know.Look on Google or Ask.com
    7. Turn the eggs twice a day. Temp. should be at about 100 degrees F. Pour a little bit of water in the bottom of your incubator to keep eggs hydrated. Keep inc. lid closed to preserve heat.
    8. While they are young, your pet store will have special shavings. When they get older, I have no idea.
    9. When they are babies, keep them well enclosed and warm.

    Look at Google.com and Ask.com for more info! Hope this helped!:)