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I am after a bit of advice on keeping quail.
I want to get some to keep.
I have read up a lot on them ,is there anything I should know regards how many to have?whether or not to have a male?Or just any useful tips.etc etc
Many thanks

http://www.backwoodshome.com has had a few good articles on keeping quail.

I'm hoping to raise them myself eventually, but I'm afraid right now I don't have any personal experience with them.

Males are good if you want to hatch the eggs. Don't know how well caged quail will nest, every article I've read says to take the eggs away and hatch them in an incubator. I was planning to experiment with having a broody bantam hatch the eggs.

(Right now I'm still stuck living with my parents due to health and finances, and they won't let me raise livestock. All I've got are ideas.)

Hi

I keep quail for eggs - ask away!

A normal ratio is 1 male to 5 or 6 females, any less and he gets a bit hormonal!

They are lousy mothers - and won't sit on a nest - incubate them, chickens even bantams are too big to sit on the eggs.

They are delightful to watch sctratching about, they have a tendancy to fly straight up when startled (hence they are called bonkers - as they are prone to bonking their heads on things). Generally they prefer floor area to height in a cage. Often they will need beaks and talons trimming.

Have to go - sorry the answer is a little short on info - but ask again and when I have more time will answer in full.

Monika

Hi Monika
Thanks for the advice which has been duly digested.
I will ask again if I have some more questions

i was interested in keeping quail myself but i was talking to one of the countried largest chicken breeder , and they told me that quail are prone to canibalism!!! hence i never got any . this may or may not be right, but i am mentioning it in case there are any housing or welfare issues which drive them to this , and maybe someone from the forum can give you ( and me) some advice, of course it course have been dodgy info, but who knows . anyway all the best i hope it works out well for you. and taht you have loads of fun with them.

I have not know quail to be cannabilistic - but they do fight if there are too many in a too small enclosure and their fights can draw blood, or they will take eyes out. They will also fight if there are not enough females to keep a male happy - he likes at least four, preferably six, or he will attach the females too and they will fight amongst themselves. If you take the male out of the equation you can keep a lower number of female birds together.

I have decided to keep 6,what size pen do you suggest and do I need a male or can just keep females?I am a complete beginner to these little fluffy things!!

Hi matowakan

Commercial quail are kept 15 to a cage 20" x 24" x 11" high.

I don't know about you but I wouldn't fancy that really.

We keep our four in a cage that is 50cm x 50 cm x 50cm - but that is because it is a rabbit cage in block of 6 that we have put aside for the quail. The important ratio is floor area, they like to roam around, scratch about and bury themselves in the bedding, and are not that keen on flying so height can be kept a minimum. I have seen them kept in those large plastic tray bottomed guinea pigs cages, and they look happy as larry! (whoever larry is).

Your 6 females will live together reasonably happily, more so if they are the same age acquired together, and plenty of food and water is provided so they don't squabble, we feed ours on chick crumbs and some mixed grains. They also like to pick at fresh greens and bits of stale bread and apple cores.

We bed them on a mix of sawdust chippings and straw.

No need for a male. If you did want to get eggs to hatch - you would have to acquire a male and an incubator as they make lousy mums and won't sit on the eggs or even bother to make a nest.

Have fun

Monika

Hi Monika,
Many thanks for that, himself will be building an appropriate size pen soon.!
Fiona

Got our first quail egg of the year today - hurray!!!!

theabsinthefairy wrote:
They are lousy mothers - and won't sit on a nest - incubate them, chickens even bantams are too big to sit on the eggs.

I was thinking about a breed of duck that only gets to about 2 pounds live weight, is that still too big? Is there another bird small enough that goes broody that I could use? Or, could the nest be modified so that the broody bird keeps the eggs warm without the risk of crushing them?

I know that people have tried them under bantam hens and have had some success. Occasionally you do get a broody female and she can cover up to about 10 eggs at a time, but they do like lots of floor area and covering that they can hide themselves under and create quite a large nest, then lots of peace and quiet, and even then they seem to get bored and just wander off!

i dont know if i asked this before or not , do you think they could be hatched under pigeons ? and if so what type of pigeon , ie fantails , ex racers , i fancy a wee shot keeping quail , is it a viable sideline ? i was wondering if my old budgie set up would be of use 3 set of cages 7ft long able to split into 1, 2, 3 or 4 cages per length, 2ft deep 16inchs high, with sliding bottoms 2inchs deep, also a small aivary 6ft x 5 ft with a sleeping area of 4ft x 2 ft, thanks for any help.