Selfsufficientish.com

does anybdy have any experience of keeping quails? i came across the idea browsing the night last night... i've never eaten quail eggs but i know they are tiny... would it be worth keeping quail for eggs you reckon??

any ideas/views etc welcomed!! thank, tom

I have quails, and would recommend them.
They only lay in warm weather, so ours go from April to November -ish, but they pop one out every day regular as clockwork in that time.

We have their eggs boiled with salads as starters, or summer lunches, and have been decadent and had them as fried eggs with sausage and chips (about 6 to a hens egg equivalent).

They taste great - and so does the bird.

A male needs about 6 for his harem but they don't need a male to produce eggs, and are happy without one. I get the males thrown in free when I have bought females, so feed them up for a roast quail meal - yummy.

Monika

wow thanks! i'm sure my dear lady would love the juicy boy for a roast(i'm a veggie ) i just thought that they sounded like interesting birds to keep! apparently they are very friendly little creatures too! what size area do you have for how many birds?

We have four females that live in one of the sections of a concrete rabbit enclosure, so about 3m x 1m, bedded down on straw and sawdust that they love to throw around for a dust bath.

They are not particularly friendly birds, quite nervy, and have a tendancy to fly straight up when startled so 'bonk' their heads (hence being known as bonkers).
As they are good fliers, you do have to keep them behind aviary netting as a precaution.
They will take food from your hands, and make lovely chirupy calls (the females). And they are prone to not laying at an upset, although I have to say ours, lay through anything and everything and don't seem too bothered by disturbances.
Monika

yes i read about the "bonking" of heads and how they can do serious damage

thanks for all the info!

my OH, some friends and i are thinking of going camping in france and italy in the summer, is the Auvergne region worth a visit? (i'm guessing you'd prob say yes as you live there )

thanks

i love quails' eggs. difficult to get hold of though. so i say, go for it!

soft boiled quails eggs - put into gently boiling water for one minute, then turn off heat and leave in water for a further minute, then plunge into cold water.

jane

The Auvergne is definitely worth a vist. (yes of course I would say that - you're quite right!)

Depends on what you like though.

If you like spectacular scenery, clear mountain lakes, white water activities, walking, cycling, forests, and serpentine roads that take twice as long to get you there, and if you enjoy a good local cheese and wine with some fresh bakery bread - then you would love the Auvergne.

If you like pubs, clubs, night life of any sort, lots of restaurant choice and packed campsites with laid on activities like bingo - then you would hate it - 'cos there is none of that here! Hurrah

And our garden has featured many a tent as people pass through with BBQ and beer/wine on tap, visitors always welcome.

Monika

wow! the Auvergne sounds super! i am really jealous of you! i am of the age where i really should love pub/club type trips but i've just never really been into that

we were bandying around the idea of keeping quails as a joke over lukch and the more I look into it the better an idea it seems (Chickens are so passe!)

http://www.backwoodshome.com has some good articles about keeping quail. Its something I'm planning to try after I get my house built.