Quail Growers

[GaryD]

This thread is for the discussion of quail growers - birds from 3 or 4 weeks to maturity at 7 - 8 weeks.

[julie]

Hi there!

I'd like to be the first on this new post to introduce myself as a quail grower!


My name is Julie and l live in the western suburbs of Brisbane, Qld.

I started with my first quail about 6 months ago. I was lucky enough to have been given some breeding stock by friends who knew a great deal about raising quail from "the cradle to the grave" so to speak.

I started out out initially by just keeping the quail for the egg production for myself. The eggs are delicious - much more tasty than chicken eggs and just as versatile.

However, l soon realised that there was a lot more to keeping quail than just having them for egg production. I tried quail at a restaurant and realised that the meat was truly delicious! Again - much more flavoursome than chicken, and very tender. But without that really "game " taste that l must admit l'm not keen on. Yes l admit that l have lived a rather sheltered life when it comes to "alternative" food sources. But l'm catching on fast let me tell you!

I bought an incubator and achieved my first successful hatch in January this year. I forget how many of the eggs actually hatched, but l can tell you it was a real buzz standing there and watching that first lot hatch and scramble madly all over the place screeching and carrying on like they do. I didn't know small birds like that could make so much noise!

The other thing that surprised me was the rate at which they grow.I had been told that the growth rate was phenomenal. However, I wasn't really prepared for the reality of the situation. Crikey those little suckers do nothing but eat and grow! It's really amazing.

About 7 weeks after the quail hatched, we had our first batch on the table. I can tell you that my initial reservations about the whole concept of producing and harvesting meat rapidly disappeared after the first bite of homegrown quail. They were delicious!

Since that time l have had many successful hatchings and have given quail to a number of my friends to rear for themselves. Some keep the birds for eggs, some for meat, some for both. They are also used to keep aviary floors clean of the fallen seed that other birds drop, thus reducing the risk of vermin invasion.

Which ever way you look at it - these little birds are fascinating creatures and have many uses. I would wholeheartedly recommend that people think about rearing these little birds for themselves. They are easy to raise, don't need a lot of room, are versatile in their uses - and boy do they taste good!!!!!!

When l get a little more spare time, l'll let you know some of the problems with the quail that l had a few weeks ago. More to the point l can tell you how l managed ( with the absolutely INVALUABLE assistance of Gary and Jan) to work out what was going wrong and rectify the situation.These guys really do know what they are talking about. We are all so lucky to have the knowledge and assistance of these people don't you think?

In the meantime l'd love to hear from other people on the subject of these useful little birds.

Look forward to hearing from you all!


Julie

[cando]

Julie I am glad you mentioned the noise. I have been thinking of adding quail to my menagerie of pets but have been reluctant because I heard they were very noisy and might upset the neighbours - or was that King Quail I heard about?

Francois

[julie]

Hi Francois,


Thanks for the reply to my post!

You really should add some japanese quail to your menagerie. Yes they can make quite a noise but only when they are young. However if they are well supplied with food and water and heat, they are fairly subdued. It's only when they first hatch out that they make a racket, and it's quite a cute sound. However, if you don't give them their food requirements etc, they'll soon let you know that they are not impressed with the standard of service!!!! Quite right too!!!!!

The vocal sounds they make as adult or mature birds are really quite sweet.

Maybe it's the king quails that are noisy - l can't say as l don't have any. But certainly don't be put off having japanese quail. It's well worth the effort!

Julie

[nick]

in my experience the males can be quite noisy, especially if you keep a bachelor group of birds they will crow quite regularly and it is a decent noise, I did find that my males were quiet when they had the company of females.

My two cents, Nick

[cando]

I have only ever seen quail in confined spaces. Can they be free ranged?

Francois

[MarkEinOz]

Sure they can, if you like to keep fit.

In a word no. They will fly away in a heartbeat. Although, you could use a large aviary with a earth floor etc and grasses growing which they would love.

I have only ever seen quail in confined spaces. Can they be free ranged?

Francois

[nick]

i think if you had a high enough fence than the birds would have trouble escaping. I know the bobwhite quail which are an american hunting breed can take off like a shot gun.

I had one run out of a cage and thenget scared and it was twice as high as my double story house in a flash of the eye and was aware a second after that. It was really impressive.

But back to the japs, I have seen them fly and they are okay but I think they would also scare much less easily so would be less inclined to take off. I had one wondering around the yard for a week or so before it found a whole in the fence(I think) and disappeared. If I was breeding them and had some spare males and also had good cover in the yard and few dogs/cats/rats/snakes around I would give them there freedom and see how they go. Think you would have some success,
Nick

[GaryD]

Hi,

Even if the birds didn't fly out, they would be easy prey for crows, magpies, cats and the like.......and the fences would need to be at least three metres high anyway. Quail, when startled, will fly straight up.

They can be run on the ground as Mark has indicated, but they need mesh overhead.....even if it's only nylon bird netting.

Gary

[julie]

Crikey - l don't think ld be game enough ( pardon the pun) to let quail run around outside freely.

They'd take off like rockets.


We have a few wild quail around our house - no doubt attracted by the calls my birds make. When startled they can move like lightning. And yes - they do fly straight up into the air!


Julie