Coturnix Quail

[Machias]

I looked through the older posts and read a few of the threads on Quail.  Anyone still raising quail?  I've got 13 in the brooder right now and another 50 eggs being shipped on the 11th.  I'm picking up a three tier breeder cage set up this Friday and building some new cages over the next couple of weeks.  Amazing how young they start laying and how quickly they mature to freezer size. 

[Timberstalker]

I've just started researching them. How do they do with temperatures - both hot and cold?

[Machias]

So I'm a complete newbie myself, so I don't want to give out any bad information or "advice", but everything I've read they will handle our heat up here pretty easily with shade.   It sounds like they will have no problem at all with our winter temps, but I'll be keeping mine in a insulated shed with a small electric heater that will keep the temps around 50 degrees.  I don't want to have to deal with frozen waterers.  They will need extra light in the winter if you want them to keep laying.  Also reading a lot of information on a Coturnix Quail Facebook pages (seems like a lot of knowledgeable people at "Coturnix Corner"), a lot of folks swap out hens and roos once or twice a year.  They generally lay an egg a day starting around 6 to 8 weeks and they are ready for the freezer around 7 to 10 weeks.  Takes three eggs to equal a chicken egg, but they will have laid about 100 eggs before a chicken chick lays its first egg.  Lots of people make pickled quail eggs, which I am really looking forward to.  Sounds like they are messy birds, can sometimes be aggressive if you don't watch for it and cull the bullies.  Not too expensive to get into really, particularly if you build your own cages.  Youtube has a good channel also called Coturnix Corner, by a guy named Terry with a lot of helpful information.

[Timberstalker]

Nice. Thank you for the information. And pickled quail eggs are ridiculously good!

Hope to follow along on your journey, Fred.

Thanks again.

[Machias]

 

[Woodchuck]

@jackelope

[nwwanderer]

With there growth curve, almost straight up, and early maturity quality protein and high energy is a must.  And the little monsters sound like Hollywood dinosaurs.  Have fun

[Machias]

With there growth curve, almost straight up, and early maturity quality protein and high energy is a must.  And the little monsters sound like Hollywood dinosaurs.  Have fun

Yep, they are on 30% right now!!

[high_hunter]

Following.

I have 15 adult birds for training & butcher I recently picked up with another 40 in the brooder that are now 1-2 weeks old.

Plan is to keep all the females and a few males to start my own flock, then cull the leftover males for food & dog training.

Will have to compare recipes and try pickling some of the eggs as well.

-HH

[Kola16]

@Birdguy has coturnix. He has a lot of birds though not just coturnix I have raised bobwhites for 3 or 4 years now. I raise bobwhites for bird dog training, but they produce more eggs then I can handle. Coturnix produce even more. I will stick with my bobwhites, but if I were raising quail strictly for meat and eggs, coturnix are by far the choice.

[jackelope]

We’ve got a few. They’re fun. Protein is super important for their health and egg production.  No messing around with the feed. Lots of eggs. Be prepared for that. Honestly they’re kind of a pain in the butt but they’re delicious. I eat lots of them on the weekends and when I get a few dozen stacked up I’ll pickle them. Got them for meat and eggs. Wife decided she couldn’t kill them for meat so now we have them for eggs. Oye.
We’ve got a couple of the celadon variety too that lay blue eggs.
PS almost everything I’ve learned about them, I learned from playing 20 questions with Birdguy.

[Machias]

What's your pickled eggs recipe...if you don't mind sharing.

[Machias]

Just curious if the Birddog guys can or would use Coturnix Quail for training?  Dried Wings?

[brocka]

Just curious if the Birddog guys can or would use Coturnix Quail for training?  Dried Wings?

I train my GSP pups with them. They aren't very strong flyers so launching them from a launcher is recommended to get a little more height/distance out of them.

[Machias]

Just curious if the Birddog guys can or would use Coturnix Quail for training?  Dried Wings?

I train my GSP pups with them. They aren't very strong flyers so launching them from a launcher is recommended to get a little more height/distance out of them.