Coturnix Quail Anyone?

[Mini Horses]

I like to bake a couple Cornish hens now and then. Taste is a little "richer" than chicken. A pleasant change on the taste buds. The quail grow so fast! It's like the supercharged meat birds, in that respect.

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

@tortoise there is a person near Chip Falls that breeds and sells them if you didnt want to start with eggs or chicks. They are on Craigslist.

 

[tortoise]

When I hatched a bunch a few months ago I separated them by sex. They were quite young, but they got along fine. Might have been because they were younger. I have one pen now though that has three mature males in it and they're pretty ok together. They might chase each other a bit, but they aren't attacking each other. Doesn't matter much though cuz they're headed for the freezer when I have a spare minute.


Most of the info says .5 to 1 sq ft per bird. I try to give them about a square foot per bird. The last cage I built is 4 foot long and 18 inches deep so it is right at 6ft. I like that size because it's easy to reach the birds/eggs if needed by not having it too big.

Thank you! I would need to re-build my rabbit cages to be less deep. And that would fit in my coop better too.

 

[tortoise]

@tortoise there is a person near Chip Falls that breeds and sells them if you didnt want to start with eggs or chicks. They are on Craigslist.

Thank you! I found them!

 

[Mini Horses]

@frustratedearthmother I'd make those shelf cages open so I could put a liner to hold bedding and accumulations....pull out, toss/wash and replace. 😁 the premade frame is great!!!

 

[baymule]

I raised them years ago. I had a big cage on legs, made with hardware cloth. You are right, they lay eggs real early and are ready to butcher in no time. Do you pluck or skin yours? I skinned mine. Also, how do you dispatch them? I popped their heads off.

 

[tortoise]

Could a rabbit cage work? I have those. But we have snakes in the barn, so put rabbit cage in chicken coop? My silkies cant roost... I can set a cage on the roost. Or is that bad to mix species like that?

 

[flowerbug]

Could a rabbit cage work? I have those. But we have snakes in the barn, so put rabbit cage in chicken coop? My silkies cant roost... I can set a cage on the roost. Or is that bad to mix species like that?

i think for people who are used to raising animals that they don't just mix things together all at once, but have a quarantine period and then perhaps mix a few of each together to make sure they're not hiding some incompatible diseases or whatnot. but to me this is just common sense and what i did when i had aquariums and was trying out various species combinations to see who was compatible.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

They make great pickled eggs too!

They definitely do! I've only done that once - some years back - but I'd love to pickle some again. I'll be hatching as many as I can for awhile but then will definitely pickle some again. And, they make great deviled eggs too - but oh my - peeling a bunch of those little eggs is quite a chore!

 

[TexasLisa]

Ok guys, I am going to bite here. Why are you raising these little guys?

Frustratedearthmother, you said you wanted to supplement the dogs' food with them. Does that pay for itself?

The eggs are tiny. My husband eats 4-5 regular eggs at a sitting. How many would he have to eat of these?

Help me understand why you raise them.