Coturnix Quail Anyone?

[Britesea]

Gizzards are generally the place you'd find pebbles and such to help grind the feed. I cut them open, clean 'em out and peel off the thick lining inside.

"Bird gizzards are lined with a tough layer made of koilin, a keratinous material of 90% protein and 10% fat, to protect the muscles in the gizzard

That lining also contains a substantial amount of pepsin. I dry and pulverize it and put into capsules for stomach upset.

 

[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]

Anyone have quail cage dimensions, suggestions, tips, pics etc. Still really considering this for spring. Would want them for their eggs and then eating

 

[Alaskan]

I kept them in a 2 x 8, one male and 6 to 10 girls.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I've used all manner of cages, lol. I have gone now to all hardware cloth to keep mice from coming in and eating their feed. Different size cages get different amounts of birds. Smaller cages I'll generally keep my concentration of male/female about 1 to 3 or 4. Larger pens maybe 1 male to 5 or 6 females. I've never had luck having two males in the same pen even with extra females. They fight like crazy. But, I've kept males together if no females are present.

 

[Alaskan]

X2 on never having 2 males in the same cage.

I thought chickens could get bad... but wow... male quail are really bad.

I never tried having a male only pen.... my males were always with the females.

 

[tortoise]

I've used all manner of cages, lol. I have gone now to all hardware cloth to keep mice from coming in and eating their feed. Different size cages get different amounts of birds. Smaller cages I'll generally keep my concentration of male/female about 1 to 3 or 4. Larger pens maybe 1 male to 5 or 6 females. I've never had luck having two males in the same pen even with extra females. They fight like crazy. But, I've kept males together if no females are present.

what size cage would you use for 6?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I never tried having a male only pen.... my males were always with the females.

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.

what size cage would you use for 6?

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.

 

[Alaskan]

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.

Do you have any girls in with them?

I would hatch them and keep them together until sexual maturity, eat the extra boys.

Once or twice I actually raised them with chicken chicks until the quail were at sexual maturity.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Do you have any girls in with them?

Not with that bunch. Males only. The rest of my pens are 1 male and females. The number of females with a male depends on the size of the cage.

I've had quail chicks and chicken chicks in the brooder at the same time. I always kinda wanted to try letting a silkie or serama hen hatch some out - just to see how it would go. But, since I don't have a silkie or a serama that's not likely to happen, lol!