Mine came in the post from an organic quail farm I used on ebay I don't know how to find out if there is a farm near me so that I can collect them rather than through the post. I still have my mail quail and got 3 other females which are doing great with the female I hatched I had a look to see how I can put another flock with mine without any incidents I tried it and it worked all girls live very happy together. A spray bottle with 50% water 50% white vinegar put new flock in and spray apparently it takes the scent away from both flocks it seems to have worked a treat they are happy and healthy. The male on the other hand is a different story he is on his own as he is far to eager to get a hold of the females so someone my husband works with has averies and likes quails for keeping the bottom clean so I think he is going to take him ? What about you do you hatch a lot?
Quail chicks
- Thread starter LB81
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They’re a lovely bunch. Once your chicks are 6 weeks you’ll be able to add them to the flock and pray they’re both girls! Excellent idea to rehome the male! And maybe any males in the ones just hatched?
Are any of the girls laying yet? Mine all laid nearly every day but they do need enough light to do so - at least 14 hours a day, preferably daylight when Spring comes, or electric light with a special ‘daylight’ bulb. One hens egg = about 3 quail eggs, so if you have 6 quail hens that will be the equivalent of more than a dozen hens eggs every week.
I thought I’d like to try keeping quails as I’d kept chickens for some years, but was amazed at the vast differences between the two species, apart from size. Using a little Brinsea Advance incubator with a special quail ring to hold and turn the eggs, I had two very good hatches, finishing up with 6 girls (having had to kill one as she was so badly injured by a male,) and about 11 males that I had to get rid of. I felt I didn’t want to hatch any more quails as the males were so troublesome, so I just kept the six girls for about three productive years and then rehomed them to a friend as I really didn’t need all those eggs plus the ones from my hens! But it was an interesting and worthwhile project, I learned a lot along the way, as you’re doing, some of it the hard way, just like you.
Are any of the girls laying yet? Mine all laid nearly every day but they do need enough light to do so - at least 14 hours a day, preferably daylight when Spring comes, or electric light with a special ‘daylight’ bulb. One hens egg = about 3 quail eggs, so if you have 6 quail hens that will be the equivalent of more than a dozen hens eggs every week.
I thought I’d like to try keeping quails as I’d kept chickens for some years, but was amazed at the vast differences between the two species, apart from size. Using a little Brinsea Advance incubator with a special quail ring to hold and turn the eggs, I had two very good hatches, finishing up with 6 girls (having had to kill one as she was so badly injured by a male,) and about 11 males that I had to get rid of. I felt I didn’t want to hatch any more quails as the males were so troublesome, so I just kept the six girls for about three productive years and then rehomed them to a friend as I really didn’t need all those eggs plus the ones from my hens! But it was an interesting and worthwhile project, I learned a lot along the way, as you’re doing, some of it the hard way, just like you.
I have had 4 eggs every day use them to make cakes and also gave some away to eat I can't look at buying any eggs from shop as I done a test my fresh quail eggs against a shop shelf egg and I must say a fresh egg is absolutely the best. Any males I get will be rehomed I do feel sorry for having to keep the male apart from the flock as it's his instinct to mate I tried him with the girls we were all on hand to separate them which we had to do as he was pulling their heads back he didn't pull any feathers out or anything it just looked so brutal. I have noticed the Italian quail are quite different from coturnix japanese they're a bit harder to handle.
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The Italians are a bit bigger, aren’t they? I expect yours are much more tame having been home bred and handled since hatching. I found mine never got very tame, not that I tried very hard. They are very flighty and I did lose one of the hens when they were out in the garden as their instinct is to fly upwards when alarmed and she got out when I was attending to the run. As she was the natural colouring she was immediately camouflaged in the shrubs so no chance of catching her! I expect she was all right, the weather was warm and the garden designed for wildlife.
As for the eggs yes, the difference is incredible as regards hens eggs as well, especially boiled eggs. I really don’t fancy shop eggs, not knowing where they come from and how old they are, even organic ones.
As for the eggs yes, the difference is incredible as regards hens eggs as well, especially boiled eggs. I really don’t fancy shop eggs, not knowing where they come from and how old they are, even organic ones.
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Just playing I expect. He’s probably a boy.....
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Hi, I’ve been wondering how you’re getting on, LB. Sorry to hear about the injured bird - do you know how it happened? If it’s a female, could it be a mating injury?
I would separate her from the others so she doesn’t get harassed, and to try to keep her less active to rest the injured wing. I used a second-hand hamster cage as a hospital cage, small enough to go inside the main cage so the injured bird could keep in contact with the rest of the flock and wasn’t bullied when I returned her on her recovery. Not much else you can do with such a small bird, unless you know of a specialist avian vet, though this might be expensive.
They do seem to have good powers of recovery if rested, so see how she goes over the weekend.
I would separate her from the others so she doesn’t get harassed, and to try to keep her less active to rest the injured wing. I used a second-hand hamster cage as a hospital cage, small enough to go inside the main cage so the injured bird could keep in contact with the rest of the flock and wasn’t bullied when I returned her on her recovery. Not much else you can do with such a small bird, unless you know of a specialist avian vet, though this might be expensive.
They do seem to have good powers of recovery if rested, so see how she goes over the weekend.
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Glad to hear it’s not too bad. I’d be interested to hear how she gets on in a few days’ time.