where to get quail
- Thread starter dye29
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I kept quail for a few years, and soon found they were much more different from chickens than I had thought. If you're thinking of getting some, you'll need to find out about suitable housing for them for a start - they won't be happy in an open run like chickens, they need somewhere dry as they come originally from hot dry countries and they're not happy or healthy for long in cold damp conditions. In summer I kept mine in a covered rabbit run on grass, which I moved on to clean grass every 3 days as they're very messy little birds. In the winter they lived in dry 2ft by 3ft cages in a summerhouse, with little LED lights on a timer to give them the 14 hours of light they need if they're going to go on laying. In the very cold weather I also gave them an infra red chick brooder to snuggle under, which they appreciated. They have to have a cover on the run or cage as they fly up and out like little helicopters when startled and I found they didn't get very tame. They don't go to roost at night, but they do seem to like a choice of some little shelters or plants to hide under - as if they were living under a hedgerow.
i assume you're thinking of getting Coturnix quail, also known as Japanese or Italian quail, the colours and size varies a bit between types but they all lay well. the Japanese are the original brown colour and the Italians come in a big variety of pretty colours. If you want them for their eggs and are starting off by buying adults, I would strongly advise you to get females only, as a group of girls will love happily together, whereas if you add a male he will probably be very rough in his mating and I found can cause very distressing and bloody injuries to the girls. They will go on laying well for several years if kept in the right conditions and the eggs are lovely. But if you're thinking of keeping them out of doors, I would strongly advise you to wait until the Spring before getting any, as we have the cold, wet weather ahead of us, when light levels are too low for them to lay without artificial light to help them. Also, if you buy them from a breeder they will probably have been bred and kept in dry warmer indoor conditions and wouldn't acclimatise easily to life out of doors. Of course, if you're thinking of setting up a cage indoors, with extra light on a timer, you could go ahead whenever you like. I found that a 3ft by 2ft cage was big enough for 3-4 birds. They do best if not overcrowded, just like with chickens.
I'm moving this to the Quail section lower down the Index page. If you read some of the past posts in this section you'll get more info on keeping quails.
i assume you're thinking of getting Coturnix quail, also known as Japanese or Italian quail, the colours and size varies a bit between types but they all lay well. the Japanese are the original brown colour and the Italians come in a big variety of pretty colours. If you want them for their eggs and are starting off by buying adults, I would strongly advise you to get females only, as a group of girls will love happily together, whereas if you add a male he will probably be very rough in his mating and I found can cause very distressing and bloody injuries to the girls. They will go on laying well for several years if kept in the right conditions and the eggs are lovely. But if you're thinking of keeping them out of doors, I would strongly advise you to wait until the Spring before getting any, as we have the cold, wet weather ahead of us, when light levels are too low for them to lay without artificial light to help them. Also, if you buy them from a breeder they will probably have been bred and kept in dry warmer indoor conditions and wouldn't acclimatise easily to life out of doors. Of course, if you're thinking of setting up a cage indoors, with extra light on a timer, you could go ahead whenever you like. I found that a 3ft by 2ft cage was big enough for 3-4 birds. They do best if not overcrowded, just like with chickens.
I'm moving this to the Quail section lower down the Index page. If you read some of the past posts in this section you'll get more info on keeping quails.