JR Poultry and Game
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Hi, i keep bantams, chickens and i hatch game birds!! i have just been ofered 2 'chinease painted quail' what are the basic things that need and need to do!!!????
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There are several good books on the basics of keeping quail which you should read for more detail, eg Katie Thear 'Keeping Quail; a guide to domestic and commercial management' see Amazon page at http://amzn.to/KExCJm
and Michael Roberts 'Quail Past and Present' see http://amzn.to/KExZDG
and G.E.S Robbins 'domestic quail for hobby or Profit' see http://amzn.to/KExCJm
Basically, although Chinese Painted Quail are hardy, they do not like damp conditions so if you are keeping them outside they must have dry shelter from wind and rain. They don't need very large cages, but it's best to give them plenty of room, in the case of quail probably a minimum of 1 square foot of cage floor space per bird. Like chickens, quail will be more inclined to aggression if overcrowded, and they can be quite aggressive to each other at the best of times. Some people use converted rabbit or guinea pig hutches, which are OK so long as the wind doesn't blow straight in to them. If keeping them under cover, ie indoors or in a shed, the sort of small mammal cage with a plastic tray base and a removeable wire top is very suitable and easy to clean. The base should be covered with woodshavings, or I have found Smartbedz pelleted straw to be more effective at keeping odour down for a longer period - because quail need a high-protein diet their poo is quite smelly. In the cage they also need a small container of sand for a dustbath - I use a bag of children's play sand as it's clean and dry and flows freely. You can sieve this before topping it up, as it will accumulate droppings and floor litter which can be discarded and the sand re-used. Also a container of calcium-enriched grit for caged birds which clips on the side of the cage, plyus cuttlefish bone for a treat. My quail have one of those plastic shelter domes you can buy to put in small mammal cages, with several good handfuls of hay in it, and they like to take refuge in there and also usually use it to lay their eggs in. A small open-fronted box would do very well.
They need a higher protein diet than chickens, but you can mix layers pellets with chick crumb to achieve this, or add dried mealworms or hulled sunflower seeds. Also give daily greenstuff such as lettuce, soft cabbage, etc. Use a chick feeder to dispense the food, and I find they waste less if the feeder is placed in a larger bowl with higher sides than the feeder. Also they drink quite a lot especially when laying so you need a daily change of water, and this stays cleaner if you either use a rabbit bottle or one of the drinkers we were talikng about in our previous post about the chick with the crooked neck, see http://bit.ly/K1qB7G
Are you being offered a male/female pair of CPQs or a couple of hens? If you only have one female, the male is likely to be a bit hard on her and may wear out her neck and head feathers or even cause severe damage to the skin on her head and neck when he grips her with his beak to hang on when mating. So it would be best to get another couple of females if possible. Like chickens it can be tricky to introduce new birds to an established pair or group, and you may need to separate them with wire for a week before letting them in together. I haven't got CPQs but have reduced my Coturnix to all-females because of the horrific damage the males were causing them, and the females now live peacefully together. In any case, get some antiseptic powder or purple spray for birds for your first aid kit, if you haven't already got this for your chickens, and have a spare small hospital cage sorted in case you need it. i got a second-hand hamster cage for £2.50 which has been very useful for poorly girls!
One more thing - quails need at least 14 hours a day of good light in order to lay, so cage position is important. no problem at this time of the year, and with CPQs you probably wont be eating the tiddly eggs anyway, but if you want fertile eggs to incubate they need good light to produce them.
If you read some of Dean& Lauras posts about their CPQs, they will be able to give you some more information about their experiences with CPQs. Good luck and let us know how you get on.
and Michael Roberts 'Quail Past and Present' see http://amzn.to/KExZDG
and G.E.S Robbins 'domestic quail for hobby or Profit' see http://amzn.to/KExCJm
Basically, although Chinese Painted Quail are hardy, they do not like damp conditions so if you are keeping them outside they must have dry shelter from wind and rain. They don't need very large cages, but it's best to give them plenty of room, in the case of quail probably a minimum of 1 square foot of cage floor space per bird. Like chickens, quail will be more inclined to aggression if overcrowded, and they can be quite aggressive to each other at the best of times. Some people use converted rabbit or guinea pig hutches, which are OK so long as the wind doesn't blow straight in to them. If keeping them under cover, ie indoors or in a shed, the sort of small mammal cage with a plastic tray base and a removeable wire top is very suitable and easy to clean. The base should be covered with woodshavings, or I have found Smartbedz pelleted straw to be more effective at keeping odour down for a longer period - because quail need a high-protein diet their poo is quite smelly. In the cage they also need a small container of sand for a dustbath - I use a bag of children's play sand as it's clean and dry and flows freely. You can sieve this before topping it up, as it will accumulate droppings and floor litter which can be discarded and the sand re-used. Also a container of calcium-enriched grit for caged birds which clips on the side of the cage, plyus cuttlefish bone for a treat. My quail have one of those plastic shelter domes you can buy to put in small mammal cages, with several good handfuls of hay in it, and they like to take refuge in there and also usually use it to lay their eggs in. A small open-fronted box would do very well.
They need a higher protein diet than chickens, but you can mix layers pellets with chick crumb to achieve this, or add dried mealworms or hulled sunflower seeds. Also give daily greenstuff such as lettuce, soft cabbage, etc. Use a chick feeder to dispense the food, and I find they waste less if the feeder is placed in a larger bowl with higher sides than the feeder. Also they drink quite a lot especially when laying so you need a daily change of water, and this stays cleaner if you either use a rabbit bottle or one of the drinkers we were talikng about in our previous post about the chick with the crooked neck, see http://bit.ly/K1qB7G
Are you being offered a male/female pair of CPQs or a couple of hens? If you only have one female, the male is likely to be a bit hard on her and may wear out her neck and head feathers or even cause severe damage to the skin on her head and neck when he grips her with his beak to hang on when mating. So it would be best to get another couple of females if possible. Like chickens it can be tricky to introduce new birds to an established pair or group, and you may need to separate them with wire for a week before letting them in together. I haven't got CPQs but have reduced my Coturnix to all-females because of the horrific damage the males were causing them, and the females now live peacefully together. In any case, get some antiseptic powder or purple spray for birds for your first aid kit, if you haven't already got this for your chickens, and have a spare small hospital cage sorted in case you need it. i got a second-hand hamster cage for £2.50 which has been very useful for poorly girls!
One more thing - quails need at least 14 hours a day of good light in order to lay, so cage position is important. no problem at this time of the year, and with CPQs you probably wont be eating the tiddly eggs anyway, but if you want fertile eggs to incubate they need good light to produce them.
If you read some of Dean& Lauras posts about their CPQs, they will be able to give you some more information about their experiences with CPQs. Good luck and let us know how you get on.
JR Poultry and Game
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thanks marigold, i hv sorted out quite a few of those things!, im getting a male and femaile but hope to get a few more femailes!!
Dean&Laura
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i heard my name! 
Seriously, they are wonderful little things. The smallest 'true' quail and are quite easy to look after. Ours are a mix of one boy to three girls and live in a large indoor rabbit cage with alot of playthings.
They are about the size of an orange and lay eggs the size of mini eggs. They are quite pleasant and don't tend to be very smelly or distasteful. They eat normal canary seed, or you can feed them chick crumb. Ours like a mix. You can get specific foods for them too, you can feed them watercress, cucumber, meal worms (live or freezedried) NEVER avacado (its poison). They seem to enjoy hidey-holes and places they can escape to and if reared from quite young they can be very tame. Our female, Molly is extremely tame and will happily sit on the palm accepting treats and fuss.
We're still learning alot about them, there is quite a bit online to read. But, we learned most of it from here.
They're worth raising as they are very sweet and have a beautiful call and are becoming quite popular in terms of pets.
Remember, they aren't perching birds so you will need a flat floor (try not to get a wire floor as this can cause feet and leg issues) and ensure their feet are clean on a regular basis as they tend to run through their own poop.
Apart from that, all i can say is, we got our quails at new year and we're addicted to them.
Best of luck!
Laura (& Dean)
Seriously, they are wonderful little things. The smallest 'true' quail and are quite easy to look after. Ours are a mix of one boy to three girls and live in a large indoor rabbit cage with alot of playthings.
They are about the size of an orange and lay eggs the size of mini eggs. They are quite pleasant and don't tend to be very smelly or distasteful. They eat normal canary seed, or you can feed them chick crumb. Ours like a mix. You can get specific foods for them too, you can feed them watercress, cucumber, meal worms (live or freezedried) NEVER avacado (its poison). They seem to enjoy hidey-holes and places they can escape to and if reared from quite young they can be very tame. Our female, Molly is extremely tame and will happily sit on the palm accepting treats and fuss.
We're still learning alot about them, there is quite a bit online to read. But, we learned most of it from here.
They're worth raising as they are very sweet and have a beautiful call and are becoming quite popular in terms of pets.
Remember, they aren't perching birds so you will need a flat floor (try not to get a wire floor as this can cause feet and leg issues) and ensure their feet are clean on a regular basis as they tend to run through their own poop.
Apart from that, all i can say is, we got our quails at new year and we're addicted to them.
Best of luck!
Laura (& Dean)
JR Poultry and Game
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Thanks for the help, With the bit that they stand in there own poo makes them sound a bit like my phesant chicks!!!
Dean&Laura
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Yeah, we have a male who gets very excited when he sees Dean and will run through anything in his path to get to him. Including his own poop, which usually means he ends up being held on his back while i wipe his feet clean with baby wipes.
If it gets ground in to the skin in can cause sores which is like a vicious circle because of the constant sore-poo-bacteria-sore circle so prevention is better than cure.
The boys can get a bit 'nippy' with the girls and will strip their backs and necks if he gets bored or over excited so its best to keep them in 1/3 ratio.
If it gets ground in to the skin in can cause sores which is like a vicious circle because of the constant sore-poo-bacteria-sore circle so prevention is better than cure.
The boys can get a bit 'nippy' with the girls and will strip their backs and necks if he gets bored or over excited so its best to keep them in 1/3 ratio.
What are you using for litter, Laura? I've gone over to Smartbedz straw pellets, ( see http://www.smartbedz.co.uk/ also there are some posts about it on here if you use the Search facility. Have a look at the testimonials on the website, the first one is from me. I find it's better than woodshavings because not only does it keep the odour down but it seems to absorb the dampness from the poo so they never seem to getdirty feet any more, even when it's more than a week between changes.
Dean&Laura
New member
We had an issue with wood shavings when we had our pet mouse (mites) so we went with this wood litter stuff that looks very similar to smartbedz! The birds seem to enjoy it, their poop falls straight to the bottom of the cage with it, it absorbs the wetter stuff and we've not had any issues with it.
