Journey into quail

[R Buns]

Well it's happened. @Sagebrush you are a bad influence. Actually I blame all y'all on here. Ok I can't truly blame anyone but myself but this thread made me jump on a cage today I found on craigslist. It's a home made very heavy duty 2 story steel one. I believe it was originally made for chickens. It's set up for chicken eggs to roll out but they covered that section with boards. I'll probably install hardware cloth so I don't have to worry about predators or escapes. Got a good deal I think. Needs some tweaks I think but y'all have inspired me to finally get going on this. The people I bought it from had it set up for quail so technically it's ready for birds now. It was too tall for the wife of the family to reach the birds so they replaced it. If I have a problem I'll use a step stool like I do with the top rabbit stacker cage. If this all goes well and I like it like y'all do I'll probably build hanging cages in the chicken coop. Saw some folks doing that so what falls out of the cages food wise is then cleaned up by the chickens.
Question? What do y'all feed your quail? I'm looking for something organic/non GMO if possible. We feed Bar Ale brand normally. I'm not seeing actual quail feed available in any brand.

 

[TamiPac]

Well it's happened. @Sagebrush you are a bad influence. Actually I blame all y'all on here. Ok I can't truly blame anyone but myself but this thread made me jump on a cage today I found on craigslist. It's a home made very heavy duty 2 story steel one. I believe it was originally made for chickens. It's set up for chicken eggs to roll out but they covered that section with boards. I'll probably install hardware cloth so I don't have to worry about predators or escapes. Got a good deal I think. Needs some tweaks I think but y'all have inspired me to finally get going on this. The people I bought it from had it set up for quail so technically it's ready for birds now. It was too tall for the wife of the family to reach the birds so they replaced it. If I have a problem I'll use a step stool like I do with the top rabbit stacker cage. If this all goes well and I like it like y'all do I'll probably build hanging cages in the chicken coop. Saw some folks doing that so what falls out of the cages food wise is then cleaned up by the chickens.
Question? What do y'all feed your quail? I'm looking for something organic/non GMO if possible. We feed Bar Ale brand normally. I'm not seeing actual quail feed available in any brand.

I use game bird starter. I supplement with oyster shells. I feed everything else here organic but not the quail. I tried but the amount of food they go through made it impossible for me to continue.

 

[dlynn]

Well it's happened. @Sagebrush you are a bad influence. Actually I blame all y'all on here. Ok I can't truly blame anyone but myself but this thread made me jump on a cage today I found on craigslist. It's a home made very heavy duty 2 story steel one. I believe it was originally made for chickens. It's set up for chicken eggs to roll out but they covered that section with boards. I'll probably install hardware cloth so I don't have to worry about predators or escapes. Got a good deal I think. Needs some tweaks I think but y'all have inspired me to finally get going on this. The people I bought it from had it set up for quail so technically it's ready for birds now. It was too tall for the wife of the family to reach the birds so they replaced it. If I have a problem I'll use a step stool like I do with the top rabbit stacker cage. If this all goes well and I like it like y'all do I'll probably build hanging cages in the chicken coop. Saw some folks doing that so what falls out of the cages food wise is then cleaned up by the chickens.
Question? What do y'all feed your quail? I'm looking for something organic/non GMO if possible. We feed Bar Ale brand normally. I'm not seeing actual quail feed available in any brand.

Game bird starter. I use Prince feeds, they're made near us.i dry egg shells in oven, grind and give them a pile to peck . I give fresh greens. They love swiss chard, kale, herbs, edible flowers,... Give them a sand bath. I use sand with a handful of wood ash. Some add diatomaceous earth in the sand bath. In a cage you might have to give grit.in my aviary they pick thru the sand pile and egg shells. Have fun! Wait till the roos start yelling "look at me,look at me" we spent lots of time in the beginning doing just that. The aviary is in the rabbit yards. Think it funny the rabbits often sit and watch (quail TV) and the quail line up at window watching rabbits. I also take that rabbit feed powder and dump it in for quails they make it disappear.

 

[Sagebrush]

@R Buns it had not been my intention to be a bad influence lol, but besides being fun to watch, they taste great and I love the fact that I can have eggs again!

I get my starter feed at Tractor Supply, it is the game bird starter 30% protein. I use the Bar Ale chicken layer crumble 16% protein that is none medicated. I have ground oyster that I offer my girls that are laying and I provide sand bath tubs to each cage. I have vermicompost bins under my quail cages to make use of the spilled powder feed and quail poop. I get plenty of worms for fishing too lol. I also put in extra worms, mealworms, and any bugs from the garden in with the quail to boost the protein and give them a bit of a treat.

 

[Alaska Satin]

Well it's happened. @Sagebrush you are a bad influence. Actually I blame all y'all on here. Ok I can't truly blame anyone but myself but this thread made me jump on a cage today I found on craigslist. It's a home made very heavy duty 2 story steel one. I believe it was originally made for chickens. It's set up for chicken eggs to roll out but they covered that section with boards. I'll probably install hardware cloth so I don't have to worry about predators or escapes. Got a good deal I think. Needs some tweaks I think but y'all have inspired me to finally get going on this. The people I bought it from had it set up for quail so technically it's ready for birds now. It was too tall for the wife of the family to reach the birds so they replaced it. If I have a problem I'll use a step stool like I do with the top rabbit stacker cage. If this all goes well and I like it like y'all do I'll probably build hanging cages in the chicken coop. Saw some folks doing that so what falls out of the cages food wise is then cleaned up by the chickens.
Question? What do y'all feed your quail? I'm looking for something organic/non GMO if possible. We feed Bar Ale brand normally. I'm not seeing actual quail feed available in any brand.

When one of the kids raises birds for the market auction, they feed the quail turkey/gamebird starter. The aim is to get the birds to at least a pound at 10 weeks, and the gamebird starter gets them there.

However, for years and years, when we were raising the quail just for eggs, we fed the quail chicks regular chicken chick starter, and we still switch to 20% chicken layer crumbles for our breeders at about 8 weeks when they start laying, and they always do just fine. The advantages are that 20% crumbles are much cheaper than gamebird feed, we can get non-GMO/organic, and we don't have to buy (and grind) oyster shells.

Honestly, the main difference I noticed is that on gamebird feed, their poo really stinks. Not that it smells like roses on chicken feed, but the cage didn't absolutely have to be cleaned daily like it does when they get gamebird starter. The quail stay healthy and productive on the 20% crumbles. Really, what we've found makes the biggest difference to their health and longevity is keeping them on a solid substrate rather than wire. Their feet and feathers don't suffer and they live 3-5 years rather than two.

Sounds like you got a great deal with your new set-up! One thing that did occur to me is that if it was originally built for chickens, the height of the cages might be a problem for quail. They have a tendency to "pop up" when they're startled, and they can end up cutting up their heads or breaking their necks if the cage top is the wrong height; before we figured this out, we lost quite a few birds this way. Many quail cages are very low for that reason (like, 8" high). When we raise them in cages that are taller than that but not as tall as flight cages, we line the inside of the cages with foam padding.

 

[tambayo]

Other name for quail is popcorn birds. They want to hide under something to feel safe, some rabbit hidey boxes work fine for that. Height in a cage is not a problem when they have hiding places and is easier for access for cleaning and such.
The jumping up is not a problem when they are kept as clean up for other birds in an avery, but then the ceiling is higher then they jump. The advice that goes with such housing though is to give them hiding places to keep them happy and feeling safe, even if the other birds leave them alone. No reason not to give them hiding places in a lower ceiling housing also.

 

[R Buns]

I use game bird starter. I supplement with oyster shells. I feed everything else here organic but not the quail. I tried but the amount of food they go through made it impossible for me to continue.

Thank you. I've not been able to track any of that down yet but I'll keep looking. I have bar ale starter on hand already but wasn't sure if I could use it or not.

Game bird starter. I use Prince feeds, they're made near us.i dry egg shells in oven, grind and give them a pile to peck . I give fresh greens. They love swiss chard, kale, herbs, edible flowers,... Give them a sand bath. I use sand with a handful of wood ash. Some add diatomaceous earth in the sand bath. In a cage you might have to give grit.in my aviary they pick thru the sand pile and egg shells. Have fun! Wait till the roos start yelling "look at me,look at me" we spent lots of time in the beginning doing just that. The aviary is in the rabbit yards. Think it funny the rabbits often sit and watch (quail TV) and the quail line up at window watching rabbits. I also take that rabbit feed powder and dump it in for quails they make it disappear.

That's great information. Thanks! I was wondering on the wood ash. We use that with the chickens also. Mix it to their dust bath areas. They love it. I do the same with egg shells for the chicken. I hadn't run across that yet that I can remember. That's a great tip.
That is funny! Quail TV.

@R Buns it had not been my intention to be a bad influence lol, but besides being fun to watch, they taste great and I love the fact that I can have eggs again!

I get my starter feed at Tractor Supply, it is the game bird starter 30% protein. I use the Bar Ale chicken layer crumble 16% protein that is none medicated. I have ground oyster that I offer my girls that are laying and I provide sand bath tubs to each cage. I have vermicompost bins under my quail cages to make use of the spilled powder feed and quail poop. I get plenty of worms for fishing too lol. I also put in extra worms, mealworms, and any bugs from the garden in with the quail to boost the protein and give them a bit of a treat.

Love it! Intention or not it's all your fault! Just kidding. You've just given us the push to give it a go. I'm looking forward to trying them.
Oooohhhhhh! I can feed them meal worms and wild bugs/worms! Good to know. We raise mealworms for our chickens already. I can feed them the smaller ones. Awesome! They will be getting bugs from the garden for sure.
Thanks for that information.

When one of the kids raises birds for the market auction, they feed the quail turkey/gamebird starter. The aim is to get the birds to at least a pound at 10 weeks, and the gamebird starter gets them there.
View attachment 43307View attachment 43308
However, for years and years, when we were raising the quail just for eggs, we fed the quail chicks regular chicken chick starter, and we still switch to 20% chicken layer crumbles for our breeders at about 8 weeks when they start laying, and they always do just fine. The advantages are that 20% crumbles are much cheaper than gamebird feed, we can get non-GMO/organic, and we don't have to buy (and grind) oyster shells.

Honestly, the main difference I noticed is that on gamebird feed, their poo really stinks. Not that it smells like roses on chicken feed, but the cage didn't absolutely have to be cleaned daily like it does when they get gamebird starter. The quail stay healthy and productive on the 20% crumbles. Really, what we've found makes the biggest difference to their health and longevity is keeping them on a solid substrate rather than wire. Their feet and feathers don't suffer and they live 3-5 years rather than two.

Sounds like you got a great deal with your new set-up! One thing that did occur to me is that if it was originally built for chickens, the height of the cages might be a problem for quail. They have a tendency to "pop up" when they're startled, and they can end up cutting up their heads or breaking their necks if the cage top is the wrong height; before we figured this out, we lost quite a few birds this way. Many quail cages are very low for that reason (like, 8" high). When we raise them in cages that are taller than that but not as tall as flight cages, we line the inside of the cages with foam padding.

Awesome. I think I'll start with what we already have on hand. Would be nice to continue with our current stock of feed vs adding yet another feed bin. We will if necessary but near everything for us is special order unless we shop at big box stores which we don't really do often. That's a good observation on the poop. I'm weird and pay attention to that stuff way too much.
This cage is far better than expected. No wire floors either. That's something I need to figure out is bedding for them for that. What do y'all use? Basically it's trays like rabbit trays that can be pulled out to clean but they live on them vs them being under wire like rabbit cages. The people we bought the cage from mentioned that the height was great and they lost none that they knew of from them popping up and hurting themselves. That was something I've seen mentioned quite a bit. When we build future cages we'll be making sure they are a good height for quail. Good idea on the padding. Will add that if necessary.
Thanks!

Other name for quail is popcorn birds. They want to hide under something to feel safe, some rabbit hidey boxes work fine for that. Height in a cage is not a problem when they have hiding places and is easier for access for cleaning and such.
The jumping up is not a problem when they are kept as clean up for other birds in an avery, but then the ceiling is higher then they jump. The advice that goes with such housing though is to give them hiding places to keep them happy and feeling safe, even if the other birds leave them alone. No reason not to give them hiding places in a lower ceiling housing also.

This cage came with several hides for them. That was something I hadn't seen spoken of much. They used plastic pots and cut entrances in them. They sent them with the cage. They said the majority of their layer eggs were in a specific one so we'll see how that goes. That's one thing I'm not quite confident on. Do they just lay everywhere or do they like nests or??? What's everyones laying areas look like who don't have roll out cages?

Edited to add we pick up 20 jumbo DOC's on friday.

 

[dlynn]

Thank you. I've not been able to track any of that down yet but I'll keep looking. I have bar ale starter on hand already but wasn't sure if I could use it or not.

That's great information. Thanks! I was wondering on the wood ash. We use that with the chickens also. Mix it to their dust bath areas. They love it. I do the same with egg shells for the chicken. I hadn't run across that yet that I can remember. That's a great tip.
That is funny! Quail TV.

Love it! Intention or not it's all your fault! Just kidding. You've just given us the push to give it a go. I'm looking forward to trying them.
Oooohhhhhh! I can feed them meal worms and wild bugs/worms! Good to know. We raise mealworms for our chickens already. I can feed them the smaller ones. Awesome! They will be getting bugs from the garden for sure.
Thanks for that information.

Awesome. I think I'll start with what we already have on hand. Would be nice to continue with our current stock of feed vs adding yet another feed bin. We will if necessary but near everything for us is special order unless we shop at big box stores which we don't really do often. That's a good observation on the poop. I'm weird and pay attention to that stuff way too much.
This cage is far better than expected. No wire floors either. That's something I need to figure out is bedding for them for that. What do y'all use? Basically it's trays like rabbit trays that can be pulled out to clean but they live on them vs them being under wire like rabbit cages. The people we bought the cage from mentioned that the height was great and they lost none that they knew of from them popping up and hurting themselves. That was something I've seen mentioned quite a bit. When we build future cages we'll be making sure they are a good height for quail. Good idea on the padding. Will add that if necessary.
Thanks!

This cage came with several hides for them. That was something I hadn't seen spoken of much. They used plastic pots and cut entrances in them. They sent them with the cage. They said the majority of their layer eggs were in a specific one so we'll see how that goes. That's one thing I'm not quite confident on. Do they just lay everywhere or do they like nests or??? What's everyones laying areas look like who don't have roll out cages?

Edited to add we pick up 20 jumbo DOC's on friday.

They will drop them anywhere, but have noticed they like to lay where there is already an egg and in hiding. So most are in clumps in the shelters or under the ramps that go to top of shelters (hinged for easy checking) also they cuddle together, especially when it gets cold. So hidey holes big enough to crowd in are appreciated. Floor of aviary is sand and chopped leaves. A sheet of vinyl flooring covered with wood shavings on top of shelters (get kicked down and mixed with leaves) PDZ horse stall refresher is a mineral sprinkled in that helps a little with smell and a calcium source of they eat it.

 

[Sagebrush]

The latest batch of Jumbo quail eggs has finally started to hatch on day 18. These have had a few speedbumps already wit PG&E doing stupid crap like PSPS (Public Safety Power Shutoff) for us when we have a breeze (5mph and gusts up to 13mph) twice during their incubation. However, we have chicks hatching so that is a great sign!! Anyway, in this batch are Ginger, Ginger + Andalusian, Italian, and Pansy.

 

[Sagebrush]

So far, 24 of 48 have hatched. More are pipped and zipping.

 

[Sagebrush]

A little over 33 have hatched and dried, 3 more in the incubator still drying.

 

[R Buns]

That is awesome!
These little ones we just got are such characters. I think quail are going to be a lot of fun. I did underestimate the space they needed pretty quickly. They can sure jump and they sure do poo a lot.

 

[TamiPac]

That is awesome!
These little ones we just got are such characters. I think quail are going to be a lot of fun. I did underestimate the space they needed pretty quickly. They can sure jump and they sure do poo a lot.

They're little suicidal poo machines and they eat a ton.

 

[Sagebrush]

They do best in two different setups depending on your preferences. Battery cages which are usually 1' x 2' x 10-12" tall (holds 5 birds 1 Rooster to 4 Hens) are just tall enough that they can stand up and stretch wings but don't allow them to flush up and break their necks on the top, or an Aviary that the footprint can very between 4' x 8' to 12' x 20' in the home backyard but are at least 6' in height so that if the birds do fly (flush) up they tire out before they can hit the top. I happen to have mine in battery cages that are 30" x 4' and 12" tall (as they are converted rabbit cages). I keep only 15-20 birds in even though it can hold 30. This is because I have the water and oyster shell dishes inside the cages.

 

[R Buns]

They're little suicidal poo machines and they eat a ton.

Nailed it!

They do best in two different setups depending on your preferences. Battery cages which are usually 1' x 2' x 10-12" tall (holds 5 birds 1 Rooster to 4 Hens) are just tall enough that they can stand up and stretch wings but don't allow them to flush up and break their necks on the top, or an Aviary that the footprint can very between 4' x 8' to 12' x 20' in the home backyard but are at least 6' in height so that if the birds do fly (flush) up they tire out before they can hit the top. I happen to have mine in battery cages that are 30" x 4' and 12" tall (as they are converted rabbit cages). I keep only 15-20 birds in even though it can hold 30. This is because I have the water and oyster shell dishes inside the cages.

Thanks for that. I'm looking at ordering wire to make some cages. We have the cage we just bought which will do us well for a while. We won't have enough birds this batch to fill them so I have a little time to get cages built. Been watching a lot of YouTube videos. Your measurements help. Thanks

 

[Sagebrush]

Always glad to help when and where I can.

 

[R Buns]

Something happened yesterday. Came home with a two level quail cage along with 13 hens and 2 roos in one of the cage levels and 2 additional roos in the top cage. Had a lovely little egg dinner last night with the eggs the seller left in the cage. The two extra roos will probably be processed in a week or so and the little ones in the brooder (ok ok it's a storage bin for now) will go in the top cage. Still need to clean up and fix up the second two level cage I bought last week but with this new one we have time to get to it once were done with winter prep. We should now be set for quail. At least for a while. Excited to have breeders/egg layers now. They are a year old and some are a few months younger so still got a while with them if we like them. Will also add a mix of genetics.
Babies are already almost completely feathered out. In ONE WEEK!!! I keep expecting more like chickens even though I know better. Working on making more feeders and waterers this weekend. Like the little bin style much better with nearly zero waste.

 

[Rabbit Tree Farm]

Something happened yesterday. Came home with a two level quail cage along with 13 hens and 2 roos in one of the cage levels and 2 additional roos in the top cage. Had a lovely little egg dinner last night with the eggs the seller left in the cage. The two extra roos will probably be processed in a week or so and the little ones in the brooder (ok ok it's a storage bin for now) will go in the top cage. Still need to clean up and fix up the second two level cage I bought last week but with this new one we have time to get to it once were done with winter prep. We should now be set for quail. At least for a while. Excited to have breeders/egg layers now. They are a year old and some are a few months younger so still got a while with them if we like them. Will also add a mix of genetics.
Babies are already almost completely feathered out. In ONE WEEK!!! I keep expecting more like chickens even though I know better. Working on making more feeders and waterers this weekend. Like the little bin style much better with nearly zero waste.

Awesome! And storage bins are perfect quail brooders...easy to clean and available in whatever size you need.


And they do grow insanely fast. The only thing ive raised that rivals them are the muscovies. Its like you can sit and watch them grow in real time.

 

[R Buns]

Awesome! And storage bins are perfect quail brooders...easy to clean and available in whatever size you need.


And they do grow insanely fast. The only thing ive raised that rivals them are the muscovies. Its like you can sit and watch them grow in real time.

Yes! It's amazing! Each time I look in on them they have more and more feathers. Insanely fast compared to chickens. We did loose one last night. Somehow got wedged into the feeder hole. No clue how. The holes are plenty small enough. I can't figure out how it happened. They are larger than day old chicken chicks who have no issues using them. So out of 20 we still have 18. one died a day after birth. Really had no interest in eating. Not sure why but I know it happens.
Wondering how long it will take for the adults to start laying again after being moved. I'm assuming a few days more since we moved their cage into the barn last night. They were getting cold in the crazy winds we have. A bunch of them are featherless on their backs. Looks like they are molting. Makes sense but didn't think about quail doing that. Have lights being delivered today that we will install. Any suggestions on how long to leave them on through winter? I've read 14-16 hours to help with laying? Being in the barn now will leave too much darkness for them so lights will be a must through winter.

 

[TamiPac]

Yes! It's amazing! Each time I look in on them they have more and more feathers. Insanely fast compared to chickens. We did loose one last night. Somehow got wedged into the feeder hole. No clue how. The holes are plenty small enough. I can't figure out how it happened. They are larger than day old chicken chicks who have no issues using them. So out of 20 we still have 18. one died a day after birth. Really had no interest in eating. Not sure why but I know it happens.
Wondering how long it will take for the adults to start laying again after being moved. I'm assuming a few days more since we moved their cage into the barn last night. They were getting cold in the crazy winds we have. A bunch of them are featherless on their backs. Looks like they are molting. Makes sense but didn't think about quail doing that. Have lights being delivered today that we will install. Any suggestions on how long to leave them on through winter? I've read 14-16 hours to help with laying? Being in the barn now will leave too much darkness for them so lights will be a must through winter.

It just depends on the bird as to how long it will take for them to start laying again. I've had some that didn't miss a beat and others that took up to 2 months. Moulting can reallt mess up egg production especially when coupled with a move. I have a set right now that stopped 3 weeks ago and still nothing. They're moulting as well so I just have to be patient. I am winding down the hatching for the winter so maybe one more hatch if I can get some eggs out of them.