House / Pet Quail !?

[AlishaAmani]

I happened upon an instagram page featuring a friendly tame house quail. (@fathetfarms)
Looking at types of quail online, I figured out that it is a Mearns / Montezuma quail.

I've become fascinated with the idea of a tame pet quail, but I'm wondering if this is actually something that is doable or if it is extremely unusual and this pet owner just got really lucky.

• If this is really something that people do, are these types of quail the best for taming or are there others that are great too?
• Anyone here have experience with this?
• I'm assuming that you wouldn't want to house only 1 quail by itself, and would definitely want to get a pair, at minimum. ...correct?
• Do you know of anyone breeding quail for tame/friendly/pet-like temperate?

(My experience with quail is only that I've spent a lot of time reading about how to raise corturnix quail and my parents used to raise quail when I was really young.)


Thank you so much for any info/thoughts/etc.

 

[007Sean]

I happened upon an instagram page featuring a friendly tame house quail. (@fathetfarms)
Looking at types of quail online, I figured out that it is a Mearns / Montezuma quail.

I've become fascinated with the idea of a tame pet quail, but I'm wondering if this is actually something that is doable or if it is extremely unusual and this pet owner just got really lucky.

• If this is really something that people do, are these types of quail the best for taming or are there others that are great too?
• Anyone here have experience with this?
• I'm assuming that you wouldn't want to house only 1 quail by itself, and would definitely want to get a pair, at minimum. ...correct?
• Do you know of anyone breeding quail for tame/friendly/pet-like temperate?

(My experience with quail is only that I've spent a lot of time reading about how to raise corturnix quail and my parents used to raise quail when I was really young.)


Thank you so much for any info/thoughts/etc.

Gamebirds are not like chickens, they haven't been domesticated as long as chickens have been in captivity. Mearns quail are quite rare and are expensive birds, plus, it takes alot more knowledge, experince, just to rear them, not a 1st timers quail to raise.

IMHO, gamebirds should not be seen as pets, like you do a dog or cat! Yes, some people have tamed them down to where they are "pets" but they are few and far between....they need to be handled all day, every day, from the time they hatch until they are mature, to have any luck at all of taming them down.

 

[A_dele]

Gamebirds are not like chickens, they haven't been domesticated as long as chickens have been in captivity. Mearns quail are quite rare and are expensive birds, plus, it takes alot more knowledge, experince, just to rear them, not a 1st timers quail to raise.

IMHO, gamebirds should not be seen as pets, like you do a dog or cat! Yes, some people have tamed them down to where they are "pets" but they are few and far between....they need to be handled all day, every day, from the time they hatch until they are mature, to have any luck at all of taming them down.

would a specific breed have a better chance?

 

[Nabiki]

would a specific breed have a better chance?

Coturnix are probably the most domesticated of quail, but they are still quail. They are small prey animals, and will react as such. If you want a bird that you can really make friends with, I would suggest a parrot or a chicken. Even those you will need to spend a lot of time with and learn how to interact with them to get the best results.

 

[scyllarus]

I'll third the statement that quail are gamebirds and don't have the same domestication history as things like chickens or parrots. You're likely to never have a quail that comes to you for cuddles, or prefer you over other quail except in special circumstances (ie, some people have had success raising a single quail, as the bird considers humans its covey - but this can be seen as cruel to the bird). They're flock animals and need others to be happy.

However, some people do keep pet quail. These are typically Coturnix or Japanese quail, which is probably the most domesticated of any quail species. You'd want multiple, two minimum - but more is better. If you keep a male, you'll need at least four females to keep him company as he's likely to overbreed fewer than that, but that also depends on the male. There's several farms atm that are reported to have friendlier quail - SW Gamebirds and Thieving Otter Farms comes to mind for me - but it's not a guarantee.

 

[007Sean]

would a specific breed have a better chance?

NO!!!

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

I'll third the statement that quail are gamebirds and don't have the same domestication history as things like chickens or parrots. You're likely to never have a quail that comes to you for cuddles, or prefer you over other quail except in special circumstances (ie, some people have had success raising a single quail, as the bird considers humans its covey - but this can be seen as cruel to the bird). They're flock animals and need others to be happy.

However, some people do keep pet quail. These are typically Coturnix or Japanese quail, which is probably the most domesticated of any quail species. You'd want multiple, two minimum - but more is better. If you keep a male, you'll need at least four females to keep him company as he's likely to overbreed fewer than that, but that also depends on the male. There's several farms atm that are reported to have friendlier quail - SW Gamebirds and Thieving Otter Farms comes to mind for me - but it's not a guarantee.

Parrots aren't domesticated animals, they are tamed by hand rearing and lots of time to accept you as a member if their "flock". Parrots are also very different from quail intelligence wise.

 

[Nabiki]

Parrots aren't domesticated animals, they are tamed by hand rearing and lots of time to accept you as a member if their "flock". Parrots are also very different from quail intelligence wise.

Any bird that you want to befriend will take a lot of work. I just know that a lot more people have been successful making pets out of chickens and parrots than have with quail.

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

Any bird that you want to befriend will take a lot of work. I just know that a lot more people have been successful making pets out of chickens and parrots than have with quail.

Yes, that's true. Still doesn't make parrots domesticated.

 

[Nabiki]

Yes, that's true. Still doesn't make parrots domesticated.

Fair enough. I admit, I don't know a lot about parrots, so new info is always good.