Pros and Cons of quail?

[Silkie Princess]

I'm going to maybe hatch quail this year!


I need birds that actually LAY eggs because I have a ton of broody bantams already


Soooo I'm thinking about Celadons and Pharaoh quail. Are they good layers? And what are the benefits of quail eggs?

I won't keep them for meat. But what to do with males? I will breed them but not over breeding. Do you just have to butcher the males? I could sell them but I'm afraid nobody will be interested And can you have batchelor pads? Or are they just too canibalistic?


And do you think a Serama-sized hen would hatch quail eggs without damaging them? Though I don't think I'll let her... I really want to hatch them myself


And are there any things I should know BEFORE getting them? I would hatch 15-20 eggs. They would be raised in a quail tractor in my backyard


Thanks!

 

[Silkie Princess]

@Nabiki @yakitori @Kiki

 

[Skyle]

Domestic japanese quail (Celadon and Pharaoh are types of this specie) are little egg machines. They go broody very rarely.
I've kept more males together, it depends a lot in the temperament of the birds, but if they have enough females and a lot of space it could work. So be prepared with separated single-cages for aggressive ones (Some females can be aggressive, too).
I butcher all the extra males. Quails in this case are better than chickens. At only 2 months if age they are pretty meaty. Feather-sexable colours can be sexed easly at 1 month of age.
I've seen very small bantams hatch quails, so I think it can be done if the hen is gentle with them.

 

[Silkie Princess]

Domestic japanese quail (Celadon and Pharaoh are types of this specie) are little egg machines. They go broody very rarely.
I've kept more males together, it depends a lot in the temperament of the birds, but if they have enough females and a lot of space it could work. So be prepared with separated single-cages for aggressive ones (Some females can be aggressive, too).
I butcher all the extra males. Quails in this case are better than chickens. At only 2 months if age they are pretty meaty. Feather-sexable colours can be sexed easly at 1 month of age.
I've seen very small bantams hatch quails, so I think it can be done if the hen is gentle with them.

Thanks! How many males can you keep together? They would have a nice large run...

 

[Silkie Princess]

Also what do you mean by aggresive? Like they "scratch" and peck you?

 

[HipMystic]

I'm going to maybe hatch quail this year!


I need birds that actually LAY eggs because I have a ton of broody bantams already


Soooo I'm thinking about Celadons and Pharaoh quail. Are they good layers? And what are the benefits of quail eggs?

I won't keep them for meat. But what to do with males? I will breed them but not over breeding. Do you just have to butcher the males? I could sell them but I'm afraid nobody will be interested And can you have batchelor pads? Or are they just too canibalistic?


And do you think a Serama-sized hen would hatch quail eggs without damaging them? Though I don't think I'll let her... I really want to hatch them myself


And are them any things I should know BEFORE getting them? I would hatch 15-20 eggs. They would be raised in a quail tractor in my backyard


Thanks!

Congratulations! Quail are awesome layers, mine actually lay more eggs on average than my chickens do (and they start laying at 8 weeks old, sometimes even earlier)
Quail eggs are super nutritious, I read somewhere that they have twice as many vitamins/minerals by weight than chicken eggs do
You could try to sell your extra males, but they could be an awesome meat source if you decide to go that route
Bachelor pads seem to be hit or miss. I had a group of 4 together for a while last summer that did fine, and right now I have 2 extra roosters that are best buds, but I’ve also had roosters that fight with each other nonstop
I’m not sure about letting a broody hatch them, it might be something to experiment with

 

[Silkie Princess]

Congratulations! Quail are awesome layers, mine actually lay more eggs on average than my chickens do (and they start laying at 8 weeks old, sometimes even earlier)
Quail eggs are super nutritious, I read somewhere that they have twice as many vitamins/minerals by weight than chicken eggs do
You could try to sell your extra males, but they could be an awesome meat source if you decide to go that route
Bachelor pads seem to be hit or miss. I had a group of 4 together for a while last summer that did fine, and right now I have 2 extra roosters that are best buds, but I’ve also had roosters that fight with each other nonstop
I’m not sure about letting a broody hatch them, it might be something to experiment with

Thanks!

 

[Skyle]

Thanks! How many males can you keep together? They would have a nice large run...

As with for chickens, it depends a lot on the temperamente of the single bird, if they grow together, the number of females (usually 4-5 females to every male, but you should go higher if you want to be sure) and the dimensions of the run.
I've kept 2 males together (plus their male-female offspring since they were old enough to stay outside until they reached sexual maturity) with 8 females, without any problem. The run is big enough to accomodate 20-25 quails comfortably.

Also what do you mean by aggresive? Like they "scratch" and peck you?

No, some quails attack and also injury pretty badly the other quails. This happens especially if the run is too small and there aren't enough places where to hide.

 

[Silkie Princess]

As with for chickens, it depends a lot on the temperamente of the single bird, if they grow together, the number of females (usually 4-5 females to every male, but you should go higher if you want to be sure) and the dimensions of the run.
I've kept 2 males together (plus their male-female offspring since they were old enough to stay outside until they reached sexual maturity) with 8 females, without any problem. The run is big enough to accomodate 20-25 quails comfortably.


No, some quails attack and also injury pretty badly the other quails. This happens especially if the run is too small and there aren't enough places where to hide.

Oh I get it! Yeah I'm thinking something like this: (but larger)

And with the floor covered in chicken wire and with "places to hide". Something like this:

Also do they ruin the grass like chickens?

 

[The-White-Elephant]

Oh I get it! Yeah I'm thinking something like this: (but larger)
View attachment 2978690
And with the floor covered in chicken wire and with "places to hide". Something like this:
View attachment 2978691


Also do they ruin the grass like chickens?

No, the don’t eat as much grass as chickens. Just remember, make their cage either short, or tall. No “in betweens”