Quail lifetime

[farmer90]

I have been a reader of this forum for a long time and I've got a lot of valuable advice from you, so firstly I would like to thank you all for that.
I started raising quails this year and I wanted to ask for advice. How long do you keep your quail for laying? I've read that after a year their egglaying goes down. It might sound like a stupid question, but when your quails get a year old do you cull them or let them live until the rest of their days? I've also read that quail lifespawn is a short one. Just want to know what would be the most reasonable option. Also if you cull an over a year old quail will the meat be as tender or should I consider cooking it differently?

 

[Farmgirl283420]

I have been a reader of this forum for a long time and I've got a lot of valuable advice from you, so firstly I would like to thank you all for that.
I started raising quails this year and I wanted to ask for advice. How long do you keep your quail for laying? I've read that after a year their egglaying goes down. It might sound like a stupid question, but when your quails get a year old do you cull them or let them live until the rest of their days? I've also read that quail lifespawn is a short one. Just want to know what would be the most reasonable option. Also if you cull an over a year old quail will the meat be as tender or should I consider cooking it differently?

Welcome to BYC! I only have chickens so unfortunately I won’t be able to answer any of your questions.

 

[Nabiki]

I have hens up to three years old that are still laying. Their egg production does start to go down at about 18 month. At that point, it's up to you whether you want to let them retire in peace or eat them. One of the nice things about quail is that they seem to be good eating no matter what their age is.

Coturnix quail live 2-5 years, which is quite a lot of variation, but the average is closer to two years than five.

 

[007Sean]

The answers you seek will vary widely, depending on what species and what exactly you want to gain from raising quail. And will vary depending on who you ask these questions too!
On average, the lifespan of Coturnix quail is short, hens live longer due to the fact that they don't get culled as much as cock birds do! Most cock birds get culled early on due to aggressiveness or they go to 'freezer camp', compared to 'New World' species. Most have lifespans of 2 to 4 years, where as New World quail, (Bobwhites, Gambles, Mountain, Valley and Mearns) average 6 to 8 years. Cockbirds of the new world species on the whole live longer lives than Coturnix cock birds. Most new world species are raised for their beauty or the enjoyment of the hobby. Exceptions, being Bobwhites, a lot of people raise Bobwhites for meat production, so their life spans are short.

Coturnix will lay an egg every day, this is hard on the hens, takes a tremendous amount of energy and extracts calcium from their bones, thus it shortens their lifespans. Also, most avivist will provide extra light for the production of eggs and thus, it's not a normal daylight cycle, this too shortens their life.
New World quail are seasonal layers and will lay between 20 to 40 eggs per season. This is not as determental on their bodies, therefore, they usually live longer lives.

Hope this helps answer your questions!
ETA -- punctuation

 

[farmer90]

I have Coturnix mostly Manchurians, sorry forgot to mention that. I think I got the answer I was looking for. Thank you!