The Poultry Keeper

Lisa · Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 7:26 pm Post subject: Quail

The garden centre with the hybrids I'm a visiting at the weekend also has quail Rolling Eyes

I can remember someone saying on PP that male quail make a noise at night.

But does anyone know if female quail are quiet to keep?

Just curious, of course...

jaydee67 · Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 8:05 pm Post subject:

Only quail I have seen are chicks and boy were they fast! And they could jump much higher than a hen chick!

debcat · Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 8:15 pm Post subject:

I fancy quail as well, just don't know anything about keeping them though
Debs

alexa · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 336 Location: wiltshire

i have quail. the females dont really make any noise and the males do but its nothing like a cockerel. i got mine as chicks and they are now tame.

alexa Very Happy

poultry poofs · Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 11:21 pm Post subject:

Hi Citychick
we have quail (golden Italian and Japanese together )and they are in the garden and you hardly know they are ever there.
Occasionaly they squabble but most of the time you just hear the odd warble or chirp in the night until they get shut in their house then its totally quiet.
Some of the quail breeds can be noisy thats why we went for the ones we have.
they are very cute very fast growers and interesting little birds but you have to have your wits about you when opening the run doors or they are off like a shot fortunately we have caught them so far so be warned Laughing

pollypekin · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 183 Location: Kent

I have italian and chinese painted quail. They are not at all noisy like cockerels - a few of these would look good on your lawn in an enclosed run CityChick Very Happy

Let us know what you buy Wink

debcat · Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 12:01 am Post subject:

are they really hardy or can you keep them inside?
It's cold wet and windy here

poultry poofs · Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 12:20 am Post subject:

They are quite hardy when adults during normal weather.You will need to move them indoors in a shed during the winter if it the weather is cold or very wet.They will normally stay out in the rain no matter how horrible it is but its far better if you want them to produce eggs for them to be kept in fairly sheltered conditions.
They are easy to keep but they must never run out of water, feed(quail feed not chicken feed)or grit for a long period.If they do they will either stop laying for a few days or in some cases months.
If you forget these requirements in their very young days they will die.
They eat a lot and grow very fast and will be mature to mate and lay in 6 to 10 weeks.
The ideal arrangement is to have a wired floor aviary cage with a small shed inside so they have the shelter and an enclosed run to protect them from predators rats, cats, foxes, birds of prey ,etc
and from escaping.
It is actually illegal to allow them into the wild.... so you must tell them not to escape or the Government will not be very pleased with you Rolling Eyes

rich

debcat · Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 12:41 am Post subject:

I'l have to ask in the fed place if they can get quail feed before I take the plunge.
would an indoor aviary be good?
Debs

poultry poofs · Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 1:03 am Post subject:

I have seen them kept in small caged runs a couple of feet high but they sometimes get flighty first thing and if the cage is higher there is less chance of them injuring themselves on the cage roof.
A wired run 4 or 5 feet high and 5 or 6 feet long will be fine or an indoor aviary would be fine if you have the space and somewhere light and airy.
In doors permanently ie in a shed you need only put in nesting areas some people use large plant pots on their sides stuffed with a straw bed.
Unlike chickens they are normally quick to get used to you and easy to handle and you can move around amongst them and get quite tame .
They are really best kept outside particularly in the summer months and really only need bringing in in really bad weather of winter.Bringing them in in the winter will extend the laying period.
The recommended food is quail food which looks like fine budgie seed. You can mix it with chick crumbs,they need a good diet to sustain egg production and good fertility.
They eggs are tasty and so are the birds so if you have excess males you can make a meal of them.
You can rear 5 generations of quail in one year so it is easy to increase the numbers you have very quickly.

Lisa · Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 7:43 am Post subject:

Wow! Thanks everyone. So it seems like its just down to getting the right sort of quail for quiet ones... (I definitely remember someone on PP saying the males made a noise at night, which would be a no-no in town).

Can't remember what they had, or if I could just get females, but I can always go back and ask today Laughing

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

Saw some quail at Woodside farm, don't know what brand. I could only remember having read that they were runny little birds. They're certainly lovely to look at.
summayah

Lisa · Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 8:56 am Post subject:

I saw some too at the Domestic Fowl Trust - I remember they had theirs in a tall cage (avairy). Like the Poultry Poofs said, they need the head space because (from what I remember I read) they tend to fly up if spooked.

And the last thing I need is having to take a quail to the vets because it banged its head on the top of a low cage!! Rolling Eyes

Quail might have to be plan B - 2 new hybrids 1st Very Happy

NannyP · Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 9:55 am Post subject:

Lisa, I reckon you could talk yourself into anything really. Maybe we could have a thread where we just have a dialogue with ourselves, I know it worked for me this morning. Mark said, "You don't really need my input do you?" He was right, I sorted myself, out loud and made my decision Laughing

I even told myself to shut up as I didn't want to think about it!!
Wink

Lisa · Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:05 am Post subject:

LOL

You're right off course NannyP, but I'd like to convince the OH too, hence my search for info - makes for a much happier life at home. Had enough aggro and problems in recent times elsewhere crybaby

Don't need it at home too Wink