Raising Coturnix Quail
For centuries people all over the world have been raising Coturnix quail for their eggs and for their meat.
Today, Coturnix quail are still a great option for your average backyard homesteaders and hobbyist.
They can even make a great alternative to raising chickens for many reasons.
Just to name a few:
- Require less housing space.
- Mature at a faster rate.
- Need less food.
- They even produce more eggs.
- Equal or even less maintenance.
Additionally, in many areas residents aren’t allowed to keep chickens.
and…
In many of these areas they aren’t any restrictions on quail!
Some Other Advantages:
- Quick life cycle.
- Readily available.
- Can lay 250 eggs per year!
- Relatively disease resistant.
- Economically efficient.
- Ready to eat in just 8 weeks!
- Easily harvested.
- Eggs can easily be sold.
- Females can lay eggs in as little as 6 weeks.
- Short incubation time.
A Few Disadvantages:
- Can be easily injured.
- Feed can be less common.
- Easily frightened.
- Plenty poop. (great fertilizer)
- Cannot take extreme cold.
Housing Requirements for Coturnix Quail
The needed housing space should depend on if you are raising quail for meat production, egg production, or breeding.
For egg laying and breeding it is recommended to provide a space of 1 sq. foot per quail.
For instance:
If you have a 2 ft. x 4 ft. cage, this gives you an available space for up to 8 quail!
Allowing 1 sq. foot per quail will provide more than enough space and will make for a healthier and calmer bird.
Additionally, if you are raising quail for meat production then you should aim for 4 quail per sq. ft. if feeders and waterers are inside the cage.
So:
For our sample cage of 2 ft. x 4 ft. you would have an available space for 32 Coturnix quail!
If your feeders and waterers are outside the cage you can successfully raise 5 quail per sq. ft.
At this rate:
A space of 2 ft. x 4 ft. would allow 4o quail.
Ultimately, with lesser space the quail will move less and burn less energy.
This will allow for a much faster harvest (usually 6-8 weeks).
Cage Requirements:
The sides of the cage should be made from a material that allows enough airflow for proper ventilation.
Chicken wire or square wire mesh will work well for this.
Which ever material you choose remember it is important that predators such as cats, raccoons, etc can’t reach the quail.
The flooring of the cage should ideally be made of 1/2″ square mesh wire to allow waste to fall through for easy clean up.
A pan of collection tray of some sort can be made to collect droppings.
Coturnix quail can be rather messy and produce a lot of waste so this will help a bunch!
This waste is extremely nitrogen rich and can make for great compost.
Ideally, the flooring should also be built at a slight angle with a small enough opening allowing the eggs to roll out for easier collection.
The height of the cage should be no more than 10 inches tall.
Quail have a tendency to quickly fly up when excited or spooked which can easily cause fatal injuries.
Limiting the height of the cages will discourage this behavior and help reduce injuries among your flock.
A roof ideally can be made of plywood or tin if housed outside to help keep out the elements such as sunlight and rain.
Coturnix Quail Food and Water Requirements:
Young quail should
be fed a game bird starter feed or turkey starter feed of roughly 25% protein.
If neither of the above can be found readily, a chick starter feed can be used as a last resort, but will reduce growth rate.
After 6 weeks of age quail should be fed a diet of a commercial game bird feed or turkey feed.
Feed in the form of crumbles can seriously reduce wastage.
Adult quail will eat a rough average of 16g a day.
Feeder space of at least half an inch to a full inch per adult bird is needed.
Feed should be available and dry at all times but be careful not to over fill the trough to avoid wastage.
Waterer space of no less than a quarter of an inch per adult bird is required.
It is highly important that clean and cool water be provided at all times to reduce the chance of disease and dehydration.
Nipple waterers or waterer cups are a great option and should be provided at 1 nipple or cup per 5 birds.