Quails

[AussieBirds]

If she is not sitting on them constantly then she wont bother, if your friend wants to eat them they must be desperate for a meal, to be honest I wouldn't bother.

John

[kiddo]

she's from singapore... she is a bit odd but we love her haha
i don't know what it is but she's been wanting quails for ages just so she can eat the eggs. i never grasped her logic..

cheers shannon

[Jane]

I think she must be mistaken for Jap quail, not the king quail you have. Some gourmet type receipes do use jap quail eggs.

I agree with John, king quail are the most frustrating little things! They will lay hundreds of eggs and roll them everywhere! Even if you get them to sit they will get bored in a few days and wander off. ( Having said this Seb has had good luck breeding them )

[AussieBirds]

An interesting little bit of useless information for you, the pattern that you see on the outside of the quail egg is different and unique to every egg.

John

[kiddo]

i may have to get some japanese quail then and breed them.. can they be kept with the king quail??

yes john that is rather useless but i am rather interested to know more little facts:D... is it individual to the hen (like a fingerprint) or is every single egg different?

shannon

[AussieBirds]

It is individual to every egg each egg is different no matter hen or cock.

John

[Jane]

The only things I know about jap quail is they're much bigger than king quail, like 20cm long and are kept for their eggs and eating.

[kiddo]

so they are useful, and not just for looking cool
mabe in the next aviary:D

[sebzpets]

Yes Jane I have had a bumper season with breeding my king quails. 5 babies to maturity out of about 15eggs. Though they did hatch 6 early in the season the darn ants got the chicks,so that last figure is out 2 sittings not 3. In total I have hatched about 15 eggs (lost roughly 10 chicks) out of about 25-30 eggs. Considering how hard the buggers can be to get breeding I an rather pleased with what I have accomplished and now I also know when to bring the chicks in etc etc etc and raise in the house.I have actually rigged up a quail proof cage for them and their mother/s until they are old enough to fend for themselves...so with the proven trio I have I am hoping for a huge season next time round...but like they say don't count your chicks till they hatch....that should be till they mature!!!

[Jane]

Seb I am sooooo impressed, I have three pairs of quails in different aviaries and have managed 1 chick for several hundred eggs. I will have to get more quail devoted and work on a better quail environment. In one I have a ceramic pot set up for private nest and Mrs Quail has laid and is sitting between the pot and the wall

[kiddo]

jane at least she is sitting!!!
good luck with her.
i'm looking forward to my one chick in several hundred eggs as well:D
cheers

[sebzpets]

OK guys here is my secret.

Is possible run your quail in trio's...ie 1 cock & 2 hens,if they are getting on a bit in age try bringing in a nice sexy young hen or replace your cock bird with a younger model. The age of mine is unknown but quail are usually sexually mature by 9-12 weeks,and an "old" quail is about 2.5 yrs old as they have quite a short lifespan.

Than just leave them alone.Mine have nested in 3 different sites to date and the nest they have just laid in (not really a nest...just flat ground) they seem to have deserted. Now they are building a nest on the other side of the aviary the is looking well constructed,yet both are uncovered...(nothing at all covering them).

My best hatches seem to be where they can actually do the "chook" thing and get into a dark well protected place.

I also make sure I have plenty of room for them...though this didn't really seem to matter at all what with the chooks etc on the bottom as well.

Mine will only sit after a clutch is completely laid. Now leave them alone!!!

You will be able to work out when they have "sat" and than just count the days...I watch mine from about day 16 and check the eggs daily (sometimes twice,and I do lift my hens up so go figure that out) for any pipping. Once they are out (normally 1st thing in morning here) I transfer the babies and their mother to a quail proof cage indoors with a jar lid for water (little beggars will drown for sure in anything deeper) and I scatter finch mix everywhere....tried chick starter and they weren't interested at all.

Once they are inside leave them alone in a very quiet draft free place,eg laundry/spare room, as the hen will bounce off the roof and most certainly land on a baby and kill it if disturbed to much.

I keep mine inside until at least half grown,but by 3-4 weeks old(or once bodies are 3/4 feathered) will put the hen back in the aviary.

This is all I have done this season for mine...basicly people I am saying IGNORE them and things go your way.

Another reason they may not stay on the nest is you need to keep in mind budgies,teils etc etc like to "play" and thus could upset your quail hen by wanting to roll her eggs around...my princesses use to go and bounce the finch and dove nests once the hens had sat as part of their daily game.

Jane you might want to do some reading up on chooks to get an better idea of quail breeding...as John said they really are just a really small chook!!

[Jane]

Thanks Seb
Yes I'm sure the birds harass them alot, I am now trying them in aviaries with only scarlets, turqs and bourkes who should leave the quails alone, although they do spend alot of time on the floor.
I have my aviaries on concrete floors, maybe they would prefer dirt so they can dig abit? I can't arrange any grasses etc because the other birds shred them in no time.
I'll sort them into threesomes and report progress......

[Jane]

Okay I done some devoted quail care this morning, I have 2 trios made up in seperate aviaries, oh boy did the quail boys like getting an extra girl, they were still madly raping this afternoon They are so much like roosters aren't they? First sight of a new girl and one wing goes down and they do that quickly sidle over thing then watch out.
I made some new quail houses from upturned pots with small doorways like I had seen somewhere and tried both sand and woodshavings for bedding.

[sebzpets]

Jane,

It sounds like you have created a brothel there LOL.

Whether they use their new "house's" or not will remain to be seen. I have found that once a site has been "found" for the nest than both my hens will lay in it but only 1 will sit. I also spoke to someone yesterday that got their budgies to hatch the quail eggs for them. Thing is budgies would really only be able to cover 1 egg...2 at most.

Keep us updated on any results. It is starting to get cool here so I am not expecting anything to happen but seeing as you are in a warmer climate you might get lucky.

[sebzpets]

Have just posted some phone numbetrs in "links" that refer to quail breeders and info. I haven't called anyone yet but it might be a great place to get heaps of info and hopefully a Californian Quail breeder for me.