The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: CameronS on January 29, 2010, 05:47:30 pm
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Having considered quail for a few months now i have finally decide, that i would like a trio or a quad. before i make any hardfast decisions, i want to check some facts, again this means another of my huge lists of questions (sorry :) )
What breeds are best as layers?
What should i feed them?
What price should i be looking at paying, and for what ages?
Thanks
Cameron :D
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we feed ours chicken layers pellets (some people recommend crushing them up first, but ours managed perfectly well !) & crushed maize, cereals.
Japanese quail (cortornix) are good layers, and fairly hardy, but they won't lay during the winter.
Get them as young as possible, this way they'll get more used to you and reduce the risk of escaping, and bear in mind they have a much shorter life span than chooks.
as for prices... you're better to check locally as it will vary! Are you wanting eggs? day olds? layers?!
Katie Thears book on quail is quite informative, or an internet search of 'corturnix' or 'quail' - You can buy eggs from 'Game for anything' site. There are also some forums with good information pages.
hope that helps...
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Hello ,
I am very lucky that my local pet food store sells sacks of quail food. It seems to be a mix of chick crumb, small seeds such as millett etc, this is down in Leicestershire. Mine are cortunix, who laid well in the summer but aren't laying while it is so cold. Last year I had them inside and the heatlamps were on for young chickens so they laid more then, so the little amount of heat seemed to help.
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Are you wanting eggs? day olds? layers?!
, i perhaps should have mentioned this in my origional paragraph, i am going to go fo layers, or at least very close to layers, possibly a breeding trio, i'm not sure yet
Thabks for the replies
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get jumbo or giant jap quail thay lay loads of eggs and the cocks are a bit bigger for eating as they hatch dead easy theres not a load of meat on these but even less on ordinary jap quail... i had them got fed up with them too many eggs too small and the eaters as well, rather have a chicken but others like quail... shed has to be rat proof, rats will pull the legs off though a wire floor, and door neeeds to be bolt proof ie as soon as you open the door some will fly out and you wont get them back. one of mine flew 75yards straight into a brick wall, stunned itself.... they reckon giant/jumbo can reach 12ozs, ive never heard of anyone that has done that... there is a quail forom cotrinoux or something like that.
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