[Eve]

I've been reading all about the different breeds, eggs, feeding, incubating, housing, health problems etc, but there are two more things I'd like to know:
- do the males make a noise from early morning the way cockerels do? I know they're (far) less loud, but still... we had cockerels in our garden for one night  once, they had to go as they woke up half the street at 5am (we live in suburbia)    Even the garden birds start singing long before it gets light.
- I would imagine quail cannot be left to wander in the same run as chickens, the latter would probably bully them or worse? When we had chickens in the garden, they tolerated the pigeons but chased the smaller birds away.
 
All advice welcome 
 
 

[feldar]

Hi Eve
I used to breed quail a few years ago and i used to love the sound they made in the morning, actually they call all through the day like a cockeral. But it's not as intrusive as a cockeral and not as loud.
We didn't let them wonder free much because of predetors, though a friend of mine did and they used to live happily in thick bushes and cover with a few losses occasionally. but he did always feed them inside a barn area.
I don't think the chickens would tolerate them, i know mine wouldn't. But do watch if you pen them too tight, the boys have a habit of mounting or treading the girls continually and they can cause head wounds where they grab the soft feathers on the females head. I have seen a male bird literally open a female's head through to the brain where she couldn't get away from him in a very small cage ( not one of mine i assure you!) so give them plenty of space and cover and things to get under and they should be fine.
And don't forget they can fly a bit, a bit like a banty so they will roost up a small tree or hop over a wall, mine used to line up along the top of my chicken run waiting for grub!
Good luck with them, i think they are fun cheeky birds and great fun to keep and i do hope to have some more in the near future.

[Eve]

Thankyou, Feldar. I am thinking of a me-height run and housing (my husband and I are both 6ft2  )with soft netting along the top under the roof to stop the quail from hitting their head hard if they fly up when frightened, and indeed with plenty of space - I like to see my animals have enough space and entertainment (well, you know, branches and grass and bushes etc, not video games  ). Did you provide extra heating in winter or just good insulation?
 
The chicken run is fox proof, but the quail's quarters will need to be rat-proof, too - I wonder how well rats can climb? If, say, the bottom 50cm of the run is both wood and welded mesh, could a rat climb up it and get through a bit higher? Not that I have seen any evidence of rats yet, but just trying to foresee any problems  I bet rats can dig their way under a wall?
 
 
Sorry, that's 4 questions rather than 2, isn't it? 
 

 
 

[feldar]

 Hi Eve
It sounds like you are well prepared! i didn't provide extra heating but they did have a shed they went into or i chased them into at night. When i wanted to breed them, i actually boxed them out into large rabbit cages in the garden shed, then i collected eggs and hatched them in an incubator. this is because i was told they were not good sitters so i didn't give them the option!!
plus it does mean all you chicks hatch at once and are easier to deal with.
i always have rats here but never had a problem of them taking the adults, but i certainly wouldn't trust them with eggs or chicks they are just the right size for a meal. That was one of the reasons for boxing them out. i could collect the eggs easily and not have to worry about any rats getting into the cages. Same with the chicks they were inside a brick outhouse under heat until they were big enough to fend for them selves.
If you are just collecting eggs for eating, a small  nestbox like the hens have will be fine, but they do have a habit of laying where they want to not where you want them too !
I never saw any chicks raised by my quail in the run so i guess they can't be good sitters, either that or the rats did get the eggs.

[Mrs Snoodles]

Hi Eve,
I kept my quail pen, which was 3 x 3 m and 1.5 m high on concrete, with 30 cm wooden panels around the side and a net on top.  No trouble for ages but then we had literally 1 rat in, which just killed about half of what I had.  I saw it get out, with no trouble, up the wire panels and through the netting.  I since moved the whole thing to the middle of a field with no problems since.

most quail do not need heat or additional light during winter, but it is a good idea to furnish their run with leylandi or something similar which gives good cover.  I also have a hutch filled with straw.  I have a bucket full of mash in it, tip on it's side as a feeder.

Eggs wise, they need alot of light to lay, so they are really only productive in the Spring and Summer and a bit into Autumn.

Be careful how many males you keep, as Felder wrote, they can be a tad over enthusiastic.

I bred Jumbo Japanese Quail so that I could properly use the extra males hatched.  A pair of roasted males, made a good portion for 1 persons dinner.  Very sweet meat, really tasty!   The eggs turned out to be larger too, a bit of an advantage when it came to peeling

I have my quail in with my lads pet pheasant and partridge. All is fine. Not sure about chickens though....they can be pretty nasty.... although quail are much faster.

[Eve]

Thanks, Mrs Snoodles 

[in the hills]

   We keep Japanese Quail. They can't free range as they never get tame as chickens do. They can fly quite well and are not supposed to return, though a few of our escapees have come home. They are easily spooked so take care when cleaning out etc as they can suddenly fly right past you and are gone.    If they escape they sometimes return to their pens and can be caught by throwing a towel over them. We keep ours in large coops on the lawn. There is small square wire on the floor. Rats are to quail what foxes are to hens. They will burrow under and kill them. We have found wired floors necessary to keep them safe. In an aviary you will need to wire under the run floor and use small wire for sides etc. My friend lost her aviary quail to rats that dug their way in. They have indoor quarters with sawdust and straw and boxes etc. as hiding places. They are supposed to lay indiscriminately but we find they lay in little boxes/hidey corners if provided. We have conifer branches/ logs in the runs and the outdoor areas have covers so they can be out and stay dry. They love dust baths so we provide these regularly. We feed layers mash/quail pellets. They also enjoy lettuce.


The males are very aggressive and will injure/kill each other ...... far worse than cockerels.


Have fun

[Eve]

Thanks! I've been reading up for hours, but most books and websites are fairly quiet about rats so I'm glad I asked here. I'll remember to keep towel stored away in case of escapees 

[in the hills]

Have you got the book ... "Quail" by Katie Thear  ..... it is very good.

[artscott]

 We used to keep quail when we lived in town, strangely they did use to wake me up with their calls in the morning.  Cocks crowing no problem, quails much softer but woke me up anyway.
Males were pretty vicious with each other the ones I kept (jumbo) and quite enthusiastic with the ladies.  We used to B-B-Q all the excess males and they tasted really good.  Females lay stacks of eggs and they make the best Yorkshire puddings I have ever made approx. 6=1 med hens egg.
Rats can climb very, very well, but I never had a problem with them taking adult quail, just eggs.  Mesh does need to be small enough to stop them sticking their heads through though, or the local cat will bite their heads off!
Brooding can be a problem if you have a lot of birds as they drink lots of water, their poo is sticky and glues itself to their feet.   When you try to pull it off toes can come off too so try to avoid it and if it does happen you just have hold the bird and soak the feet for 5-10 mins to soften it.  If you get splay leg ones it’s hard to sort them out with hobbles as they are so small, probably best to just dispatch them quickly and save the distress unless you have hands like a surgeon.
Can’t think of anything else that others haven’t mentioned, hope you have fun with them.

[Bert]

We had a male quail for a short time. I didn't find his call to offensive (sounded a bit like a distant cockerel being strangled ). Our dog on the other hand was terrified of the sound . So at first light or what ever un godly hour Mr quail started his shouting, our big brave collie would jump on the bed walk over us to get to the pillows and then proceed to lie on our heads shaking. After a few days of this it got very annoying  . So Mr quail had to go ( he tasted lovely  ).


Be warned if you get quail you will get very attached to them  , they will always put a smile on your face when they do there little running backwards stunt (have no idea why they do this). They will brake your heart when they get there little lives cut short by some predator ( crap ! I'm welling up again ).

[Eve]

Thanks, all, that's very useful. 
 
Yes, In The Hills, I started off reading Katie Thear's book, and you're right: it's very informative indeed! I keep on going through the same process whenever I think of starting with something that's new to us: lots of gardening books when I first started growing vegetables, half a dozen of chicken books when I first thought of keeping chickens, and so on. But there is only so much a book can tell you, and people's anecdotes can be so funny and informative (I hadn't yet heard of the sticky-pooh, reverse walking, rats' climbing abilities, funny dog reactions, secret magical yorkshire pudding ingredient etc). Keep them coming, please, I like to be prepared! 
 
PS: Bert, thankyou for the warning about getting attached, I better not tell my husband as I'm already addicted to pigs, chickens, a friend's dog, and we have the fattest garden birds in the area   
 

[in the hills]

I think they run backwards and then do a pooh! Not sure why? 


The pooh does seem very sticky. I move the arks regularly but they do get messy quickly because in wet weather it sticks to the wire. Needs a regular hose down. They do eat the grass and enjoy it when the coop is moved. Also like millet as a treat.

[feldar]

Well there's a mention about Norfolk Quail in December's issue of Country homes and Gardens ( no i'm not a posh bird my mother buys it) so if they have mentioned it you may well have a market out there. So get your advertising out. You could advertise as a posh alternative to turkey this Christmas!

[Mel Rice]

I keep my quail in a run attatched to a rabbit hutch sized box. Pine martens have been a problem for me . they bit through the first lot of chicken wire and killed most of the birds....Ive since replaced chicken wire with the solid square wire mesh stuff on every side (and top). I have found an odd scrape under the bottem rail in a morning but whatever made it, has given up before it got inside. I pull the whole run/box unit across the orchard daily which helps return visits to the scrape.
In my very cold (continental) winters the runs go into a barn to keep them snow free rather than warm.
They are fun, great egg producers in the warmer weather, and tasty too. My dad thinks they sound like a mobile phone when they 'crow'