[lisa80]

hi all, having recently caught the bug i am now looking into getting a few quail next year.Has anyone got any advice i.e dos and donts .also any tips for what to do with the eggs ive read you can pickle them but any links to recipes etc would be great.i cant seem to find much info on what to feed them etc so any thing you lovely lot have to tell me would be great

[vichope74]

Hi Lisa,
My Dad kept 4 quail, one cock and 3 hens in a large aviary with run when I was little.  From what I remember he fed them the same as the other birds he kept eg finches- but obviously in little feeders on the floor, they were lovely little birds, very shy though.  As for the eggs though , he never used them but they are ace in salads - boiled or fried and make cute canapes.  Sorry not very Delia.

[lisa80]

thanks im sure there are various breeds so not sure which are best for layingif anyone has any more knowledge would be very grateful 

[Chookiechook]

I keep and breed Japanese quail..... they are great little egg layers.

I keep one male to every 5/6 females to keep fertility at its best.

If you want to breed to eat, then the Texas A&M are the ones to get.... they are a bit bigger than the normal Japanese ones and white, but lay the same sort of eggs.

They are pretty addictive though... I started off with four that were going free from someone that was bored of them..... and now I have over 100!!

[lisa80]

im just looking for decent egg layers initally ,how do u house yours?

[karlooben]

chookie  u are someone i may need to speak to in the new year , i was thinking of keeping a few quail but i really want to find out all i can first 

[joyfull]

Chickenlady has some and is just hatching some at the moment 

[Chookiechook]

Lisa80..... I keep mine housed in a shed with an assortment of hutches and indoor rabbit cages depending on their ages.

Chicks are in rabbit cages as its easier to keep these clean as they are plastic, and easier and safer to put heating in them...... the layers are in a stack of hutches with one cock bird to each 4/5 hens.

[lisa80]

many thanks ,im the same as you karlooben i want to know as much as possible before i get some 

[karlooben]

lisa u can call me looby  most ppl on here do 

[lisa80]

thanks looby saves a bit of typing!! :)what breed and how many are you thinking of getting??? ive got to convince hubby yet!

[karlooben]

to tell you the truth i dont know yet , i am going to wait until i have built the run etc it gives me all winter to make up my mind 

[lisa80]

me too i think! with bigger pen needed for existing chooks and an over grown allotment which we cant touch cause its too wet ,i think were going to be busy busy in new yr

[karlooben]

fence the girls of on it and  it will be clean soil within 2 months 

[lisa80]

thats the plan to add an extension to pen for them to be in so we can alternate, so they have more grass . poor things are all muddy except my white silkie who some how manages to keep herself as white as snow!