Quails?

[Saltwater60]

I’m not allowed to have chickens in my town so why not quails? They are small, quiet, kind of cute, and don’t need much space. They seem to be fairly easy to take care of so I’m just wondering if anyone here has any experience raising them. I’m looking to do both meat and eggs, but more meat. I’d be looking for a larger breed, but haven’t settled on anything yet.

 

[Carlos Hathcock]

There's Dan Quail. Not exactly quiet as species go, but would more than likely provide a lot more meat than most.

 

[Saltwater60]

Not the most attractive, but seems like it fits my needs the best. We will see what the plan is. I was thinking hydroponics this year, but the piping is so gosh darn expensive May wait.

Jumbo Brown Coturnix Quail Hatching Eggs

Buy Jumbo Brown Coturnix Quail Hatching Eggs and get incubating today! Small minimums and free shipping make getting started in quail easy.

www.purelypoultry.com

 

[99cummins]

We raised them for a bit. Kind of dumb for birds. Good eating. Tiny eggs. Plan on butchering them yourself. Ours seem to find ways to kill themselves.

 

[penrod72]

Couturnix (spelling?) quail, or A&M quail.
Sometimes see them around Syracuse on Craigslist. They apparently do not tame well, but mature in 8 or so weeks.

 

[phatfarmerbob]

Living traditions homestead has a couple nice videos on YouTube about raising quail

 

[Saltwater60]

Living traditions homestead has a couple nice videos on YouTube about raising quail

Thanks. I’ll watch them this week.

 

[Saltwater60]

We raised them for a bit. Kind of dumb for birds. Good eating. Tiny eggs. Plan on butchering them yourself. Ours seem to find ways to kill themselves.

How much work are they? I’m assuming food and water. They would be in a small garden area so I don’t really care if they dig in that area. Also do they do ok in the winter? I could put them in my garage for the winter, but prefer to leave them outside.
I also may just kill them all for meat at the end of the season anyway, but may keep a couple for raising out the flowing spring. I’m in Buffalo so we get snow. They would be in an are protected on three sides.

 

[S&W Fan]

Quail don’t have that roosting instinct like chickens do ,so you would need to keep them in an enclosed area where they feel safe and can hide. They make great meat birds but their eggs are pretty small . Size wise three quail eggs to one chicken egg.

 

[Saltwater60]

Quail don’t have that roosting instinct like chickens do ,so you would need to keep them in an enclosed area where they feel safe and can hide. They make great meat birds but their eggs are pretty small . Size wise three quail eggs to one chicken egg.

The giant ones I’m looking at aren’t that small of an egg. Honestly it’s more for meat than eggs, I’d eat some, but I’d more let them breed and kill them for meat.
Also yes I am aware they need a cage, not a problem honestly because I want them caged to keep them where I want them anyway. The patch of grass that is close to where I’m considering the quails I may run it into a small meadow. I hate mowing grass, it’s a pointless small grass area, and I like birds and butterflies.

 

[fnfalguy]

We seriously considered it. here’s some listening material if you find the time.

Episode-1071- Raising Quail for Eggs and Meat with MoonvalleyPrepper - The Survival Podcast

Today on The Survival Podcast we discuss raising quail for eggs and meat, tractoring quail, hatching out eggs, improving breeding stock and prepping the meat.

www.thesurvivalpodcast.com

Episode-1717- Quail Keeping Q&A Edition - The Survival Podcast

In this monster edition of The Survival Podcast I answer over 40 of your most pressing questions about raising quail for meat and eggs.

www.thesurvivalpodcast.com

 

[Saltwater60]

We seriously considered it. here’s some listening material if you find the time.

Episode-1071- Raising Quail for Eggs and Meat with MoonvalleyPrepper - The Survival Podcast

Today on The Survival Podcast we discuss raising quail for eggs and meat, tractoring quail, hatching out eggs, improving breeding stock and prepping the meat.

www.thesurvivalpodcast.com

Episode-1717- Quail Keeping Q&A Edition - The Survival Podcast

In this monster edition of The Survival Podcast I answer over 40 of your most pressing questions about raising quail for meat and eggs.

www.thesurvivalpodcast.com

Thanks I’ll have a listen. I’ve always wanted to do something and have a small homestead farm when I retire.

 

[99cummins]

How much work are they? I’m assuming food and water. They would be in a small garden area so I don’t really care if they dig in that area. Also do they do ok in the winter? I could put them in my garage for the winter, but prefer to leave them outside.
I also may just kill them all for meat at the end of the season anyway, but may keep a couple for raising out the flowing spring. I’m in Buffalo so we get snow. They would be in an are protected on three sides.

We used chicken feeders and waterers. Kept them in some cages we already had as they were an experiment and we didn’t know if we were going to keep doing them. Whatever they go in needs to be fairly secure for predators and covered on top. We never kept them through winter only because it was one less thing to deal with through the shit weather. Lots of info online and I see you said you’re in buffalo. I found some quail in Niagara county off Craigslist.

 

[Acer-m14]

why not Pheasants ?

the gun club here is raising some to be released ..

 

[99cummins]

Another cool bird are Guinea fowl. Slightly annoying but good guard birds and they eat ticks. They can be a little loud at times but they are something different and taste delicious.

 

[Acer-m14]

Another cool bird are Guinea fowl. Slightly annoying but good guard birds and they eat ticks. They can be a little loud at times but they are something different and taste delicious.

my friends little boy raises them .. he loves them .. . they start making a shit ton of noise when something shows up
that not supposed to be there ..

 

[Saltwater60]

I can’t do anything labeled as agricultural since I’m not allowed to actually have these birds. My wife is giving me shot so who knows if it will ever happen anyway. I figure these are small enough I can hide them or say they are pets and not farm animals if I ever got caught. They fall in between a lot of the cracks so my city won’t be able to do anything, but my wife doesn’t want the attention. I’ll keep working in her and researching it.

 

[Saltwater60]

We used chicken feeders and waterers. Kept them in some cages we already had as they were an experiment and we didn’t know if we were going to keep doing them. Whatever they go in needs to be fairly secure for predators and covered on top. We never kept them through winter only because it was one less thing to deal with through the shit weather. Lots of info online and I see you said you’re in buffalo. I found some quail in Niagara county off Craigslist.

That’s my thoughts as well, too much BS to keep them over winter.

 

[HEX]

Another cool bird are Guinea fowl. Slightly annoying but good guard birds and they eat ticks. They can be a little loud at times but they are something different and taste delicious.

We've very seriously considered Guinea fowl numerous times. I especially kind of fear ticks because I've had serious and severely life-altering nerve and neuromuscular damage done by long term Lyme disease.

Never got on it here, but many years ago, half my life really, I rented an apartment in a rural(ish) house that was next-door to an 'all-natural' farm. They used guinea hens, I suppose for pest control, but for whatever reason a bunch of them decided they'd rather spend all their day time in the backyard of my place. I never even saw a tick there. Even the farm's semi-feral barn cats (which also spent a lot of time at my place) seemed to be clean of ticks. They don't seem to require a ton of maintenaince besides just giving them a place to sleep safely. I'm not even sure if anyone was was feeding them beyond what they ate nuturally on the farm and my backyard. I assume maybe someone was, but I never saw where their coop actually was; they just wandered over every day. They weren't especially loud overall, and they were kind of fun too. They liked to 'sneak' up behind you (not very sneakily), all packed together in a bunch, and then make all sorts of ruckus and run away when you turned around. I guess that was entertainment for them.

 

[99cummins]

I can’t do anything labeled as agricultural since I’m not allowed to actually have these birds. My wife is giving me shot so who knows if it will ever happen anyway. I figure these are small enough I can hide them or say they are pets and not farm animals if I ever got caught. They fall in between a lot of the cracks so my city won’t be able to do anything, but my wife doesn’t want the attention. I’ll keep working in her and researching it.

I’m surprised wherever you live doesn’t allow you at least a handful of chickens. I think even the city of buffalo allows 6 hens.

 

[technicalgadget]

I've heard that Quail shit stinks to high hell when wet and that their cages must be tended to daily to alleviate the odor issues. YMMV

 

[Mk44]

I know a couple of friends that raise quails (chickens and rabbits too) for the meat & eggs.
I wouldn't let quails run loose on the property. Keep them penned up or in a chicken coop (make sure it's possum/ racoon proof. a possum got into the friend's coop & he lost a couple of birds.) I helped a friend build a shed style pen (w/ sections inside) for his quails.
They start out with buying 20-30 eggs. Placed the eggs in a rotating incubator inside the house. When the eggs are ready to hatch, the chicks are transferred to a rubbermaid bin/ brooder until their old enough to be placed into an outside pen. (the chicks will stink up the house when their kept inside.) Once you have your 1st batch, you can produce more birds by breeding them.

 

[Saltwater60]

I’m surprised wherever you live doesn’t allow you at least a handful of chickens. I think even the city of buffalo allows 6 hens.

I thought Buffalo was 5, but I could be wrong. I’m one of the only cities around that doesn’t allow them.

 

[Saltwater60]

I know a couple of friends that raise quails (chickens and rabbits too) for the meat & eggs.
I wouldn't let quails run loose on the property. Keep them penned up or in a chicken coop (make sure it's possum/ racoon proof. a possum got into the friend's coop & he lost a couple of birds.) I helped a friend build a shed style pen (w/ sections inside) for his quails.
They start out with buying 20-30 eggs. Placed the eggs in a rotating incubator inside the house. When the eggs are ready to hatch, the chicks are transferred to a rubbermaid bin/ brooder until their old enough to be placed into an outside pen. (the chicks will stink up the house when their kept inside.) Once you have your 1st batch, you can produce more birds by breeding them.

Thanks I figured and o do have lots of possum and raccoons. I love my an old set of railroad tracks turned bike path with industrial sites there. The raccoons and skunks love it there. A lot to think about. I’d love to do it, but maybe not right now with having to build a shed. I have lots of places my money is needed more currently.

 

[phatfarmerbob]

It’s nice to keep them in a raised pen on wire so the shit falls on the ground, then you can scoop it up and add it to the garden.
I’ve had them before just for fun.

I wouldn’t be afraid of chickens either, screw the “man” it’s your property, if your talking meat birds you’ll probably have them in the freezer before anyone figures it out

 

[Saltwater60]

It’s nice to keep them in a raised pen on wire so the shit falls on the ground, then you can scoop it up and add it to the garden.
I’ve had them before just for fun.

I wouldn’t be afraid of chickens either, screw the “man” it’s your property, if your talking meat birds you’ll probably have them in the freezer before anyone figures it out

That’s what I thought too. Chickens are big and loud so I wouldn’t push it. Also the town ordinance says no farm animals, but quails aren’t really labeled farm animals, but game birds.

 

[FP1201]

Couturnix (spelling?) quail, or A&M quail.
Sometimes see them around Syracuse on Craigslist. They apparently do not tame well, but mature in 8 or so weeks.

I remember seeing an ad or two for them too.... I'd like to have some around our property too. Two of the Houses in our neighborhood have free ranging chickens and nobody seems to mind, including cats & dogs.
When I was a kid, my Uncle raised them in Rabbit Hutches; sold them to people training Bird Dogs, ate them, and used them to train our Dogs too.

 

[Acer-m14]

Also the town ordinance says no farm animals

so you can't have a dog either

 

[Saltwater60]

so you can't have a dog either

That’s why I think I could get away with quails if it was ever questioned.

 

[FP1201]

That’s why I think I could get away with quails if it was ever questioned.

Free Roaming Pet Birds.