Japanese Quail

Hi Lottie,

Firstly, welcome to our forum, I hope your stay with us is a long and happy one. Feel free to ask as many questions you want.

As your small group are now settled in their new home, and getting along fine with each other, I would just leave them to it. Having four females to one male is fine.
Introducing a new female at this point will only cause fighting, and you'll only have to remove the newcomer.

In time, if your like the rest of us, your home and garden will grow with quail pens.lol.

Derek.

They'll be fine Lottie, I'm selectively breeding at the moment and have 1 male & 1 female together in a cage, she's does get fed up the attention and I've seen her chasing him around the cage, but other than that they've been getting on great and giving me a fertile egg a day

Suz

Thanks for that. My male is smaller than the chubby girls and I saw him today finally managing to get on top of one - and he looked like a little jockey - on an ostrich's back. How on earth he is going to mate I do not know. Perhaps he is a bit younger and will grow!

I've had 1:1 too, because I couldn't get hold of more hens. They were absolutely fine. 1:4 is bags of hens for a bloke!

As for introducing, i've tried adding hens a few times and had no problems.

I guess 1:1 would work as theres no other males. For example 2 males and 2 females in a house would cause a fight

I'm always re-arranging, adding and taking away from my pens with no problems. I'm away to introduce 2 groups of Bobwhites to each other this weekend - this could be fun

Hi Lottie,

Yes, your right about the size of males, they are generally much smaller than the plump females. The males mate with the females fine, you'll get lots of fertile eggs from your group to eat and to incubate.You'll find the male won't do any more growing once he's been running around with hens.

Derek.

Thanks Derek - I am already absolutely hooked. I want to explore having jumbos now.

I am reading up on things - but might have to pick your brains again.

I really would like to try incubating some too. Just off out - but back later.

http://kooringa.com

Go on...incubate some! Its so exciting...naughty Suz gave me my first dose of incubating, then Derek egged me on to do more Now I have to be good and wait until I can hatch eggs produced by my new chicks and Derek's new chicks...

I have to get more housing - the two story rabbit hutch looks ideal!

I have been offered a second hand incubator that will hold up to 24 quails eggs (for £75),

Just to go save up a bit more after this last spend.

Do any of you eat your surplus birds. I know its and insensitive question - but I have read that 65% of each hatching will be male birds.

http://kooringa.com

Hi Emma,

Me egged you on? All I asked was who can do me a fertility test, you were the first to reply,lol.
Only joking. But now I bet you can wait until you start producing your own eggs and incubating them, so you can tell everyone, these's are my "grandbaby" quail.lol.

Derek.

Hi Lottie,

The males from my own breeding groups are saved for eating, I only keep males from other people, This way I don't inbreed, insead, the females get eaten.

Your right about the ratio, it's about 60/40 split, but the odd time, you maybe lucky in getting more females.

What brand of incubator were you offered?, and if you want a couple of dozen eggs to try out, I'll let you have some.

Derek.

It is an Octagon10 plus auto turner

I think I will have to pm you re birds for eating - not sure about culling them - but I am OK with all the dressing of wild duck, pheasant, partridge, etc.

I would like to be able to raise some for the table.

I got my first egg today too!

http://kooringa.com

See Derek there you are again encouraging people

Lottie - I am semi-intending to eat excess males from this last hatch, depending on how comfortable I feel about killing. I'm lucky that my first hatch was 2 females and a male, so I don't have to eat my first babies...I got very attached to them Congrats on the egg! I was looking at your blog earlier, your quail set up is lovely.

Thank you I like yours too and want to investigate ways of making something like it. It would not be cost effective to spend say £175 on an aviary purely for hatching and dispatching. It would make meals very expensive!
[url]
http://kooringa.com[/url]

Second hand on ebay...my hutch & run were £45, bargain I think!

Its also worth checking your local freecycle - anything in naff condition will be cheaper to do up than buy new, and something too small can have a side cut off and extended etc!

Yep keep an eye on the papers like trade it - I got my aviary for £20! And there are always chicken houses for sale in there.

Thank you - I will be doing both. I found one of freecycle yesterday - sounded perfect. A big guinea pig pen with house on top and run underneath - then just after I replied - she posted an apology - cos her husband had broken it up whilst she was out as he didn't realise it was on freecycle

Doh!