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Chicken keepers

Meet others keeping chickens on our Mumsnet Chicken forum.

Anyone here got quails for eggs and/or meat? Got a few questions...

5 replies

FreshLeticia · 13/09/2013 17:57

We are the proud owners of three dozen 14 day chicks, a mix of Japanese layers and larger yellow ones. They are on high protein turkey crumbs at the mo. I want to sort out a little flock of laying hens and fatten up the rest. It's a bit of a smallholder experiment.
The coop is in my polytunnel at the moment. I am reading conflicting reports about their hardiness. Can they go outside or not?

OP posts:
gussiegrips · 20/09/2013 10:15

Me! We had 6 for our little aviary - the plan was to have them to eat fallen seed and provide eggs and be cosseted by the kids.

It's been a mixed experience. Like you, we got them at 2 weeks old and kept them inside until they were 5 weeks and needing more space. That was great.

They are cute, lay well, don't mind being handled (not keen on it, but will tolerate it) - but, one of them turned out to be male - and was really aggressive when doing what he needs to do. So, the females were plucked and bleeding, and the quails will peck at blood - so, we landed up with a busy hospital cage. I believe they will cannibalise each other, so you need to watch for wounds.

Also had a couple of issues with prolapse and egg binding. So, that was my first experience of dispatching a bird. And, whilst I was feeling brave, I wrung the next of Chris Brown as I was fed up of him bothering my Rhiannas.

Didn't eat them, that'd be the next step of bravery for me - gave them to a bloke who keeps hawks and he used them for training the owls, which was pretty cool.

The bloke we got htem from says he keeps 1 male to 20 females.

These are coturnix quails - lay daily, some of them lay twice. The eggs are yum, a big yolk and are the equivalent to a quarter of a hens egg. Handy for packed lunch boxes.

I'm tempted to get some fertilised eggs and hatch them and dispatch the males. Or, I might just get a couple of bantams, they'd be less skittish for the kids to handle. Not sure.

However, from my experience and what I've read - they are super hardy wee things. As long as they are dry, they are fine - and they don't roost so you need to have a ground level shelter with some bedding in it.

Oh, and also, they are not bright. Really, really dim.

SquigletPie · 01/10/2013 10:09

Hi, could you keep them in with chickens?? I'd really like both but have a feeling it might not work.
Tah

gussiegrips · 01/10/2013 12:59

I don't think it's advised. Soemthign to do with a disease that poultry can carry with no ill effects, but which is a ghastly end for a game bird?

And, the pecking - a chook could easily kill a quail. Mind you, a quail can easily kill a quail.

Regardless, if we "upgrade" to bantams I think I'd have to do some proper bleaching of the aviary. But, I quite like the little guys, we'll see how they get on over the winter and take it from there.

Three baby budgies in our aviary. Hatched in the last week. Uh oh. Going to have to come in for the winter and be hand reared and taught how to balance on balls and say things like "put your shoes away"...

gussiegrips · 01/10/2013 13:00

Oh, but, you COULD keep them separately. Quails don't need much space, and aren't any use for free ranging as they are so daft. A small tractor would do the trick. Or, a rabbit hutch, just watch the roof as when they get a fright and "boink" up they can brain themselves a bit. As I said - not bright.

SquigletPie · 03/10/2013 19:35

Thanks. Quails are so cute and we do have room to have a separate area for them so may go for it.

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