I decided to raise Quail this spring.

[msouth468]

My wife won't allow chickens. :dance2:

I picked up my incubator, automatic egg turner, feeder bunk and waterers. Now I just have to build a brooder for the young Quail babies to put in my garage.

[Lobo.]

wow... thats... unique, but then again very cool. ive never heard of anyone raising quail, can you eat the eggs, or do you just eat the bird...
they are pretty things, please send pics our way as it progresess

[Larissa]

My dad looked into that but I think he changed his mind because of all of the fire ants down here. They kill just about everything (horrid things). Anyhow, it sounds like fun. What kind are you raising?

[msouth468]

wow... thats... unique, but then again very cool. ive never heard of anyone raising quail, can you eat the eggs, or do you just eat the bird...
they are pretty things, please send pics our way as it progresess

Really, you never heard of it? Try googling "Raising Quail", you'll be amazed at the diversity of the hobby. And I don't plan on eating the eggs or butchering the quail. I just want to see if it is fun to do or not.

I will probably make a journal or something here to show people my progress. But I won't start for another month or so.

Edit: I plan on raising plain old Bobwhite quail. But the California Quail looks interesting.

[Larissa]

Edit: I plan on raising plain old Bobwhite quail. But the California Quail looks interesting.
My dad was looking at bobwhites as well. I personally prefer the way the California looks, though. I can't wait to see pictures.

[Holly9937]

So if you don't eat any of it, what do you do with them? will they be like pets? I used to volunteer at a wildlife rehabilitation center that raised quail...for the raptors to eat :o

[msouth468]

So if you don't eat any of it, what do you do with them? will they be like pets? I used to volunteer at a wildlife rehabilitation center that raised quail...for the raptors to eat :o

Once they reach maturity, I will most likely turn them loose in the yard. I live in the country and a few quail live in the road ditch next to my house. They will hopefully help the pen raised quail survive. I plan on leaving feed out for them spread around in the yard. And my dogs will help keep pretty much any predatory animal out of the yard. (A St. Bernard/lab mix and a Rotwieler are pretty good at keeping tabs on what is in the yard)

[mykidsmylife]

I raised Button Quail for a while. They are nice little house birds..kind of along the lines of finches and are often placed in the bottom of outdoor aviaries and are ground dwellers so they actually lived in an aquarium. Tiny adorable little things. We did bobwhite quail one year and let me give you a warning. The STINK!!! I mean there is a very distinct odor from quail....very strong too. The brooding pen is not a fun thing.

[msouth468]

I raised Button Quail for a while. They are nice little house birds..kind of along the lines of finches and are often placed in the bottom of outdoor aviaries and are ground dwellers so they actually lived in an aquarium. Tiny adorable little things. We did bobwhite quail one year and let me give you a warning. The STINK!!! I mean there is a very distinct odor from quail....very strong too. The brooding pen is not a fun thing.

That is why they will be outside. I helped my Uncle's mother raise and butcher chickens. I am well aware of the stench of poultry.

[Riso-chan]

Well, if you do keep them in your yard, you'll likely have less bugs and whatnot to jump on the dogs. I'm a bird lover, so any avian species is special to me. Make sure you take care of them and good luck!:)

[125gJoe]

Excellent!
Good for you msouth468..



Just remember, don't invite **** Cheney over!


:D

(that's funny! Censoring the VP's first name! :D )


http://dickcheneyquailhunt.cf.huffingtonpost.com/



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[TheMightyQueenPixie]

My dad looked into that but I think he changed his mind because of all of the fire ants down here. They kill just about everything (horrid things). Anyhow, it sounds like fun. What kind are you raising?

Alot of people keep guinea hens in Upstate NewYork to deal with the ticks.. Wonder if they would eat the fire ants?

[UncaBret]

msouth, didn't you get the St.B/ Lab not too long ago and show us pics?
Any new ones?

[msouth468]

msouth, didn't you get the St.B/ Lab not too long ago and show us pics?
Any new ones?

No new pics but I can post some later when I get home from work. She had what the vet thought was a skin infection. But he decided later that it might be mange. So a few shots and a couple weeks worth of antibiotics later she is clear of any infection. Plus she has doubled her size in about a week. She is 14 weeks old and about 30 pounds!!! She is gonna be the size of a car.


Alot of people keep guinea hens in Upstate NewYork to deal with the ticks.. Wonder if they would eat the fire ants?

Fire ants are pretty nasty for there size. It would have to be a pretty good flock of guineas to be able to keep them under control. Plus you couldn't cage the birds, they would need an escape route if the ants overwhelmed them.

[mogurnda]

Good luck with them. I had button quail in an aviary years ago. The babies were incredibly cute, like little peeping bumblebees, and were small enough to pop through the hardware cloth. Had to add some window screen around the bottom.

[msouth468]

I'm going to use 1/16" hardware cloth for my brooder. Bobwhites are a little bigger than button quail.

[mykidsmylife]

That is why they will be outside. I helped my Uncle's mother raise and butcher chickens. I am well aware of the stench of poultry.


I breed and raise poultry for show. No...these buggers make chicken poo smell like roses. Seriously...it's a very distinct smelll and you will be ever so greatful that you are keeping them outside. LOL. I am just firing up my incubator now to start my spring hatch. Of course I'm talking well over 100 chicks now (Silkies and Cochins) and several hundred more going by the end of June.

Guineas are really good at keeping the fire ant population down and they do not take well to being fenced in. They are LOUD though so if you have close neighbors that may be a problem and the roost in trees. They are just about as good as any guard dog to have guarding your livestock though.

As for what type of quail you raise. If you are planning on releasing them PLEASE make sure that it is a species that is natural to the area. Putting California quail where they don't belong is just wrong in my opinion. The whole "introducing a foriegn species" comes in to play.

[msouth468]

I live in Iowa, so I will only release bobwhites. Plus California quail can't survive in Iowa anyway (people have tried).

But on a side note: Guineas seem to be a good choice. But I remember a lady down my road that had a huge group of them (around 30 or 40) And one day my friend decided to visit me at my house. He drove a car that was lowered to 4 inches above the ground. He comes hauling over a hill going about 60 and the whole flock of guineas is in the middle of the road. He chopped the flock down to about a dozen. I personally will never have them but I have never heard anything bad about them except for the noise.

[TheMightyQueenPixie]

I may consider the guinea hen thing for Florida...Our old mare rolled in fire ants and was extrememly ill for about 2 weeks...It was terrible...

[msouth468]

I'm glad I live in Iowa and don't have a bad problem with fire ants.

[nursie]

Here I was expecting to see a thread with someone proposing Dan Quayle for prez..lol!!

[125gJoe]

Here I was expecting to see a thread with someone proposing Dan Quayle for prez..lol!!You mean back in the days when there was a "Quayle behind the Bush"?

:D

_________________

[msouth468]

You mean back in the days when there was a "Quayle behind the Bush"?

:D

_________________

Please don't bring that back... :thud:

[Hurley]

The people on this forum never cease to amaze me. When I read the title i thought, "who raises quail, ive heard of chickens, but quail?" And low and behold several people chime in that this is something they do on a regular basis. Amazing!

But this isnt the only time this has happened! There was another time when someone started a thread, if I remember correctly, about their cow giving birth, and I thought, "oh how unusual!" But again several people chimed in with thier experiences birthing, raising, and showing cows. I'm starting to think that I need to branch out more! :duh:

[125gJoe]

.... But again several people chimed in with thier experiences birthing, raising, and showing cows. I'm starting to think that I need to branch out more! :duh:I think you mean, "buy out a ranch and more"..

:D

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[Emg]

"Little peeping bumble bees"

That is SOOOOO cute !! :D



LOL Joe....good play on words !! You're GOOD !! :cool:

[msouth468]

Quail can fly at an early age too. I remember I was fixing fence and was walking through some tall grass. All of a sudden a dozen bumble bee sized birds were swarming around me. I thought they were bees at first and about peed my pants. But, eventually I figured out what they were.