A Case for Quails

Aloha!
Once upon a time, when lockdown started on this island (around March 26th 2020), I had my heart set on getting a good flock of egg layers (and possibly meat birds too.) My mission was to find the best tasting eggs and I read lots of good things about quails. I also wanted Indian Runner ducks, but decided to take the quail route because I was less familiar with them and I wanted to see if I could get them on the island.

At that time, it was tricky and the only person who was willing to sell me a flock was a quail farmer on the other side of the island. He warned me that quails don't do very well on the east side because it is much more humid and rainy. I took it as a healthy challenge!

In school, I studied computer science (I was NOT a computer person before that and it was honestly culture shock, but I'm glad that I did it), 3D Printing, and tiny home / geodesic dome design. My partner and I have been passionate about creating an affordable, portable housing option. We happened to have this dome prototype that needed a purpose.

My 1st Quail Flock by Alanaana posted Feb 23, 2023 at 13:40

I was so nervous because I was brand new to quail farming and was thrilled that they survived the night. They are very quiet, peaceful, and sweet birds. I quickly wanted to upgrade their living situation.

Upgrade Me by Alanaana posted Feb 23, 2023 at 13:49

We built a massive geodesic dome and gave them lots of space to roam!

Free_range by Alanaana posted Feb 23, 2023 at 13:51

The farmer I got my flock from put them in these tiny boxes on the lava and I felt bad for the birds and the fact that they had to live in such tight living quarters. It was so thrilling to get that first round of eggs and I was pleasantly surprised that quail roosters aren't obnoxious and loud like chickens.

First_eggs by Alanaana posted Feb 23, 2023 at 14:12

It wasn't my intention to have a full-blown farming operation, but there was a high demand for quail eggs and quails. Everyone wanted to start their own operation so we built another dome (actually 2 more domes) and scaled things up.

Dome_after_dark by Alanaana posted Feb 25, 2023 at 11:37

Soon we were supplying the local bakeries, bars, 2 health food stores, and sushi restaurant with quail eggs. We also sold eggs at the local farmer's markets. Additionally, we got a standing order in Las Vegas from a gentleman who was sensitive to chicken eggs and ordered 50 cases a month. We also had a massive deal with restaurants on Maui.

Eggs_w_legs by Alanaana posted Feb 25, 2023 at 11:29

Baby quails need a lot of attention and guidance during those early days.

Baby_quail by Alanaana posted Feb 25, 2023 at 11:30

We gave the first dome a makeover for the adolescent quails.

Quail Dome Transformation by Alanaana posted Feb 24, 2023 at 18:35

I love how colorful they are.

Flock by Alanaana posted Feb 25, 2023 at 11:22

Thanksgiving was an exciting time. The quails are very easy to butcher and the restaurants ordered roosters from us.

Easter Egg Hunting! by Alanaana posted Mar 5, 2023 at 11:22

I loved being able to gift my neighbors with boxes or buckets of 1,000 quail eggs. Basically, if you ever crossed paths with me, it was likely that you would get gifted 4 dozen quail eggs.

Gifts_for_neighbors by Alanaana posted Feb 23, 2023 at 14:21

I had some fun with it too! These quail egg clippers are a total game changer! $3 well-spent!

Let's Get it Crackin! by Alanaana posted Feb 23, 2023 at 14:25

Quail egg clippers by Alanaana posted Mar 5, 2023 at 10:15

The quails love the room with a view!

Room_with_the_view by Alanaana posted Feb 25, 2023 at 11:20

We had offered our renter free rent to take care of the quails and handle the sales because I became very busy with my other businesses. He was very good in the beginning, but started slacking. Pretty soon, I had to pick up the slack and ended up doing all of the quail chores. The tipping point was when he dropped the ball on orders and didn't clean out the quail domes well enough and my flock got bumble foot. Luckily, we had rehomed a few 100 healthy birds before this happened.

It made me sick because all of this could have easily been prevented. I had to move over 250 quails into my lanai, soak their feet in a light saltwater soak, then take tweezers to gently remove the gravel / infection from their feet and slather antibiotic ointment. It felt like surgery. After that I dried them with a hair dryer. I was heartbroken and could have lost my flock because the ailment spread so fast. Thankfully, I was able to save them, but it was a long and arduous task. I'm so thankful that I was able to treat them and help them to become healthy with minimal losses.

I took over the chores from there for over a year, and got hundreds of eggs everyday. It felt like a mini Easter egg hunt. We decided to upgrade their living situation again!

Before And After by Alanaana posted Feb 25, 2023 at 11:43

New_digs by Alanaana posted Feb 25, 2023 at 12:26

So many eggs!

Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes! by Alanaana posted Mar 2, 2023 at 15:42

A beautiful quail by Alanaana posted Mar 2, 2023 at 15:44

After 2 plus years, I decided to rehome my flock. We were getting more quail eggs than we could possibly sell, eat, and give away and I was happy to find them a really good home. I didn't eat eggs for an entire year after that and still haven't craved them very much since then. Maybe I've become a bit of an egg snob? LOL.

This seems like a good time to make a case for quails.

Reasons to raise quails instead of other backyard birds:

1. Quail eggs are delicious! They have a higher yolk to eggwhite ratio and are packed full of protein and B vitamins. In fact they contain more fat and protein by weight than chicken eggs and are very filling. Also, you can eat more of them. It's about a 3:1 ration.
2. Quail meat is delicious. They are very easy to butcher and the meat is delicious and nutritous.
3. Quails are very small and can live in compact spaces. I definitely went over the top and wanted to let them free range so they could be "happy" but they can survive in a smaller space.
4. Quails are quiet. They make very soft sounds. Almost like chirping and cooing and the roosters are way more quiet than chicken roosters.
5. They mature rapidly. You can usually tell the difference between the males and females within 2-3 weeks. Hens can lay eggs 6-8 weeks after hatching which is much quicker than chickens or other birds.
6. With the proper care and housing they are relatively hardy. As long as your flock is supplied with clean water, healthy feed, clean, DRY bedding, and protection from predators they will give you lots of eggs and meat.
7. Quail eggs and meat are in high demand. Even the feathers can be used by fishermen as lures. If you are willing to market and do some leg work there is a fair amount of earning potential.
8. Quails are cute and family friendly. With chickens, geese, and ducks, I'm always very cautious. They can be unpredictable, but quails are very sweet, mild tempered, and not aggressive.

Warning: Quails have no survival skills and are suicide masters. I've seen them fly so high and hit the ceiling. They also enjoy digging tunnels. Make sure that you have good protection from predators.

Have you raised quails before? What are your tips and tricks? I would love to hear all about it.

Also, which birds lay the best eggs?

~Alana

 

Wow ,, sounds like a lot of work ,, but it also sounds profitable . How many quail do you figure you had at your peak ?? I may look into it a little more .

 

Very nice and a heck of a write up Ms smilesattheworldandtheworldlightsup!
Sadly I like hot spicy pickled quail eggs and beer.
This combination is somewhat gaseous in nature.
Still good stuff!

 

@SB21 It was a fair amount of work (just a consistent stream of daily chores, like scooping the bedding which makes excellent fertilizer / mulch material, and then the basics like food, water, and egg collection), but very satisfying and fun. I think that it was worth the investment. At my peak I had a flock of 500. For egg laying, the light cycles are important to keep track of. I had my heat lamp on a timer. Depending on where you are, Christmas lights also provided enough light for them. Let me know if you have questions!

 

@Gator 45/70 Aww thank you! I love writing and sharing my adventures. There's so much to learn! That's such a kind compliment / nickname that made me smile as I read it
That combination sounds very delicious!

 

I got tired just reading it. Good job.

 

thought about chickens or ducks, may give these some more consideration too, look to be easier to care for than the others, i'll look into it some more thanx Alanaana. have you ever had any of the other birds to compare to? feed use? care, cleaning? honestly looks a lot easier to me but never raised any birds at all, everyone i know has either chickens or ducks (sometimes both) but no quail.

 

@mechstdr Quails are way easier than chickens and ducks. They take up a lot less space, are a lot more quiet, and develop / lay eggs more quickly.

Housing: I kind of went above and beyond with the housing because I needed a good covid hobby so they had a lot of space to roam around, but they can live in a much smaller area than chickens. I've seen people convert bunny hutch type structures. You will want a space that is dry, well-ventilated, and I recommend building it at a slight slant so that the eggs are easy to collect.

Keep in mind that quails can fly and they fly straight up almost like a helicopter. You will want the inside of your structure to be free of sharp wires especially the ceiling. It's good to soften the walls and ceiling. I used wool blankets from Goodwill for this purpose.

If you do have a run you'll want it to be 100% predator proof and also dig proof because quails are prolific diggers and will tunnel into the ground. Like chickens but on a smaller scale.

Roosting: they prefer roosting on the ground. It's good to provide pine shavings, hay, and branches for this purpose.

I would fluff the bedding on a daily basis while I collected eggs, scooped the fertilizer when necessary and did a weekly deep clean. You can probably space out cleanings longer than that.

Feeding: Quails are messy and can be a little picky, but the good news is that they won't overeat the way chickens will. I recommend an enclosed feeder like a metal one from the farm or tractor supply store. This will minimize the mess.

I also recommend the enclosed metal waterer. It's a good way to keep the water supply clean.

Turkey starter: For feed, turkey starter is the way to go. It is has a higher protein content. If the egg laying slowed down, I increased the light and would add a little bit of ground up oyster shell to supplement. It is possible to feed them a chick crumble (for baby chickens) and add the calcium later, but I consistently got the best results with the turkey starter.

Quail breeds:

My flock was a nice blend of jumbo coturnix (excellent for both meat and eggs) and very nice temperament, hearty, and strong.I also had some button quails and Tennessee reds (these two breeds are a little more aggressive so I keep a close eye on them and if they act up, separate until they're ready to behave.)

Other things to know:

Females can lay an egg a day and those eggs can add up pretty fast so it's good to have a plan for them whether it's meals or some storage. I know a fair amount of dogs who love quail eggs.

Quails live about 2 - 3 years in good conditions. This life span is shorter than chickens and other birds. I didn't see any brooding behaviors in my flock so we got a customized incubator which worked really well for that. I also had a very sweet young hen who was basically raised alongside the quail and she would sit on eggs until she realized that quail eggs are delicious

You can free range chickens and ducks pretty easily as long as they have protection from predators, but quails cannot survive on their own. I had a nice mixture of coturnix quails and they were very hearty and strong.

Chickens take up a log more space. It takes them months to get to egg-laying age, and the mess is much larger. Ducks require a pond and dedicated water source and they can be noisy. Quails are easy to clean up after. I liked to alternate between straw (sometimes alfalfa or whatever was available and that lasted a long time) pine shavings work well too.

Many consumers don't like the way that they're eggs are smaller. About 3 quail eggs = 1 chicken egg. Cleaning the eggs can be a little bit of a process. I would do a gentle soak then clean each individual egg.

I think that mite and maintenance treatment was also easier. Chicken mites can be a bit insidious, but are treatable. I let them have a dry bath of diatomaceous earth and that kept things under control. For more serious cases, I used a pyrethrin solution.

I honestly could go on and on. I hope this helps!

 

@Meat Thank you! It was involved and turned into a little bit of a lifestyle for awhile. I'm very thankful that I got the experience and the knowledge.

 

thanks for the extra info, i'll give them some serious thought, didn't want anything to high maintenance. the size of the eggs doesn't phase me, i can compensate for that, just want enough to care of the missus and me. if i have any other questions i'll be sure to ask, not going to do anything right now but may in the near future.

 

@mechstdr Yes! Please ask any questions any time. If you're on the fence later it might be good to try the eggs and see if you like them.

 

I tried Quail eggs, but their tiny size and too-easily-frangible eggs (hard to keep fragments out of it), just don't work for me. I favor duck eggs. Much larger, even larger than Jumbo Chicken eggs, and a better tasting yolk. Just my opinion.

 

thank you, will do for sure, will have to see if any eggs are available for consumption around here just to try them. you used to know someone who raised quail/pheasant/etc. for hunt clubs to hunt. they'ed buy half a doz. to 2-3 doz. depending on what they wanted to hunt, they'ed release them on a farm and hunt for cpl days, told my friend (his farm) any left over were his to catch!

 

@Seawolf1090 I agree. Quail eggs can be a bit of a hassle / patience building exercise. My saving grace was the quail egg clippers that I got, but before that I was close to throwing in the towel. I had to come up with a whole egg-opening station to deal with the fragments you mentioned. I would clip and put the egg in a cup first before putting it in the pan. Duck eggs are very delicious, so much more substantial in size, and have a nice, rich flavor.

 

@mechstdr I wish I still had some eggs to share and send you. I have found them at farmer's markets and some specialty health type stores. They are fun to watch and seem like they could be entertaining for target practice. They move kind of spastically. I had a quail that got loose and it tried so hard to get away. Landed on my trampoline and kept bouncing and flying straight up.

 

Quail are funny little birds. Some years ago at my county's outdoor range, we were shooting our rifles when we noticef a single quail strutting on the ground about 10 yards from us, paying no heed to the bullets passing over his little punkin' head! We yelled at him trying to get him to leave, but he was likely deaf by then. We continued shooting, making sure to not hit him.
We once had a young deer get onto the range to, but we called cold range and he soon jumped the far fence and left.

 

Used to see wild quail, when I worked for the Navy, in Guam (back in the 90's). Usually a male with his brood following, as they crossed the road in the Navy fuel tank "farm". Occasionally, you'd even run across 2 males, duking it out over the attentions of a female!
Not sure how well they'd do, here in the cold of a NY winter?

 

@natshare Thank you for your service! My Dad grew up in Guam and I'm 1/2 Guamanian. It's humid and hot there. It's cool that you got to see the wild quails there. They are pretty entertaining to watch, aren't they?
I've heard that they can tolerate temps all the way down to -20°F. I haven't personally witnessed it yet since I'm in the tropics, but I do see them huddle together at night. It might work if their housing is insulated, you add a heat plate or lamp, and you have a good light schedule for them (for egg laying.) At really cold temps you would probably need a reliable way to keep the water supply from freezing.

 

@Seawolf1090 Right? It's hard to get through to them. They just don't understand danger.

 

Ostriches next?