Hobbies And Interests
Quail Mating
Before getting the birds, get the cages ready. You could use a rabbit hutch for housing the quail. Coturnix male quails mate with multiple females. While a female-to-male ratio of 2-to-1 is adequate, you can use more males if you want to ensure successful breeding. The birds generally start laying eggs when they are about 6 weeks old. The Eastern Bobwhites are monogamous by nature, so you will need a 1-to-1, male-to-female ratio to breed these birds.
Incubating Eggs
You can artificially incubate the quail eggs by placing them in a cool spot inside your house, such as your basement. There are commercial incubators available for hatching the quail eggs. Coturnix quail tend to develop in 17 to 18 days, while Bobwhite quail take about 23 days. For successful incubation, the temperature should be constant, and there should be adequate ventilation and moisture.
Housing the Quail
On removing the quail chicks from the incubator, place them in a box under the exposure of a brooding light. It is a good idea to use two bulbs with the brooder so there is still light even if one bulb burns away in your absence. Quail chicks may start pecking each other, a habit that you can deflect with the use of colored light bulbs. For bedding the chicks, you can provide wood shavings. After the birds are about 4 weeks old, you can transfer them to an adult cage.
Feeding the Quail
Quail have a high-protein requirement. Turkey starter feed that is medicated can serve as starter feed for quail chicks. Since the turkey feed is too big for quail chicks, you need to smash it to a smaller size for the quail. Also provide water for the chicks. After about four weeks, you can add flight conditioner to the chicks̵7; feed, mixed in with the turkey starter feed. Insects and the seeds of weeds are two sources of food for adult quail.