How To on Raising Healthy Quail
My experience in raising Coturnix quail has been great. They are such hardy little birds, they require such a small footprint on our property. There really isn't a lot that is involved in raising healthy quail.
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Midsummer we hatched a batch of quail eggs. Which led to selling most of them. This led to realizing how little people know about Coturnix quails. People that were waning to buy them knew nothing.
Raising Healthy Quail
I am not going to put these in any particular order, everything is important for the health of your quail.
- clean, fresh water daily
- protein rich food – quail require 21% to 25%, chicks need closer to 30%
- insure that food is no moldy
- do not over crowd their pen/enclosure
Quail Housing
Quail are small, tasty, little birds that are easy prey for a sneaky predator. Whether you are building an indoor hutch or an outdoor run, pay special attention to ensure all nooks and crannies are addressed and eliminated. Even the smallest opening can be just enough for a raccoon, or slinky rat to sneak into and start a quail massacre.
Our quail liked to stick their heads through the cage. Which was not an issue for a few months and then a raccoon found them one night. We fixed it so they can no longer stick their heads out.
Quail housing options include floor pens as well as colony cages or individual cages that are elevated off of the floor. You can use rabbit hutches for an easy cage. We do.
Feeding Coturnix Quail
Quail require a high level of protein. We buy wild game food. They are also fans of bugs and vegetation. A bug flying into your quail's cage is going to be the highlight of their day, they are going run and jump until they grab it.
I have added small pots of herbs into their cage and they love picking at them. Keeping them healthy with a treat.
