If I Had to Start Over Raising Quail, Here’s What I’d Do DifferentlyAfter more than six years of raising Coturnix quail, I've made just about every mistake you can make. Some of those lessons were in

Jul 29

3 min read

Start with Jumbo Coturnix Quail If your goal is both eggs and meat, start with Jumbo Coturnix. You'll appreciate the larger eggs, larger birds, and better overall production. Standard quail are great just for egg laying not for meat.

Don't get overwhelmed by Color Varieties. When I bought my first flock, I wanted every beautiful color available. I quickly realized that having too many breeding colors created unnecessary work. If you're breeding, stick with two or three feather-sexable varieties. If your goal is simply eating eggs, then enjoy mixing colors. Just remember that maintaining more color lines than breeding cages becomes overwhelming.

Skip buying a large quail plucker. I purchased a quail plucker thinking it would save time. Instead, setup and cleanup took longer than simply skinning the birds. If keeping the skin is important, a drill-mounted plucker is a much better investment.

Choose the right Incubator I would never buy another carousel-style tabletop incubator. I only use incubators where the eggs sit point-side down and gently rock back and forth. Buy two tabletop incubators—one for incubation and one for lockdown and hatching. Unless you're planning to hatch large numbers of birds, skip the expensive cabinet incubator. I have a blog about my favorite incubator.

Expect water systems to be your biggest challenge Invest in a quality heated water system for winter. Install PVC end caps on your pipes so lines can be drained before freezes. Use copper fittings in water buckets to help reduce bacteria and algae growth, and use dark-colored buckets outdoors during summer. My personal favorite are the RentACoop 2 Gallon Hanging waters and I swap out the cups with the Quail drinker cups I purchase both on Amazon. I always keep extra drinker cups on hand because quail sit on them and break the spring sometimes. They are much better than the big cups you always have to clean and fill with dirt or poopy water.

Always have extra grow-out cages every hatch averages about 50% males and 50% females. Be prepared with additional grow-out cages before chicks hatch.

Store feed in metal trash cans large galvanized metal trash cans help keep mice and rodents away from your feed.

Build redundancy into feed and water whenever you're away, provide multiple feeders and waterers. Quail have fast metabolisms, and running out of either can quickly lead to fighting and cannibalism.

Only use quail-sized feeder port chicken feeder ports can trap quail and may result in injuries or death. Use feeder ports designed specifically for quail.

Find one feed and stay with It choose a quality feed that works well for both growers and layers and avoid switching brands frequently, especially for laying hens this can cause calcium issues and large double yolk eggs and prolapses.

Invest in quality processing tools buy a metal quail head popper instead of plastic, and keep two pairs of very sharp poultry scissors on hand.

Protect Outdoor Birds from the weather provide shade during summer and protection from wind and rain during winter. Fans are needed for constant ventilation, you need to keep the airflow moving to prevent lung issues.

Never ignore wet conditions standing water in brooders or aviaries quickly becomes a health hazard. Clean wet areas immediately.

Keep cages simple provide safe hiding places without overcrowding cages. Rabbit or hamster baskets make excellent shelters.

Remove bullies quickly If a bird consistently bullies others and the behavior isn't caused by injury or illness, remove it from the flock, no matter how attractive it is.

Use PVC-coated wire flooring PVC-coated wire is easier on quail feet. In hutches, provide an area where birds can rest off the wire.

Final thoughts don't wait until everything is perfect. Start small, keep things simple, and learn as you grow. Experience is the best teacher, and every flock will make you a better quail keeper.