Raising Coturnix Quail For The Urban Homestead

I put together a little video to show how easy it is to raise Quail in your urban homestead.
I noticed that I didn't mention what to feed them. I feed high protein (over 20%) game bird starter.

[@lindalannon2039]

Well, well... look at you back in the day! You made Ma 2 smile, it's Nov. 2021. You still help a lot.

[@MakeitMake]

You’ve come a long way friend! I’m just starting up our set up at home and finished the coop! I’ve been binge watching your videos cause I’ve got about 50 eggs coming to hatch out! Wish me luck.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much. And good luck with your hatch for sure.

[@patricklawson7533]

I have said this before on your videos, but want to repeat it on this one. I think it is great the way you answer all the comments. I (and I am sure others) learn as much from the comment answers as from the video itself. Thank you for your effort.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much for the kind comments. I do my best to answer every comment but I miss one here and there. I too think the comments are sometimes some of the best parts.

[@cindyskillman544]

I love the coffee can waterers! DH goes through a green one weekly. They’re so useful, but I’m actually getting more than I can use so it’s great to have something else to use them for.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

They worked well for me. I have moved them outside and use a big 5 gallon bucket now.

[@sufiahsanut]

Very nice and informing video upto now I've seen. Thanks a lot for sincere work and uploading a such helping video. Ahsan From Pakistan with love

[@peterw7951]

I use chicken nipple waterers and they work just fine. I use them for the rabbits as well with excellent results.

[@jermee2001]

I really like your cage set up. I might do something similar when I get quail of my own.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks for the compliment. I do have a few videos on how I built them if you need to see more detail. Please make sure to share when you get yours built and let me know what improvements you might have made.

[@jermee2001]

+Slightly Rednecked I've been watching some of your other quail videos and I'm excited to start raising them. I'm still house hunting and cannot wait to start. thanks for sharing. I've also seen some of your rabbit videos. I'd like to raise them as well.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

awesome. Thanks for watching.

[@endrilika]

Where do you find the dropping pans?

[@breth8159]

the PVC can be made solid with small self tapping screws I have used this technique for building things for years

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Bret H Great idea. Thanks for the tip.

[@breth8159]

No worries great video thank you

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Bret H Glad you enjoyed it. I have to say, that tip was one of those "why didn't i think of that" moments. :)

[@maiberlinhernandez3008]

This was great, been searching for "backyard quail" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you ever come across - Eeyila Rudimentary Expediency - (do a google search ) ? It is a great one of a kind product for discovering how to raise healthy and fertile quail without the hard work. Ive heard some amazing things about it and my cousin got amazing success with it.

[@countrylovinme]

Thanks for info and showing your setup!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you for watching.

[@rezyness]

nice step up! never heard of these birds...now I am interested

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks. I have lots of videos on raising them if you need more info. Very easy birds to raise and very productive little things.

[@RabbitryGirl123]

This video really helped me to know a little more about Quails! Thanks

[@Slightlyrednecked]

awesome. Thanks for the kind comments and thanks for watching.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I feed all my birds game bird starter. It is a 28% protein feed. Hope that helps.

[@RabbitryGirl123]

+Slightly Rednecked thanks Do you know how many days or weeks does it take for the hen to lay eggs after mating?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

well they are like chickens. They will lay eggs whether they are bred or not and should start doing that about 6 to 8 weeks of age. After about a week of laying you can assume they will be fertile eggs if males are kept with them. I hope that helps.

[@regrob16]

Thanks for posting. This is something I've always wanted to do and will as soon as I build up enough knowledge.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

+Reginald Roberts I am so glad that you found it useful. These birds are pretty easy to raise. If you have questions feel free to hit me up and I will do my best to answer them.

[@Steve-ps6qw]

Neat idea on deviled eggs, they are the perfect size for a mouth, one bite. I don't like pickled anything so I'm with you on that!

[@hallecorrine8294]

Great video! Love your watering system. Just subscribed.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much. I have a very different set up now but still using a similar water system. Just run off of a 5 gallon bucket now.

[@HeritageSprings]

Hello! Thank you for this video! Don’t know if the waterers are still being sold and where to buy them?

[@donnasouthwood]

I realize this is an older video, and maybe you'd already figured out what the fertility issue is with your white quail, but I used to breed budgies and learned that various colours are dominant over others, so it could be that the eggs from the white quail are just as fertile, but if they're being bred with brown males, or there is a brown gene in their history, the offspring are showing brown with a recessive white gene. Down the road if two of those brown offspring with one brown(dominant) gene and one white(recessive) gene are bred, then 50% of the offspring could potentially be white even though the parents look brown. Just guessing about the dominance though, but usually the original (wild) colour is dominant.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Oh yeah, I do understand the genetics issue and I think you are correct on it. I don't actually keep any white birds any more (have 1 right now) but I still get white birds in my hatches from time to time. Thanks for the tip and great explanation. :)

[@goode426]

Have a idea on the no glue part of your cage..you could put car radiator hose clamps on these joints and tighten them up. You could still take the frame apart easy enough by removing the clamps to assemble gain later . I think your frame idea is great and plan on trying your frame in my first try at raising quail in my basement. Thank you for all you do and share. Will hit your site with a offering soon. But would rather mail to you... Im old fashioned ;)

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks so much for the kind words. I never thought of radiator clamps but that might work pretty well. You can also just zip a screw into it at the joints.

[@levihulsey1849]

Since you asked for even less-than-positive feedback, I think you were off on the dimensions your feeder holes (great idea btw) and hardware cloth.. That's just a peeve of mine, and my biggest critique, so overall great video. It has gotten me even more excited about getting quail. Thanks for posting. Would you recommend getting chicks, adult birds, or eggs to start off with, and what variety have you found to be most productive?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

+Levi Hulsey thanks for the feedback and for watching. I would suggest starting off with either chicks or full grown birds. They are cheap enough that there isn't really any reason not to start off that way. As far as most productive variety I have found that the standard tuxedo seem to produce better but I haven't done in depth studies on them. I hope that helps.

[@seangere9698]

You could always use some short screws to hold the joints of the rack together, so all you have to do is unscrew them when and if you want to take it apart.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

That is a great idea. I never had any problems with it being unstable but a couple of screws would be a great addition.

[@novacooper]

Thank you so much for your video! This was very helpful :-)

[@Slightlyrednecked]

+Nova Cooper I am so glad that you found it useful and I am sorry that I am slow to respond to your comment.

[@usher111able]

while the amount of birds is at a good number the wire is still a problem you see you can have a parrot in a cage with a wire floor because they just perch instead of walk around but for quail they are ground birds what I would suggest is that you do half and half so half wire floor half wooden floor where you can put a quail bath in so dirt and sand for them as they need to have baths fairly regularly.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Good suggestions. I do add sand boxes to their cages so they have a place to get off of the wire. They use them some and some of the birds prefer to spend the majority of time on the wire. I have another video that I address your concerns in if you are interested in discussing it there. The only problem with adding wood really is that it is incredibly difficult to keep clean. That is why i use removable sand boxes instead. Here is my other video if you are interested (and thank you for the respectful way that you brought up your concerns...most people just call me names instead. :) ) kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKulk6B9nsp2i68

[@usher111able]

Slightly Rednecked hmm I will check it out and as for the respect no prob man a respectable suggestion gets a respectable response.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I agree. You would be surprised at the number of people that just come into my channel and spew hate though. I actually enjoy a good discussion when we differ on opinions. Even if we don't end up agreeing we don't have to hate each other for it. :)

[@usher111able]

Slightly Rednecked well if we don't change how are others meant to change but a good discussion on youtube is hard to come by but I'm looking forward to watching your future videos and further discussing topics. kind regards christian.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks so much. Looking forward to future discussions too. :)

[@rittaslusher2369]

you can make feed out of pvc pipe with holes for the head that will give them more floor space if you want to breed them it is 3 to 1 ratio and you need to give them something for a dirt/sand bath ever so often they look great

[@Slightlyrednecked]

thanks, I do provide a sand bath every once in a while but they don't really use it. I am actually doing quite well with a 4 to 1 ratio. I have not had issues with in fertile eggs but if I start to I plan to lower the ratio. Thanks for the suggestion. I have considered PVC feeders but I can't find or come up with a design that i really like. Most require the birds to stick their head through the cage to feed and that means i can't use the cage for a brooder because small chics will be able to get out. I have some ideas to address the floor space issue however and I will be sharing those if they work so stay tuned (it may be a week or more before I get to it). Again, good thought and thanks for sharing. (subscribe if you haven't already and let me know of what you think about my new videos coming out on the topic).

[@brandonrogers8740]

I absolutely love the idea of raising quail. .. especially If things ever got bad and power wasn't available... which is the huge speed bump in raising quail in that they don't brood by themselves. .. What a bummer!! Thinking of going with rabbits. I wonder if there are any reliable battery back up incubaters that you could recharge using solar energy to charge batteries? ??

[@Slightlyrednecked]

+Brandon Rogers I am so sorry about the slow response. I didn't get a notification of your comment and just noticed it. Interesting thought on using solar. I personally don't worry too much about the grid going down, at least not long term. I have not personally heard of any solar powered batter back up systems but I bet you could rig one up pretty easily. Basically just set a solar panel up to charge a batter bank with an inverter hooked up to it. Shouldn't be difficult to do but probably fairly expensive. On another note, I also raise rabbits. I have several rabbit videos up that you might enjoy watching.

[@alarry31]

i am so building this waterer but im gonna use a two liter bottle if that will work with those cups on it

[@dirtpatcheaven]

I love your gravel feeder so they can't make a mess!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

They have worked well for me. I have seen some other designs by some of my viewers that look very nice as well and I might try some of those soon.

[@panedole]

This is just superb, I've been looking for "quail indoors" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you heard people talk about - Eeyila Rudimentary Expediency - (Have a quick look on google cant remember the place now ) ? It is a great one of a kind guide for discovering how to raise healthy and fertile quail minus the normal expense. Ive heard some decent things about it and my cousin got cool results with it.

[@georgegoertzen8176]

you were right about finding trays first. you could use boot trays that you get at a $ store for about $2 although that would make the cage and rack about half as wide

[@Slightlyrednecked]

good idea. Could put two together for a wider cage. :)

[@ccclarke4424]

Outstanding video!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

CC Clarke Thank you for the kind comments. I am glad you enjoyed it.

[@svetikg1]

Do you have any recommendations on premade quail cages? What do you think about roll out egg premade cages? I want to raise quail for meat and eggs and don’t know where to start. So many options making my head spin! Your videos are so helpful.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I hear good things about the Wynola Ranch quail cages but I haven't tried them myself. I did try a roll out egg catcher and didn't like it. I didn't like the cage being tilted and the birds having to stand on that and how everything in the cage ended up at the front blocking the door. Just my opinion though. Thanks so much for watching my videos. I am glad that they are helpful.

[@Led420canadian]

How did you get the water buckets to stay there? I really like the idea it’s cheap lol

[@Candorsmayhem]

You could use a few paint roller tray from the dollar store for the dropping catcher, instead, perhaps.

[@lukehebert6207]

Brown feathers could be a dominantly inherited trait, which would help explain why most of your quail offspring are brown. That said, you could be right about the better fecundity of brown feathered quails; that would also explain it. Thanks for the video, I like this tupperware feeder design!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Good point. It is probably a mix of the two.

[@cleverkimscurios3783]

Do you know/can you talk about how heat might affect them, and how we might keep them cool? It's getting up over 100 lately where I live (Pueblo, CO) and I am wondering if it's going to affect laying or anything. I mist them, give them frozen mixed vegetables in pans of water, and give them watermelon rinds from the fridge. I have no idea if this is useful or anything but it makes me feel better, anyway.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I am actually researching that a little right now and will do an update. It has been over 95 degrees here for the past few months. I didn't have any issues last year with egg production but this year it has dropped off...but I also made other changes so I am not sure yet what caused the drop. Other than that as long as they have plenty of ventilation, shade, and fresh cool water available they do fine. I will have a video up with a more detailed answer soon so keep an eye out for it. Good suggestions on the frozen foods too.

[@markwilliams6375]

this man is correct in using p.v.c. thick wall pipe, as 2" x 2" lumber will eventually hold mold or smell, and use a strip of carpet pad in the egg catcher, in order NOT 2 ever have a broken eggs, and use a aquarium lights instead of cool white spectrum, but cool white tubes will work, then U can grow any grain type, sprouted grain 4 added greens, which have the B vitamins, where as all feed is grown N the same chemical soil, year after year, after year, so Ur feed does not have very many vitamins or trace minerals, also give ALL quail, at least 4 weeks old, some baby chicken oyster shell, 4 added calcium, Boron, Manganese, Magnesium, Iodine, and there will B a larger bird, as the added grit, or small, baby chicken Oyster shell, also aids in the digestion of the feed. Your feed is dried on a hot conveyor, which also kills any vitamins, . . so add sprouted fodder, under grow lights, & baby chicken Oyster Shell 4 gorgeous, calm quail. If U have any a.m. quail hatching eggs 4 sale? Call Jonathan at 251 - 447 -6969, I need 50.

[@shizzle2233able]

Great Video, I have decided to follow your way and bought the PVC pipes and Wires from the home depot. I will be setting my cage in the garage as well. I don't have any ventilation in the garage, How can I minimize the odor? My garage is attached to my house, and it doesn't have any windows, any suggestions will be really helpful.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

+shizzle2233able honestly, as long as you keep the dropping trays dry, the odor isn't that bad. If you empty them once a week you shouldn't have any problems. The key is to keep it dry. I hope that helps.

[@shizzle2233able]

Slightly Rednecked That helps a lot, thank you very much, I am looking forward to my project

[@Slightlyrednecked]

no problem. I did put up another video on how I build my cages if that helps. Otherwise I would love to see an update of the final project. :)

[@bikersbabede]

Thank you for sharing this. great information.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you for watching. I am glad you enjoyed it.

[@crystalscherer]

For someone wanting even less odor in an indoor setup, they can put cat litter or baking soda in the trays and use a cat litter scoop to clean it daily. Almost zero odor.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

+Crystal S that's a good tip. Thanks for sharing. I find as long as you keep it dry the odor isn't bad and I empty the trays regularly into the compost pile.

[@prestonclark6472]

You recommend 25% protein game bird feed. We have Tractor Supply and Orscheln stores in my town and both carry 22% protein food. Where do you buy yours?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

see if you can find a feed store nearby. Or you can look for turkey starter. It is usually a higher protein and will work just fine. If all you can get is 22% it will be ok.

[@sharonpace497]

Tractor supply has a 24percent chick starter that's not medicated

[@diananore5528]

You mentioned health benefits of quail eggs in another video but said the eggs should be eaten raw for this ? Something about orange juice( gag.!). Wondering about raw eggs in milk..maybe with a little cacao? Do you have more references on this? I think it sounded like they were beneficial for inflammatory or autoimmune type diseases?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

lol, I don't like orange juice either. I don't see any reason you couldn't use milk or even just water. They have been reported to have all kinds of benefits and it doesn't really mater what you mix them with.

do you have a video on how to make the waterer you have in this video? Where can I find that thing that you installed inside of the coffee can? Love your videos! Thanks!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I don't have a video on building the water system exactly but I do go into some detail on it in this video if it helps. Thanks so much for watching and glad you like the videos. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZnuQYmqKhK98jMU

[@royal_kg2670]

Sorry I have not had time to go on email but thank you for the imfo on the quail that helps so much

[@Slightlyrednecked]

+Kaleb Brown I am so sorry about the late response. I didn't get notification of your comment for some reason and just noticed it. I am glad you enjoyed the video and thank you for watching.

[@getoffyourbassandletsfish7651]

2:30 🏆 best self watering idea 💡 No stupid hoses and so much simpler!!!!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks. They worked well for my indoor cages but I prefer a gravity fed bucket system for my outside hutches. They just hold so much more water.

[@LeeWeaver]

Awesome! Thank you so much! I've been cruising the Internet for a while trying to find a good indoor cage setup for quail. This is it. Thank you!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

+Lee Weaver fantastic. Thank you for sharing the encouraging words. I am glad you liked the video. You should connect on facebook and share your progress with me. Would love to see some pictures of your set up when its complete and to get feedback and improvement ideas.

[@lizshomesteadandmore3883]

Can you please do a video on how you made the waterer and feeder please?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I have done videos on those topics. The feeders I use now are just tupperware style containers with holes cut in the sides. Here is the video for my feeders kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZamaICGq8eZh68. The water I used on these was just a water cup screwed into the side of a coffee container. i don't have a video on that but I did one recently on my automatic water system for my outdoor hutches. Here is the video for that. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHvEh4uNfZ1jnMU I hope that helps.

[@toshahawkins5300]

I have jumbo coturnix and I’m wanting to add in some new celadons! What happens if they bread with each other? Is that ok?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

It is fine. Over time you will probably end up with non celedon birds but it won't hurt them at all.

[@CreeperUniverseTV]

Just got 3 button quails yesterday. They're doing nice, about 2 days old from hatch. I actually was scared at first when the heating didn't work, but we managed to add more heat from our internet router. How long until they get their first feathers?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

They should start getting feathers within a week and a half and be fully featherd out in about 3 to 4 weeks at the most.

[@nhuhong]

Great informative video! Where did you get the waterer? Thanks so much! Look forward to updates. :)

[@Slightlyrednecked]

nhuhong I am glad you enjoyed the video. I just put up another on how I incubate the eggs. I didn't get the best hatch rate out of that bunch but I am pretty sure it was due to the storage technique. I was storing eggs in a mini fridge turned down as low as it would go and I think it still got a little too cold. Anyway, to answer your question, I bought the water cups on ebay from this seller @1. If you visit his page he has a lot of different options. I hope that helps.

[@starbuckroad]

Very informative.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

+starbuckroad Thank you. I am glad you enjoyed it.

[@thesnappydresser]

Hello, just got a couple of quails recently and your videos helped alot! I have the same kind of waterer and I'm curious if the cup is usually filled up? Mine doesn't and I find that I have to manually tap the yellow tip to half fill the cup. The quails will then rush to drink, which seems to me they can't get the waterer figured out... Or is my waterer just faulty?

[@annasherwood1976]

Great videos! Thank you so much for sharing! Do you have link on what kind light you use? Thank you

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks. I am glad you like them. These lights were a clearance item so I don't have a link to them unfortunately. They are just cheap small florescent lights though. Pretty much any light will work just fine. I hope that helps.

[@cindyskillman544]

Someone’s probably said already, but I’ve just read on Backyard Chickens quail section that the white color is at least mostly recessive, so unless you breed white to white you aren’t likely to get a lot of white chicks.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

That is probably true.

[@ociana]

Very cool.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

+Alice B Thank you for watching. I am glad you enjoyed it.

[@georgegibson707]

An informative and helpful video, thanks. I subscribed. Can I just check what aperture hardware cloth you have for cages, 1/2" or 1/4" ?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

George Gibson Sorry for the slow response. I am using 1/2" hardware cloth. Thanks for subscribing and for the kind comments.

[@georgegibson707]

Slightly Rednecked No worries, hope you do more great videos.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much for the kind comments. I am planning on some more videos just trying to come up with the next topic.

[@herbertjohnson7986]

the bottom is half inch hardware cloth not 1/4 inch.

[@kristybear100]

Pure genius! Subscribed!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

+kristybear100 Awesome. Glad you liked the video, thanks for watching and subscribing.

[@TheWisendorf]

From experience ,if you set them outside the first old cat that sees them,will jump up onto the cages and they will snag your birds .tear off wings or feet etc.Had some chicken pens with a bit larger wire and a german shepard run under the cages and pulled the legs off of a bunch of laying hens,But do as you will.Good luck.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

oh, for sure. These cages are not set up well for outside. I have a bigger more secure hutch that I keep my outside birds in.

[@krickette5569]

If you will soak the boiled quail eggs in vinegar water for about a half hour they will peel easily.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

That is a good tip. I don't like the taste of vinegar on the eggs myself but it does make them easier to peel.

[@grgrep]

Can you explain how you made the waterer as well as parts...beside coffee container.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

+grgrep sure. I bought the water cups on Ebay. Then i just drilled a small hole in the coffee can (just a touch smaller than the threads on the water cup), wrapped the threads for the water cups in teflon tape and screwed them in. That is pretty much all there is to it. Here is a link to the water cups I am using. bit.ly/1IOF7fd I hope that helps.

[@eduardob.d.3925]

why do you incubate the eggs instead of letting the mother do it?Thanks

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Coturnix quail are domesticated and typically won't go broody and sit on the eggs themselves. When they do you still tend to get much better hatch rates from incubating them yourself. Thanks for watching.

[@jordansaunders2725]

I ordered some of the watering cups and got some of the small folgers cans your using but I'm not sure what the best way is to attach them to the cup. I tried one way but it leaks. How'd you attach yours ?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

+Jordan Saunders So sorry for the slow response. Didn't see your comment. I just drill a hole in the side, wrap the threads with teflon tape (thread seal tape) and screw it in. Sometimes one will leak for a day but it usually seals up pretty quickly. I hope that helps.

[@jordansaunders2725]

+Slightly Rednecked It does, thanks again for the response and now worries! I had some problems viewing your brooder video with the audio freezing up and wondered what bedding you used on in your brooder and what age you moved them from brooder to a grow out pen? I'm just starting with quail, I've had about 30 6 week olds for three weeks and just hatched my first group of 15 about two weeks ago. It's all been a learning process lol.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

+Jordan Saunders No problem. Sorry about the issues with the brooder video. I use a wood shaving (stay away from Cedar) as bedding and change it out every few days. I generally keep them in the brooder for about 3 weeks. As long as they are feathered out and not small enough to get through the gaps in the wire on my cages they are good to go to the grow out pens. If you have more questions hit me up and I will be happy to help.

[@jordansaunders2725]

+Slightly Rednecked Thanks I appreciate all the help! Is there other ways other than KZbin to stay in touch or a private message on KZbin? I don't have Facebook.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

+Jordan Saunders I am not sure honestly. I have never tried private messaging on KZbin. I do have a blog that you can post comments to as well. www.slightlyrednecked.com. You are always welcome to just comment on KZbin but sometimes the notifications don't get through to me so if you don't get a response you might try pestering me some other way. :)

[@andrewstephen1416]

I heard that these Quails are smelly animals .. So does your entire garage has a bad odor ? If yes, how can it be eliminated as I am planning to have have one on my own in a residential block.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I think that is very subjective. I live on a residential block and my neighbors don't even know i have them unless i tell them. I will say that as long as the droppings stay dry its not too bad but if they get wet it is very smelly. The only thing you can really do if the smell bothers you is to clean the dropping pans more frequently. I empty them about once a week myself. Hope that helps a little.

[@joshb.c.6735]

Where did you bought quail eggs by the way thank you for sharing it

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I don't know how I missed this. So sorry for the late response. next time pester me a little and I will get back to you quicker. Sorry. I got quail to start with and then incubated their eggs. Hope that helps.

[@joshb.c.6735]

Slightly Rednecked Thanks it helps a lot

[@Slightlyrednecked]

no problem. Again, sorry for the slow response.

[@FrancineRossoni]

It has been waayyyy over the hatching time for my Texas A and M quail to hatch. Im really disappointed. Its been 19 days and no hatch. Ive done everything that other quail breeders have told me to do. Its been 20 days and no hatch. Ive turned them consistently, temp and humidity was monitored. What did I do wrong?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

The most common issue is temperature. Home incubators are notorious for having inaccurate thermostats. It is hard for me to say exactly but that is where i would start. Try getting a few non digital meat thermometers, calibrate them and the place them inside to test it's accuracy. I hope that helps.

[@againnope]

How do u do if u go on vacation ? Do u let them at home with water and food ?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I have a neighbor that is nice enough to come over and feed them for me.

[@martiwoodchip4518]

I know it is out of place for me to say anything without actually knowing how big of a garage you have but if it were me I would probably try to build a long enclosed pen along one wall of the garage but again I do not know what kind of space you are working with and I guess that you do care for your birds much more than some people posting video's since many show such care at first only to turn into what I would call ruthless killers which end up killing and eating these beautiful little tiny quail. I raise my chickens and quail strictly for eggs and pets and not only care greatly for them but also value their lives as small creatures that are happy to live and be cared for, not raised only to fatten up and killed for a couple of bites of meat

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I understand where you are coming from. I raise my quail as both a meat and egg supply. Although I am raising them for meat I still care for them and want them to have a happy life. These cages may look somewhat small but it really isn't any different than a 6 foot long 2 foot wide pen that houses 15 birds. It is the same floor space per bird. Thank you for your comments, I do appreciate other peoples point of view.

[@christinebeer8518]

How do you save the eggs to hatch a group of them?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

You can collect the eggs for up to 7 days and set them all in the incubator at one time. You need to store them between 50 to 70 degrees F. The also need to be turned at least once a day. I store them small end down in egg cartons that are propped up on one end and just change what end is propped up once a day. I use a cooler with a small ice pack in it to keep it cool. I hope that helps.

[@rp101aquatics6]

Chris I found this site that sells fertile eggs for 6 dollars a dozen and it say on their site it can take 2-3 weeks to arrive isn't that to much though

[@Slightlyrednecked]

if it is actually shipping for 2 to 3 weeks yes. My guess is that it takes 2 to 3 weeks to fill the order and then ship them out.

[@rp101aquatics6]

@@Slightlyrednecked I got in touch with the site and they said it was meant to day days so that s resolved

[@teresa-greeneyes3886]

Would a rabbit cage work with keeping quail in. It's 30 in width and 15 lengthen. How many can I keep in it.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

it will work but you probably want to replace the bottom with some hardware cloth. The holes in rabbit wire are a little too big for the birds to walk on. You should easily be able to house about 6 birds in that size cage. Hope that helps.

[@rp101aquatics6]

What wattage light should i use if i dont want things to get hot

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I just use fluorescent shop lights. They don't produce a lot of heat. LEDs would be a good option too.

[@rp101aquatics6]

@@Slightlyrednecked ok I just wanted a light that s bright enough and doesn't waste to much electricity

[@91210paige]

Stupid question, Do you need males in the cage with the females if you only want the eggs to eat and not hatch?

[@jreca]

What kind of quail are those?

[@Azam_Pakistan]

Suddenly one of my quail has got paralysis in one leg.Jumps on the other one.Any idea?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

It could be any number of things. Most likely it is a foot or leg injury. Check the foot to see if it is bumblefoot (should be obvious with a large infected area on the foot pad). If it is you will need to treat it. It could be just a bruised leg too. In most cases, they will recover from that with little or no help from you. I hope that helps.

[@Azam_Pakistan]

Slightly Rednecked No injury or bumble foot visible.Its knee down paralysis and the foot drags behind. No pain to the bird if pressed on the leg or foot.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

It is very hard to determine what might be the issue. What is the calcium level of the feed you are feeding? if it is very low that might have something to do with it (below 1% is low 1.5% or above should be fine).

[@renegarcia9509]

Hi partner what kind of quail would be ideal to start. I have space for Something like this. If you have something to start

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Coturnix, in general, are a good option. My personal favorite are the jumbo pharaoh but really any of the breeds would work well.

[@angrydwarfofdoom]

Can you keep quail indoors? I have an evil township that won't let me raise them outside. Is the stench too much for indoors? I don't want my wife to hate me for all of this.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Yes, they can be kept indoors. As long as you can keep the dropping trays dry they don't smell too bad. But a few things to consider, they can be very dusty and will require a lot of cleaning of dropping trays, and the roosters can be quite annoying when they first come of age and start crowing.

[@angrydwarfofdoom]

@@Slightlyrednecked Thanks for the honest and realistic answer. I'm thinking that my wife won't like this. But that's ok; better to know now than later. My evil township won't permit them, but I'm thinking if I can build a shed and put them in it, that alone should suffice. I'll have to see what I can get away with.

[@yerneedsry]

hopeully you get this , do vids on crooks and cranys that can be hasardious to our quail... ty

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I am not sure what you mean. Unless you are talking about the baby birds getting in the water and getting wet. I have discussed that before. But I have never had a problem with adult birds.

[@yerneedsry]

Do you ever have the birds in the cages, get into any crooks and cranys that we should watch out for maybe do a video on that if it happens..

[@farmvillejoe657]

Where are you located? I am in Central Texas and I think it would get too hot in my garage during the summer for them.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I am in Southwest Missouri. Right now it is staying about 95 degrees in my garage during the day and the birds are doing fine. As long as they have water and plenty of ventilation they do pretty well in the heat.

[@sarachen1457]

If you don't mind me asking does turning on the light for quail raise electricity bill a lot?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

+Sara Chen I don't mind you asking at all. Unfortunately I can't give you hard numbers but these are florescent lights and are fairly energy efficient. I have not noticed an increase in my electric bill at all. I have them on a timer so they run for 16 hours a day.

[@sarachen1457]

+Slightly Rednecked thank you very much sir

[@Slightlyrednecked]

no problem.

[@eduardob.d.3925]

Chris what do you feed your quails?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I feed all my birds 28% game bird starter from a local feed store.

[@eduardob.d.3925]

I just got my first lot of quails yesterday and I was recommended to buy super poultry which is high in protein, what do you think about that feed? They are about 8 weeks old and still tiny and it's hard to tell their gender.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

What kind of quail are you raising? At 8 weeks old they should be pretty much full grown. I am not familiar with that feed but as long as it is 28% protein and non medicated it is probably fine. You can look for Turkey starter if you can't find game bird starter in your local feed store. Hope that helps.

[@eduardob.d.3925]

Apparently they are coturnix, the feed that I got has a mix of seeds, some kind of shell, herbs and meat meal.. Also I got a grown couple who were living together for 12 weeks but when I put them together with all the little ones the male started attacking the female and he messed her up. I then put them together in a separate cage and they are fine?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Yeah, it can be difficult to introduce new birds to each other. Sometimes causes fighting with birds that are already established. Keep trying and it should work out eventually.

[@taylorbrown5326]

It's probably not accurate to judge the fertility or productivity of the white hens by the colour(s) of the offspring, because the white colouration is probably recessive to the brown colouration. Meaning those white hens could be producing 100% fertile eggs, but if the mated male is brown, the offspring have higher chances of being brown.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

That is a good point. This is a very old video but if I remember correctly I had all the white birds separate from the dark colored ones. That is the only reason I could make that assumption.

[@noahkemp1845]

My cage will be around 4 ft X2 1/2ft should this be okay for around 6?

[@KevinPerez-cx4qh]

Hey I have a quail that's fights or bullies the other quails what can I do to stop this. Need some help

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Sorry for the slow response. Generally they will work out the differences themselves over the course of a few days. if it persists or is getting to the point of drawing blood or pecking eyes you will probably need to remove the bully and put him in his own cage. You might look and see if there are any issues with overcrowding. You need about 1 square foot of cage space per bird. I hope that helps.

[@FierceAsian1]

Can you keep them in a regular bird cage as pets? I heard they are super tame.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Sure you can. I don't know that i would say very tame but they aren't wild and crazy or anything. I could see them being made into pets.

[@jcgjcg3844]

Yup, this video is definitely made nine years ago. Talking about hardware cloth being cheap.

[@Spudzmckenzie1]

Its been awhile. just curious how much would you sell mature males that were born early and mid december for?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Around here quail go for about $1 per week of age. so $1 for 1 week olds, $2 for 2 week olds, $3 for 3 week olds then around $4 for anything older than that. Sometimes they will get up to $5 for adults but not often. I hope that helps.

[@Touchofaweepingangel]

My cages are 18 x 24... How many quail do you think I can keep happily in each?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

+Allie N. if you put the feeder on the outside of the cage to maximize inside cage space I think you could get away with 4. if they fight too much reduce it to 3. This is just my personal opinion. I have 24 by 24 cages and have 5 birds.

[@Touchofaweepingangel]

+Slightly Rednecked - Thanks so much for writing back. I have three of these small cages so I hope they will be ok for a small breeding group in each. The feeders will be on the outside made with pvc. I'm not sure if I'll provide a dust bath dish or not yet. What is your breeding plan? How often do you get new birds or eggs to hatch from other sources? I'm planning on getting males locally and then mail ordering eggs from several states away for the females to start out.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

No problem. Thank you for watching the video. Quail are pretty common around here and i do some trading for new blood lines every now and then but not on a regular schedule. I keep my males with my females and replace birds on a cycle averaging out to about 1 year probably. I don't keep real close eye on it though.

[@Touchofaweepingangel]

+Slightly Rednecked - Great to know! Thank you so much :) it's hard to find much about breeding these online

[@Slightlyrednecked]

no problem. I am glad to help. If you have more questions or I can help more let me know. Feel free to connect with me on facebook too. Thanks again for watching.

[@hannahcjaldrich3053]

Awesome! Thanks!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks for watching. I am glad you liked it.

[@syedzubair7122]

Hi Chris, l have a small room of size 3x7 feet with a window of 1x2 feet. Can I keep 8 weeks Old quails open in the room and what should be the bedding and optimal temperature? Thanks for your reply.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

You can keep quail in there if you want. You could use just about anything for bedding or nothing at all. Keep in mind that it is going to need to be cleaned out regularly. As far as the optimal temperature, they are pretty tolerant of different temperatures but I would try to keep it below 90 and above freezing if you can. I would say the optimal would be around 70.

[@ytmom]

How many quail would you say could comfortably fit in a 2x6' hutch?

[@crAZNimal]

any odor and how are odor handled

[@Slightlyrednecked]

As long as you keep the trays dry there isn't too much odor. The best thing to do is just to empty them out regularly. Keeping them clean and dry is the key.

[@icanucantoo1818]

Greetings How did you put the casters on the rack?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I put end caps on the PVC and drilled holes in them.

[@Howwerelivingfishing]

I really want to make a mini fried egg 🍳

[@royal_kg2670]

I have also herd the white a&m's are more a meat bird but I do not know

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Kaleb Brown I had a trio of whit A&Ms and I will say they get bigger than the other birds so that may make it worth it. I will say that I never had a pure white bird hatch. I had them all mixed together so I am pretty sure that the male was fertile and it could have just been inexperience with hatching eggs but I say give it a try. If you pick up a pair or trio of them and you can't get any eggs to hatch you can always eat them and get a different kind.

[@patriciagalestegall4956]

About how long will as quail continue to lay?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

for a long time. Easily a couple of years. They will start to slow down a little after about a year and a half and i rotate birds out to keep all of my birds about that age or younger. Hope that helps.

[@michaelestes3994]

How do you attach the folgers cans to the cages?

[@michaelestes3994]

Ah ha I see the wire similar to a rabbit water bottle

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thats it. Good eye. :)

[@jordanbabcock9349]

Everyone always says to each their own but those birds need more space. Why eat eggs from an unhappy animal? If you don't have the space just cut your numbers in 1/3 or 1/4 and spread them between the 3 cages you have. I don't see the point in raising your own crops/food if you're going to give the same crappy conditions that corporations do. It's like you're spending your precious time creating the same sick food.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I appreciate your feedback but what makes you think they are too crowded? I have birds in a much bigger hutch now and they all crowd together anyway.

[@clarkmaddiashenhurst102]

where did you get the plastic trays?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I bought them from a local farm supply store but you can also purchase them online. Amazon has them.

[@fsbell1]

What do you feed them?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I feed all my birds a high protein gamebird starter.

[@howto6535]

Where did you get the water cups?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

How To I bought them on ebay. Here is a link if you need it. bit.ly/1IOF7fd So far they are working great. The only issue I have had is that one bird likes to stand on the cup and caused it to flood over. I fixed that by putting a piece of wire above it so only their head would fit into the cup and he was no longer able to stand on it.

[@antesydney1539]

Try a borotto incubator , I’m getting 99% hatch rate

[@herbertjohnson7986]

use a plastic shoe box and only put the holes on the 2 side that are long do not put them on the end they will put they're head in and flick it out the end. or visa versa. Herby

[@jordansaunders2725]

What size pvc did you use for your frame ?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

+Jordan Saunders I am using 3/4 inch PVC. It works pretty well.

[@jordansaunders2725]

+Slightly Rednecked Thanks for the quick reply! Enjoying your channel!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

+Jordan Saunders no problem. You caught me at the right time. :) thanks for watching and let me know if I can help.