Things I Wish I Knew Before Raising Coturnix Quails

[@joyguthrie4373]

You forgot to mention the 5-6 MONTHS you have to wait for chickens as opposed to quail the 6-8 WEEKS needed to wait for quail

[@oSamiSrzo]

eh... when you get bigger eggs, from a bird that lives much longer, it's just worth choosing chickens...

[@toobaffled_on_X_site]

@@oSamiSrzo But I heard in 1:1 comparison, quail eggs are more nutrient dense than chicken eggs

[@AloneInTheGarden]

@@oSamiSrzo If you get Jumbo coturnix, their eggs are considerably larger than other breeds of quail and they mature very fast. It only takes 2 of our jumbo coturnix eggs to equal one chicken egg. The quail also lay daily, almost year round, whereas many of our chicken breeds (excluding our Rhode Island Reds) do not.

[@Artbug]

​@AloneInTheGarden if that's the case, you need better hens 😂

[@Artbug]

​@WatchTLCCRMOFFICIAL probably because quail eggs have a high yolk to white ratio?

[@johnpaulkeller5450]

Things to address here: 1. Quail wasting food is going to happen unless you use a "quail proof feeder", this is something that I absolutely can not recommend enough. The reason they're wasting food is because it entertains them. I have no source for that, I have just been around them enough to know it's true. 2. You seriously won't buy quail egg scissors for your eggs? Seriously? You consider a tool that makes your job significantly easier a waste of money? That was like saying "If I have to buy a knife to cut my steak why buy the steak. If I can't just use my hands without my hands getting dirty it's a waste of time". Go to your feed store, or shop online, it costs like 5 dollars and you'll alleviate yourself of having to fiddle around with removing eggshell from the bowl permanently.

[@MalluStyleMultiMedia]

Interesting.. I’m thinking about raising some quails

[@meroonaldi2961]

No kidding! Scissors are cheaper than that for a pack on Amazon. I see so much wasted food that is easily fixable. I use pvc pipes with holes just big enough to get their heads in but not big enough that they can swing that food out.

[@anitachisnell8412]

The egg scissors is a silly reason to not keep them.

[@OnceUponaTimeline]

Found the scissors for 2 bucks on Amazon, just sort by price. Seriously no reason not to get them if you are already paying for all the rest and want to eat the eggs. Yes the scissors make life much easier. I find for coturnix eggs, cut the fat end most the way to cut a trap door flap that still clings to the edge with a tiny bit of shell still intact and then tip the egg out of the shell, that gets all the yoke and whites to fall out at once with almost never any shell. Now you get eggs with no hormones, antibiotics, or garbage in them, very nice. The eggs taste a lot like chicken eggs, you'd probably not notice unless someone told you that they were not from chickens.

[@davidpeightal4918]

@@meroonaldi2961 thank you. What size holes are they? ie what size drill bit?

[@SweetTea265]

You forgot to mention that they are so cute!

[@farmermarshall]

I'm going to raise quail next year. Their space requirements, quick growth, & minimal noise has me sold. Can't do chickens in many cities.

[@meroonaldi2961]

And they are also wonderful little friends to have. I have two white girls that are so sweet, they just come right up to me and let me pet them consistently. They are wonderful to sit with on tough nights because they make the sweetest little sounds when they’re happy. Some are food and five are friends to keep.

[@Ranunculus000]

@@meroonaldi2961I’m excited to start, thank you for sharing your experience! ❤️

[@h.s.6269]

It is a good way around the no chicken and duck ordinances. Thats also why i got into them. My advice for raising them though, is to definitely make a feeder they can't make as much waste with. Like a large tupperware or big bucket with hole ports in them. I got special ports to put into any container of choice off of amazon, just make sure its a smaller size than chickens if you can. They have packs of like 20 last i looked. I'd also recommend building the coop with a hanging waterer in mind, and a large one if you plan on having many. I'm rebuilding my coop that I've had for 3-4 yrs now to redo all the things i didn't know would be inconvenient. Such as a 2x6 board across the bottom of the sides that have doors on the sides instead of above, so the 2x6 keeps them inside while i care for them, but can be unlatched to easily rake out bedding. I also want to try and find a way to grow comfrey in the pen (8' wide x 10' long x 3' tall). But i have to do it in a way that will keep the core of the plant safe from them demolishing it, but they can nibble on what grows over. My concern with doing a barrier is if a quail pops over the barrier when spooked and can't find its way back out to water. So i may just do a pot that goes above their heads and the leaves falling iver will do.

[@spinderella3602]

Do both. The food supply is going to collapse. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. I raised chickens in Phoenix, AZ, USA even though it was against my city codes at that time. You don't always have to comply especially when you realize your own government does not have your best interest in mind.

[@blackduckhomestead398]

So let me get this straight, you'll buy quails/fertile eggs, feeders, waterers, bedding, cages, feed but when it comes to a $3 pair of scissors that's where you draw the line? If you're reading this comment please do not go off this video if you're considering quail. If you want them to eat 100% of their food then make a proper feeder, a small plastic container to a 5gal bucket can be used from simple drilling holes in a container to more advanced set and forget PVC elbows in a 5 gallon bucket. As for water there's small drinker bowls with a yellow nipple you can use and have as many or as little as you need hooked up to whatever size container you want, water stays clean and they don't spill any, I have a 30 litre container and have to fill it once a week when growing out a meat bird run and once every 3 weeks for my maintenance flock and I have my birds trained on the nipples within 2 weeks so they are using them successfully before they are even off the heat. The eggs taste better as they have more yolk to white ratio and they are laying in 6 weeks and aren't nearly as hard to keep laying consistently as chickens. The meat is better and easier to process at home than chickens, the males taste just as good as females unlike roosters which are far less tasty than hens and more tough. The video mentions that it feels wrong to raise quail just to eat but chickens lay eggs then you can eat them, you know that it's the same with quail right? What do you do with excess roosters? Unless you are buying hens/quail from a store which is pointless and expensive for meat anyway. I have ducks, chickens and quail for meat/eggs, here's my honest review on the 3 Muscovy ducks: taste amazing, I mean so good, but they escape all the time unless you have a roof and males are dicks to the females, they're big and hard to process and messy! I recommend for advanced homesteaders who want the best meat. Chickens: straight forward, dumb enough to keep in a pen with no roof, good for eggs as size of eggs is ideal and they lay well but for dual purpose they lack as roosters are tough and stringy no matter how fall off the bone tender you cook them, medium difficulty to process, easy to feed as there's heaps available and are walking Composters perfect to process food scraps. Quail: best dual purpose, fast to breed/hatch/lay eggs/ butcher. Lay eggs well and taste better than chickens eggs. Everything wants to eat them so you need a good predator proof enclosure and they cannot be free ranged, eat some scraps like chickens but not as efficiently unless you have many. These guys are pretty aggressive and need to be kept in appropriate male/female ratios too. Best for co-housing with things like guinea pig and rabbits etc. There's pros and cons to every animal but for a small homestead they can't be beaten for eggs and meat in small spaces.

[@pervysage6969]

Thanks dude 👍

[@Ranunculus000]

I appreciate you sharing your insight! Taking notes 📝

[@OnceUponaTimeline]

Yeah was wondering if that was rage bait to get comments, quail egg scissors are $2 on amazon, LOL!

[@angelmunoz5749]

I’ll add duck eggs doesn’t taste as good but I agree meet is the best 👍👍

[@h.s.6269]

Any tips on cooking them besides grilling with bbq? And the older ones we just make a veggie and meat stew in just kind of a catch all with whatever veggies we think will work. Should i get a pressure cooker for the older ones or does a regular slow cooker work? We just use the slow cooker atm

[@ymimad49]

I raised quail in my apartment. I kept 4-5 breeding hens with 1 rooster, hatched out eggs in my incubator, and I had all the meat and eggs I could eat. the egg scissors work great. It wasnt fun killing them. I had to learn how to butcher and quick fry them. Finally though, even though I live alone, I just couldnt take the mess any more. and yes the food is a problem b ecause they must have turkey or gamebird feed. but all in all it was a fun experience for this old lady. My daughter just bought a house so when I go to live with her I may do it again.

[@christy1768]

You can feed qual microgreens and it is a superfood for them and increases egg production especially in winter months. You can grow the microgreens all year around even in Mason jars and or just make them a microgreen feeding tray of some kind. I think Amazon has some pretty handy things that work just fine. The birds will be healthier and so will your food plus its way less costly even if your just supplementing with microgreens.

[@DozingGreen-fz6rg]

I'm curious, how did you handle the powerful smell?

[@tkengels6652]

@@DozingGreen-fz6rgdo they smell? That’s what keeps me from getting them

[@LeahsThings]

@@tkengels6652 Yes, but just as much as chickens. It's specifically that their poop is pretty smelly. I would only keep them if you can keep them outdoors in fresh air-- and then it's fine.

[@MalluStyleMultiMedia]

@@christy1768do they eat moringa leaves or spinach leaves ?

[@zizy6516]

1:40 it is because your feed is a dry commercial feed. Quails need to drink more water to help digestion. I occasionally feed them some scraps lettuce and notice they drink less water.

[@jakehvazdamusic]

I live in a small city. Not sure if I'm legally allowed but even if I was, I wouldn't have the space I want to keep chickens. So I have 12 quail that live in an enclosure I built a little bigger than the footprint of a twin mattress. Quail don't need free range like chickens, make little noise. Very low maintinence. Ans the scissors to open the quail eggs is a one time purchase of like 5 bucks. "If u had to buy something to use something else it's not worth it. " ok now apply that logic to ur whole life. I sell eggs and scissors along w much more at a local farmers market. They're a hit!

[@fayeandali]

Yeahhhh, some of the points made in this video were honestly brilliant and great things to consider, if I had a different setup, but that scissors comment made me giggle

[@justmejm]

How's the eggs from a quail

[@Spe3D3m0n]

​@@justmejm they taste the same as a chicken egg but are more nutritious and make better pickled eggs

[@jansievanzyl6601]

I live in the suburbs and my 3 chickens are very noisy, I'm worried my neighbours are going to complain. So I'm considering getting quails, but I want them for eggs. How regularly do they lay eggs?

[@Spe3D3m0n]

@@jansievanzyl6601 they'll lay an egg a day more or less. Pretty much the same as a chicken

[@SLFYSH]

You could use a better feeder since they are so messy, it would help tremendously. Try a Tupperware type covered rectangle plastic dish, with holes cut in the side so they must place their heads inside to eat. -Almost no spillage.

[@zaccllewellyn8950]

They might try climb through as they're actually smaller than they look

[@SLFYSH]

@@zaccllewellyn8950 keep the holes small

[@janinecobb]

Great idea!

[@MalluStyleMultiMedia]

@@SLFYSHthanks for the tip .. I’m thinking about raising some quails .. so just learning

[@mjrailey4958]

1) You can sell the fertile eggs for hatching with 3 or 4 hens to a male 2) Sell the eggs, pickled quail eggs are great! 3) Sell as breeding stock 4) Sell for meat! It can take a chicken 13-20 weeks until ready to harvest their meat vs 6-8 weeks for quail. Of course the chickens weight more and harder to harvest. Pro & cons to both!

[@MyronTheHen]

You forgot about selling partially incubated eggs

[@hombrenola]

Plus: salmonella is unheard of, 20% better feed to egg conversion if u use spill free feeders, eggs have more of certain vitamins and minerals, have less potential diseases overall than chickens. Eggs taste better too. There's more.

[@MalluStyleMultiMedia]

Cool ..‘thanks for the tips

[@MalluStyleMultiMedia]

Excellent video .. I’m thinking about raising some quails in a coop in my backyard. Since they are quieter, hopefully neighbors or association won’t complain.

[@joshjosh9947]

I loved raising my jumbo coturnix quail … built several cages with pull away poo trays to use for fertilizer ( works miracles in gardens) I kept 6 females with one male in each cage.. had more eggs than I could handle ,kids loved them. Hatched some.. had all the quail meat I could ever need.. easy to clean .. takes less than a minute.. Easiest animal I’ve ever cared for.

[@OnceUponaTimeline]

You can give the kids a pet that also produces food and is low maintenance. Plus they are not super noisy and they are not mean. It's a good deal.

[@dylanhixenbaugh4575]

Crack your eggs on a FLAT surface , not sure why we assume we have to smack em on the edge of something. But it’s life changing when you start using flat surfaces to crack eggs , no shell fragments

[@Will-tm5bj]

This is the way

[@Ianbond21]

Way better

[@pervysage6969]

Just asked my wife if she does this & she looked at my like im retarded for cracking them in the edge

[@BunnyInspireUnicorn]

Yep only just learnt that haha

[@usausa8839]

I raise quail pheasant and chickens. We raise chickens for eggs. Quail for meat and eggs. Pheasant for the same as quail. Quail are a very quick turnover. From hatch to laying is about 6-8 week. Pheasant and chickens is more like 5-6 months. If I had to only raise one it would be Quail. I can have thousands (which I have) and no one would even know. You can fit a lot in very little space. They are a must on the homestead in my opinion. Eggs are delicious and yes buy the tool to open them it's cheap. And Quail meat is excellent 👌

[@DozingGreen-fz6rg]

I would never eat quail. Only the roosters should even be used for meat since you can't really keep them together and they're too noisy for most people to keep as pets. That makes sense. The hens? Hell no, keep them for eggs.

[@pure-blood69]

@@DozingGreen-fz6rg my neighbors must hate me.but they don't say anything

[@Gandalf-The-Green]

Quail are really great for keeping in a confined space, like a small aviary or a chicken tractor or a rabbit enclosure. Most chickens don't do well when they are totally confined and I don't like to see these active creatures so restricted in their movement. So quail are awesome for folks with a small yard or city folks with just a balcony. Weight wise they produce a lot of egg for their size and food intake, but require high protein food with a fine structure. If you have the space and are allowed to keep chickens, go with chickens. My bantam wyandottes are practically maintenance free, raise their own offspring, produce lots and lots of eggs and only get a few scoops of wheat and sunflower seeds here and there.

[@bobsmith8124]

How can you not mention how delicious the eggs are? They have a 50-50 yolk to egg ratio - unreal for pickling

[@DozingGreen-fz6rg]

And fattening.

[@InaStanley83]

In my experience raising quail, they will scratch around and eat what's on the ground just like chickens will. The difference is that humans have kind of bred a lot of the instincts that would be natural out of quail. Being kept on wire over generations and not having access to solid ground, hay, or something similar to scratch in is what I think has done this. So just like with learning where the food is, showing your quail that there's interesting and tasty stuff under their feet can help to reduce food waste. I kind of train my quail to eat from the ground by throwing out dried BSFL and crickets and scratching around in the area with my fingers. They seem to get the message pretty quickly, and if they have times where they've almost emptied their feeders, they will start to clean up the feed they'd previously scratched out of the feeder. I now use scratch-proof feeders, so there's a LOT less waste, but I still throw out bugs and little microgreen scraps and such to them, and they eat from the ground without any issues. As far as their eggs, I eat them, and they're also a part of our pets' raw diets. I don't really have an issue with them being super brittle. That kind of sounds like low calcium. Between free-choice crushed oyster shells and BSFL, my quail get plenty of calcium. I just tap them or cut them open with a light butter knife if I need to crack them open. I also have a little egg boiler for them because they're perfect in salads! They're very easy to keep when in a decent coop on the ground, using the deep litter method, no-drip waterers, and scratch-proof feeders. Fairly quiet, although their noise blends in with natural bird sounds. Not stinky if you're working the deep litter method appropriately and composting old cleaned out litter. And fairly friendly if you handle them and spend time with them regularly. Free-ranging is a no-go, but they can be kept in a moveable coop with no bottom so they always have access to fresh grass (as long as the area the coop is in is well protected from predators). To me, they're a joy to keep and can have little personalities very much like chickens!

[@Jrhnhemp]

Do they roost up at night? Or stay on the ground?

[@InaStanley83]

@Jrhnhemp they won't roost like chickens. In general, quail are ground-dwelling birds, even in the wild. They pretty much just sleep wherever they plop down or try to find some brush to bed down under.

[@abukh86]

@@InaStanley83 Thank you for your thorough comment. Regarding BSFL does the size matter? Have you tried feeding them live bugs?

[@InaStanley83]

@@abukh86 you're welcome! I haven't found that the size of the BSFL matters. The adult birds eat them just fine. For chicks and juveniles I them up (along with dried crickets) with a mortar and pestle and mix that in with their crumbles, but for adults I don't. As far as live insects or grubs go, they do seem to really enjoy live BSFL. Occasionally I'll find a good amount of them in the compost pile and I'll sift them out and throw them in the quail runs. They go nuts for them. I don't really fool with any other live bugs. Meal worms seem to be hard for them to see in order to find them quickly enough to eat them. They burrow down into the hay and ground cover too quickly. Crickets would be able to escape the runs. But being outside and on the ground, I'm sure they manage to catch random bugs and beetles occasionally.

[@ratkamari1180]

@@InaStanley83 Hi! What do you do with them after they're done laying eggs? I'm thinking of getting a coop, but I'd like others' opinions on moral issue of this.

[@SirNC16]

I just got quail (already have chickens) and love them. I appreciate this video your video is helpful and entertaining.

[@kerryheath2652]

The scissors work really well and only cost a few dollars.

[@danielmelgoza2093]

Quails are awesome I have 50 of them I collect the eggs every day and sell them to my neighbors at a decent price it's actually very easy to take care of them and when it comes down to feed don't spoil them with special feed they will eat the same a a chicken for those of you that don't know.

[@Thegoat1998]

Where are you ? Im in california in riverside i want to buy like 5 of them

[@atashafelix1909]

How much you sell a doz eggs for??

[@meroonaldi2961]

I feed mine chicken feed as well plus powdered roasted soybeans and they love it

[@Silver-Freddy]

They need more water because they’re not getting it from their food. The crumble is very dry so it’s going to dehydrate them. Chickens will eat vegetable and fruits and even raw meat that has a higher water content comparatively. So the reason they need more water is purely to compensate for their diet

[@ardaarsen]

A friend of mine had Quails as side project in his farm. They eat and poop alot for their size :) They indeed reach maturity within a month. Male croak is definitely NOT for indoors. Neighbours definitely wont think it as a random wild bird! Quails shed alot and the sand bath thing gets really messy, if your setup is like 2x1x1 cage thats a red flag . When it comes to eating habits quail chicks do not learn as fast as chicken chicks. My friend ended up hand-feeding some of them which never really was the case with chickens.

[@kendo2377]

I raised chukars for a few years and they were okay. An old-timer told me about putting cut sod in the coup so they could scratch through it to get bugs, grubs and wild greens. That did make the meat taste more like a game bird and less like a yard chicken. One benefit is the turnaround time for quail; 2 months and they're ready for processing.

[@Jodilynni]

This video was such a good watch. To the point and very informative. Thank you!

[@riordan381]

I bought 10 quails just for fun during corona Within a year, I ended up with like 200 quails I was eating fried quails and exchanged a bunch of them for turkey and chicken 😂

[@traviswhisman3231]

Cant have chickens where i live due to noise but sure are lookin into quails

[@katiemcdonald5988]

Quail egg scissors are $3. Very useful.

[@woodside-loft]

Get Video and information like this is so beneficial to people just getting into or deciding on. Thanks

[@sststr]

I feed my coturnix quail a variety of fruits and vegetables. But then I only have four, so it's not a big expense. They go berserk for cucumbers and raspberries and blackberries, and they'll eat some zucchini and watermelon. Haven't yet found much else they like - I've tried all kinds of leafy greens to no avail: spinach, kale, red leaf lettuce, cabbage, napa, and they may peck at them a little bit, but if they eat any it's not enough to really notice when I go to clean up a few hours later. Also no luck with bell peppers. And no luck with other fruits yet, they are a nope to apples, bananas, kiwi, strawberries, cherries. Some people report success with these fruits and vegetables, but mine are indeed fairly particular. But the things they will eat, they will eat up savagely. So they get some bonus fruits and vegetables to supplement their feed a couple times a week. They also are extremely eager for meal worms! As to feed, mine eat larger sized feed no problem, I use Cluck & Co All Flock blend, it's 20% protein (it's the only thing I can find in my area), and it has a lot of bits larger than crumbles, and they eat up just fine. I sometimes mix in cracked corn or millet for variety. They eat it all up without trouble.

[@joeljoel5061]

I've raised quail for two years. I have chickens also. I raise the quail for eggs and meat as well as breed them to sell as pets. The chickens I just keep for eggs. The scissors for quail are worth it. Entirely worth it. If your shells are brittle add calcium to the diet. My eggs are so tough they can land on the floor sometimes and not crack.

[@meroonaldi2961]

If you have brittle eggs it’s because they aren’t getting enough calcium. Quail eggs are rubbery and fun to try to crack with your fingers.

[@vaggos013]

I love quails, because we used to have few in our garden when I was a child. We had them like pets though, not for eating them. Less messy and noisy than hens.

[@Chris-b4w8t]

I love the sound of my male quail’s call, it’s so so cute to me. I have 4 hens and 1 roo, he’s a Tibetan.

[@PHYTOPLANKTON1987]

I've kept quail for years - I recommend an aviary set up. They really appreciate scratching, dust bathing, lying in fresh straw and digging around in it. It's very sad to see the standard cage and wire set up with a lot of people - why bother raising your own if it's no better than an industrial/ battery hen. It's nice to see them scratching around on this channel though :)

[@spinderella3602]

Hey, do you think you could raise quail on the go? The portable aspect might make them the better option for nomadic individuals.

[@JohnMcAfee-se9ms]

Like in the back of an RV? Lol

[@spinderella3602]

@@JohnMcAfee-se9ms Like a trailer or horse trailer. Also with a portable solar electrical fence.

[@JohnMcAfee-se9ms]

@@spinderella3602 I would just pack some pemmican

[@spinderella3602]

@@JohnMcAfee-se9ms Yeah. But maybe don't put all your eggs in one basket. Diversify.

[@JohnMcAfee-se9ms]

@@spinderella3602 Pemmican was nutritious enough to be the soul food for the Sioux, Cree, Metis, Objibwe, Blackfoot, the Dakota, Lakota, as well as the Hudson's Bay Company, the British army and American expeditions. Entire strong, beautiful cultures existed off of almost entirely pemmican for very long periods of time. In the American-Indian wars, the Americans would say the Indians were taller, stronger, and often more beautiful.

[@robertp3206]

I stuck with chickens after giving a hatch of quail a try and buying an expensive 3 tier cage. I felt like the quail were trapped in a small space and didn’t have much of a quality of life compared to my chickens. They ate a lot compared to chickens who could forage and come back to the coop on their own. Plus, they pooped just as much as they ate and at the end of a week that tray covered in pine shavings would be full! That metal cage I had started rusting with all the poop on it and it went everywhere. Trying to pressure wash it off wouldn’t even work. Trying to keep them inside during winter months meant poop flying everywhere requiring a tarp around the cage to catch flung food which they loved to fling it and poop. While we know there are good nutrients in the quail eggs I’d still rather crack one chicken egg rather than snipping the tops off three quail eggs to get the same result, plus my chickens have a lot more freedom and the hens aren’t trapped in a small cage with a rooster wanting to breed them every five minutes either resulting in them loosing all feathers on their back. That can happen with chickens too but in small cages it will be a guarantee.

[@Κριστίνα-ψ4μ]

Why did you keep them in cages?

[@skitkorvboogie]

​@@Κριστίνα-ψ4μ Quail apparently do well in cramped spaces. It's been a while since I had any but I don't recall the "caged" quail being (much) worse off than the ones with a larger run. Though I'd keep them in a run whenever possible.

[@SilkeBliss]

To raise them right, they need some outdoor time in a run. They should have enough space, both vertical and horizontal, to move around, and not be cramped. Not sure about what is recommended for keeping males from hurting females.

[@sarahmyracle4122]

I’m hoping the way I’m going to do it is easier as far as cleaning goes. I purchased an A-frame hutch on Amazon that has a little nest box area on one end. I reserved four hens and one male to go in it. I think they’ll have enough room, but my idea is to put a hardware cloth bottom on this little cage and two drawer pulls on each end at the top so that my husband and I can pick it up and put it on different places on the ground so that they can hopefully forage through that and then we’ll never have to clean it because we can put them in a little different spot every day. My plan is to put them inside the shipping container at night so that predators can’t get into the hutch and they are safe from weather. I think this will work out OK for just having five But I will report back how that works out, pros and cons. My chickens were a much larger investment, financially and space wise. But I’m happy to have both.

[@meroonaldi2961]

👋 How did it work out for you?

[@ghettomamma1627]

Put some mint leaves (from a tea bag or fresh) to harden the egg shells

[@kapongerstv6367]

in terms of meat...culling quails has its own terms...when a quail stop producing eggs...that is the time you need to dispose or cull the quail for meat...usually when quails reaches 1 year and 2 months their egg production decreases so that will be the time for you to decide weather you will cull them for meat consumption or you will sell them for petting use.

[@roseabee7503]

I have the hardest time killing things. My quails become pets after they don't lay anymore.

[@haveagreatlife9995]

Can they live more than 2 years?

[@SindarinGoddess]

I LOVED raising these quails! They were so fun to watch and raise. My babies loved mealworms and crickets. Unfortunately I just don't have the time or space to raise them anymore. 😕

[@marcusaldrich8290]

Look up quail egg scissors, kind of like a cigar cutter. You cut the very top of the egg. The extra tough membrane under the shell makes it diffcult to crack them like chicken eggs. You can peel the whole shell off the membrane without opening the egg. It's pretty cool. Lol

[@nicholashandschke2642]

So the scissors are super cheap and you will never knock them if you try them. The food waste issue can be mitigated with them plastic inserts. They also typically lay more then the avg chicken. Consistently getting 16+g every day. And they make the best bite size deviled or pickled eggs.

[@aidanwright3037]

Something i've found with the hanging water things is that they tend to leak and spill a lot. I've heard it's better to use hamster water feeders with quail.

[@rafaeltavarez5726]

one thing you can do to avoid the messy egg is, just grab a small knife from your kitchen. give the egg a little stab and then just cut a bit where you stabbed. It should opened up nice and clean. Is also fast.

[@bunnielynn777]

Thank you for this very informative video! It helped me to decide that I will just stick with chickens👍

[@edensgardenshed9622]

Can you harvest quail meat when the laying slows down? Or does it get tough or something as they age?

[@wantedwastaken]

When we harvested the meat they were 5-6 months old and the meat was a little tough. It's still good for stews and soups, but I wouldn't have rotisserie quail with an older bird

[@Erewhon2024]

Coq au vin was designed for old birds. Doesn't have to be chicken. Or you can stew, as the presenter suggested. The key is, tough (old, game, well-exercised) animals should be cooked "low and slow." That causes the collagen and connective tissue (which is mostly why such meat gets tough) to break up into gelatin and rich flavor.

[@RandomsFandom]

Quail will eat mixed bird seed, bugs, and garden weeds. I was feeding mine tomatoe plants, and squash plants when the gardening season came to an end. You gotta get a plucker machine, they are so easy to butcher

[@GodOfChicken]

I got given quail after my co-worker didn’t want them after they hatch. The one that hatched is the most clingy thing, and refuses to eat. I am struggling. 😓

[@Dingus-ud3xb]

what flooring do you use in the quail coop? im planning on getting a coop like a ground one) and don't want any rats to get in and eat my quails

[@moniquesalinas9766]

Can you wait for the quail to die naturally before eating?

[@treksandpreps]

use the back of a butter knife on the fat end of the egg. and pull it toward your thumb. hope that helps

[@annarboriter]

How are the hens with their maternal behavior?

[@wantedwastaken]

I haven't really tried to use the quails to raise the quails. The only part they played was delivering fertilized eggs for the incubator. Hens (chickens) are great mothers, I've used them in the past at all stages of chick raising and they performed swimmingly!

[@LibertyEducator]

I never put their feed in a container but i also put live meal worms in their pen. Also pinch the top of the egg dont try cracking it

[@amandarunkle9091]

How about the smell? Compared to chickens?

[@ewaj6488]

Thank you! You just helped me to make my decision to not bay quails. Thank you for all the information. I am staying with low maintenance chickens 😊

[@lauratukey3584]

My quail eggs are definitely not brittle. They love water I'm finding Bay like a little dish to stand in and wash their feet and then they leave their drinking dish alone just to drink perhaps that's where all the water is going they really like to wash their feet and splash water everywhere

[@roseabee7503]

Yeah, I was thinking his eggs are like that because they need just a liiiiittle more calcium.

[@skittlesskittles7577]

Are yours laying right now? My adventure with Quail started in the fall so still waiting for our first egg. The males are finally crowing but still no eggs.

[@awesomecowsrock]

I'm thinking about quail for my scaley babies. Chicken eggs aren't good for my lizards and quail are perfect food size for my burmese python

[@DistortedSmiles]

A lot of the problems youre having are easy to solve. Use the correct food dishes, cut holeas in food grade tupperware and buy a 3 dollar pair of quail scissors... I use mine to eat the eggs raw. It's like opening a small snack.

[@PatC.]

Oh yeah, that reminds me of another plus for quails... no worry about salmonella from raw quail egg.

[@artxgx9245]

Yeah he mentioned the quail scissors - using quail scissors was not the point - the point was that it's a hassle to use them in a first place. I want to crack and go - not snip, crack and go.

[@DistortedSmiles]

@@artxgx9245 Oh I heard and he just sounds like a lazy fruit cake

[@LeahsThings]

@@artxgx9245 Except it's more like snip and go, you don't have to crack it once it's already open... it's replacing a step, not adding one. And I just have the scissors in the same basket the eggs are stored in, it's truly not difficult.

[@jesseparrish1993]

Quail egg membranes are relatively thick. You have to peel the membrane or use egg scissors, not crack it open like a chicken egg.

[@WillLightfoot]

So, raising for eggs, go chickens, but for a personal source of meat, go with the quail?

[@ashleyrose4220]

Thank you for sharing!

[@310shadow310]

Here is a tip when cracking eggs. Do not crack them on the edge of a bowl, instead craxk them on a flat surface like the counter. This will prevent the eggs from falling apart when you separate them into a bowl.

[@doradora5547]

Food: You say their beaks are only able to manage crumble.....WRONG They are able to eat sunflower seeds they can eat mealworm. Ive seen them chase and group attack a cockroach And one very large spider. They eat leafy greens, you attach the greens to the cage with a rubber band so they can browse. I've never fed mine strawberries but they can be trained to try new things while they are young.

[@MUSTASCH1O]

Very interesting, I thought quails might be worth considering because they take less space, but it sounds like they take as much effort as a coop of chickens if not more despite the space saving.

[@O.K.D2114]

I have quail, large breed chickens, bantams and turkeys and the quail without a doubt are the absolute easiest to care for.

[@MUSTASCH1O]

@@O.K.D2114 Thanks for your insight! It makes sense for such small birds to be less hard work if looked after with the right tools and techniques.

[@artxgx9245]

Quail might be the easiest to care for, but they are a piTa to raise from chick stage to adult stage, never encountered a more fragile poultry. I've had chicks get soaked and come back with a hair dryer - quail chicks encounter even the slightest breed and they're dead.

[@LeahsThings]

@@artxgx9245 I found this depends highly on the quail variety. Some variants are known to have really fragile chicks, and others are hardier. That said, I've worked with both known fragile and known hardy breeds, and even the fragile ones I had at worst a 15% loss rate. For any others, my experience was that once they hatched, they grew up fine.

[@nicholasseason5748]

Dashound and Mic'ro chicken's. Awesome content thank you!

[@Washedintheblood1988]

I noticed when raising that the normal colored quail would kill the ones born white yellow etc

[@lanceduck3451]

This video took a big twist I was looking for quails as a pet You start off talking about tips for caring for the animal and harvesting eggs which was fine but then towards the end you talk about how the one of the big advantages is how small they are and easy for meat? This video took a big turn

[@vonatosbence9485]

What do you feed them

[@quantumcomata105]

They are very soft and their feet are sharp.. he crows and she makes cricket sounds

[@MyB.S._channel]

Dam. Its extremely rare to see a video on KZbin from just a regular guy. Thanks. Answered all my questions in a few minutes

[@minaaminah9080]

❤Sukses always May I know how many day the egg of the birth beacouse I have 4 birth same and the egg almost 2moon

[@JoshFuller-s8f]

Can they handle being in cold weather

[@MegaBored2]

Yes

[@JEFFSTRIKERVLOG0279]

Thanks for sharing

[@Ironjawswife]

Do you have to deworm or flea stuff? What vet stuff do I need to know so they’re healthy?

[@malloriechandler2370]

None. Just feed and water. Can add a little vinegar or sugar to water if needed. I use about a pound of grit mixed with 50 lb bag of feed. They can be a bit finicky the first week. Put some rocks in waterer or some will drown. I feed chick starter about 8 weeks then switch to scratch grain layer mix afterwards. If you come outside and it looks like your females have been scalped to many males. It looks bad when that happens but they normally recover though quickly. Hope that may help. Bless you

[@mattachtemeier5296]

Sureee BIG CHICkEN!!! Thanks man

[@mrkus-nc7od]

The Quail ! Very important to Falconry and healthy Raptors .

[@Erewhon2024]

Though anti rooster municipalities won't appreciate falconry or other "exotic pets." However, good to know for those both independently wealthy and rural.

[@aeriumsoft]

love it or hate it, they are too cute

[@MElaughs]

Crack eggs on a flat surface or use a knife, tap into egg and twist blade to crack, like you would an oyster.

[@Aethuviel]

I wonder why more people aren't getting meat pigeons? I can't find videos on homesteaders raising them. My husband had the idea, because they can partly feed themselves, since they can free range FLYING. If you live where it's more wild, this could be a great, cheap, practical meat.

[@JohnMcAfee-se9ms]

I think the fat ones French people raise for meat don't fly well. I might be wrong.

[@SilkeBliss]

Pigeon pie?

[@1986sagittarius]

Crack eggs on flat surface not on the edge. It’s also relates to chicken eggs. Cracking them with edge make small pieces to fall of. With flat surface you have perfect crack and you just need to open an egg.

[@ocean645]

Quails are just so good though

[@eh6971]

You should buy a quail egg scissor. Greetings from Hungary.

[@laslohollifeld5463]

OMG! The egg scissors cost like $4 on Amazon and they last a very long time.

[@ThatBritishHomestead]

I really like the idea of quail. they are so sweet. I was offered some the other day, they are so nice! i think that they would be lovely and easy to clean compared to biger birds. I have ducks, chicken meat and egg and turkey.

[@tezy348]

Geez I was so pissed watching the one wasting loads of food😐

[@robertp3206]

That is what they do. They fling it so you go through way more feed.

[@MegaBored2]

That powdery feed is a waste in itself. Fresh greens and grains are so much better!

[@NStrats-gf8hq]

Up the calcium in your quails diet for the egg problem. Crush up oyster shells and let them get at it as desired

[@christinagardener1889]

Get the quail scissors! It makes it so easy!

[@hangfire5005]

Crack eggs on a flat surface, never on the edge of a bowl or whatever. This stops the shards getting in the egg

[@workhardgainbig6784]

Quail eggs are way more healthy then chikens egg. Dont just look at the outside of the egg

[@PatC.]

Maybe the cats don't finish their food because you keep pouring fresh food on top of the old stuff and when they get down to that old stuff, they stop eating. Next time pour out the leftovers before refilling the bowl and see what happens.

[@TheRealPaintist]

"an egg is an egg" By 'Wanted' 😎

[@francescoantoniomaiorano4331]

Quail amateur from italy, to eat the eggs, try to crash the shell gently and than peel the "skin" of the egg untherneath

[@BEDLAMITE-5280ft.]

You wouldn’t pay $1.00 for the scissors so that every quail egg you ever crack in the future is done quickly and correctly?

[@TT.Loopyloop]

The scissors are not that bad 😂😂😂

[@60BloodyChamp60]

❤️❤️❤️ 🐦🐦🐦

[@Noeaskr]

I started with quail and currently have quail and chickens. Just get chickens, quail are a lot more effort for what you get. Because quail requires more volume of birds you will encounter more death, illness, fighting etc. I’ve built multiple environments from an open aviary deal to a quail hutch from KZbin (current layout and requirement for winter) it’s not worth it.

[@BEDLAMITE-5280ft.]

Does the purpose one is using them for not determine the best approach? It is my humble opinion that quail are much better. Their guano is priceless. I have chickens and quail myself, the quail have provided me eggs as well as many thousands of dollars of fertilizer. I used the soil made from their guano to make my entire garden.

[@Noeaskr]

@@BEDLAMITE-5280ft. everything quail do chickens do at a higher volume, guano included. The only reasons to get quail is if you’re not allowed to have chickens or maybe roosters if you want to hatch your own birds, you hate chicken noises or have space constrictions. Their poo is easier to collect I’ll give you that. If you’re looking for meat I’d rather butcher 3 chicken than 30 quail. If you’re looking for eggs I’d rather collect from a nest box than rely on some ramp cage or going in and picking eggs off of the ground. Second I’d rather crack a chicken egg than use quail scissors to open 3-4 quail eggs. If you just like birds chickens have a lot more variations in breeds and they give off a lot more personality. I could go on. There’s a reason chickens are a staple for a homestead and not quail. Quail is from compact urban sprawls in ancient Egypt/middle east where they could basically torture them in small cages and not take up too much space. That’s their niche. I’m keeping my quail until they die of old age but I’ll be getting something more efficient down the line to replace them. Maybe rabbits.

[@Bleu_sky]

Theyre sooooo cute

[@WritingErick]

When he starts talking about eating them 🙃 but I also love chicken.

[@kaylalugo2075]

You could sale the quail eggs to snake owners since some snakes only eat eggs and chicken eggs are too big for juvenile snakes