ARRAN 22 Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 looking at keeping a few partridge for eggs and to eat, just wondering what they are like at laying eggs how many will they lay? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gnipper 5,966 Posted August 20, 2011 Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 They will probably only lay for a month or so. Easier to get them from a shoot at the end of the shoot day for about a quid a brace and get yourself some warrens for laying. If you want tiny eggs then get yourself some quail as they lay like mad. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ARRAN 22 Posted August 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2011 what breed of quail would you go for, looking at getting 1 male 4 females? iv read that they no good at sitting on the eggs so you have to incubate them and put them under a broody chicken. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gerjan 7 Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 (edited) The best quail for meat and eggs are japanese quails. The hens lay more eggs than chickens, my hens lay 6 eggs a week average. You can feed your quails chicken layer feed but it is to low in protein for a good fertility rate so you have to give your quails mealworms or maggots or something. Chicken feed has 15% protein and quails need 26%, you can buy special game bird feed but you also can give the quails turkey starter crumbel or normal food for (chicken) chicks. Only 1% or someting of the hens will sit on their own eggs so you need an incubator. The temperature in the incubator hase to be around 100 Fahrenheit, the humididy has to be 60-65%. If the humididy is to low or high within 10 degrees for a day their is no problem, temperature is critical. You have to store hatching eggs cool but not in a fridge and turn them at least 3 times a day, don't store hatching eggs more than 8 days because the fertillity rate will drop. In the incubator you have to turn the eggs also at least 3 times a day, after 16 days in the incubator you stop turning and raise the humidity. After 18 days in the incubator the eggs start to hatch if everything is correct. The chicks need heat for at least the first 4 weeks, try to keep them at Fahrenheit. You can drop the temperature with 7 Fahrenheit every week. After 6 to8 weeks the chicks are grown up and the hens will start laying and the roosters start crowing. At 13 weeks the roosters are fertille, the hens are fertille when they start laying. You can butcher the roosters at 8 weeks but at week 16 the meat is more tender. A few weeks ago i came across some young meat quails and i bought 5 hens and a rooster. I've made a picture of the meat quail hen compared to my biggest hen of regular japanese quails size. On the left is the young meat hen and on the rigth is the adult normal hen. Edited August 23, 2011 by gerjan 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ARRAN 22 Posted August 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2011 thanks alot mate Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gerjan 7 Posted August 24, 2011 Report Share Posted August 24, 2011 Forgot to tell that you never should quails in couples, most of the roosters are aggressive and rough when they mate and peck to the hens sometimes so a single hen by a rooster is probably going to be fatal to the hen. 1 rooster and 4 hens what you said you want to keep is a good sexratio. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Millet 4,497 Posted August 24, 2011 Report Share Posted August 24, 2011 gergan i have been breeding a lot of quail for 2yr's now with a only a little break from hatching ..i have also been keeping and rearing them during this time and a lot of what you of said i don't agree with from personal experience..i have read similar stuff elsewhere to what you have stated but at the end of the day it is wrong information. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Millet 4,497 Posted August 24, 2011 Report Share Posted August 24, 2011 what breed of quail would you go for, looking at getting 1 male 4 females? iv read that they no good at sitting on the eggs so you have to incubate them and put them under a broody chicken. From what i have read from your first post you want the egg's for eating so in theory you dont have to worry about hatching them get 5 hen to 1 cock..i have Japanese/Coturnix quail here and they lay a egg every 18hr's aslong as they are getting over 12 hours daylight..when the photoperiod changes during the winter month's the laying slow's down ..what i do to combat this is put a low watt light bulb on a timer to keep them going..after a year of constant laying they seem too slow down so need replacing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gerjan 7 Posted August 24, 2011 Report Share Posted August 24, 2011 gergan i have been breeding a lot of quail for 2yr's now with a only a little break from hatching ..i have also been keeping and rearing them during this time and a lot of what you of said i don't agree with from personal experience..i have read similar stuff elsewhere to what you have stated but at the end of the day it is wrong information. What do you think is wrong about my information? This is from my personal experience of 4 years breeding, but we learn from each other and everyone has different experienceses and opinions. As an example some people told me that quail roosters become unfertile from chick starter feed for chickens but i'f succesfully bred with roosters wo ate that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moll. 1,769 Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 Brilliant photo gerjan, how on earth do you get them to keep still like that I also vary my quails diet, they get all sorts mixed daily, from chick food, to adult hen layers, mixed corn/maize canary food, wild bird food, budgie food, sunflower hearts and live meal worms. They are out on grass so get greens (grass, clover, dandelion etc) I am very lucky in that i only have a couple, and they live together very peacefully, no aggression at all. They cuddle up together with wings over each other, lovely to see. I am aware this is very unusual. Having a cuddle Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Millet 4,497 Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 What do you think is wrong about my information? Well i have re read the post this morning and it look's a little different..the information is not too far of the mark from my experiences..but egg production should be more than 6 a week..for me the humidity is too high through out incubation and does not need raising if you leave the incubator alone till hatching has finished..they need turning a lot more than 3 times a day to help stop splayed leg's and breach deformed chick's..they should start pipping on day 17 anything after day 18 will most likely be weak and need culling..and the chick's should have varied heat..100F - 37.5C at the centre of the heat source and gradually cooling down away from it..so the chick's can choose what heat they want..but whatever method work's best for you keep using it.. .. Here is a picture of 7 day's worth of egg's that will be going in the incubator's in the next 5 day's...they will be nearly as many again by that time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ARRAN 22 Posted August 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 how many birds do you have millet to give you those eggs ? can i have hens on their own or do they need a cock bird for them to lay as im not looking at breeding until i have an incubator and equipment, also will they live with 2 chikens and do they need nest boxes like chikens? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Millet 4,497 Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 I'm not sure how many hen's i have ARRAN i would guess at around 30 hen bird's and about 7 cock bird's..i have had hen's laying without a cock bird being in with them but i could not tell you if they will keep on laying without a cock bird being in there..i would be careful putting them in with adult chicken's as the quail could be bullied or killed they don't need nest boxes..but they do like a separate enclosed area where they do sometimes go and lay..but the majority of the time they just lay the egg's anywhere..it's a shame you where not closer i have about 15 nice coloured quail here that have been laying for a fortnight that i want rid of..they will end up in the freezer soon for hawk food.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gerjan 7 Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 Well i have re read the post this morning and it look's a little different.... Had some pints yesterday? I know that the egg production should be more but my birds are in an outside aviary without artificialy lights at the moment because we've build a new shed. Also the birds are meat quails so i don't think their parents were selected on laying but just on size. The birds go into their new indoor pen tomorrow. I'm converting 2 double tier rabbit hutches to brooders now and i sold my chickens today so i can use their brooders for quails to, that gives me total 45 sq foot brooder space. Do you keep your birds in tier cages or on the ground? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Millet 4,497 Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 (edited) Well i have re read the post this morning and it look's a little different.... Do you keep your birds in tier cages or on the ground? I keep two trio's in double tier cages in a shed and another two trio's in open run's on the lawn...another trio in a lit room and 15 hen's to about 2 male's in a 7ft x 7ft mesh fronted outdoor enclosure.. Indoor cages inside of a shed..the bottom one is not used at the moment Outdoor 7ft x 7ft mesh fronted enclosure..the bird's in the picture are not in there now. This is my indoor lighted room it does get natural light but it is still a bit dark without a bulb in there..it is mainly used as my rearing room but when empty a trio go in there. Edited August 25, 2011 by Millet 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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