One decade ago , Jenny and Will Ledlow bought 6 acres in central Oklahoma , where Jenny dove into hobby agriculture . fire avegetable garden , pigs , guineas , rabbits , chickens , duck , geeseandquail , Jenny provides most of the house meals and a lot of merriment . Plus , through social media and sodbuster ’s market , she sell what the fellowship does n’t utilize .
“ I ’m not a quail expert , ” Jenny says . “ But I ’ve had poultry since I was a nestling . I learned quail care online , say books and through years of experience . After reading about quail , I adjudicate to try raising them . In 2014 , I think up around 20 quail eggs that I bought online . I chosecoturnix quailbecause they are fast arise , very productive and fairly easy to like for .
“ Quail are not a gravid investment , and they can provide eggs and meat for citizenry without land . Plus they are quiet and small . ”
Quail-Raising Basics
During the first four weeks , Jenny feed her quail game bird starter . Then she switches to game bird feed , dough , herb , lettuce , cucumbers , edible corn on the cob , mealworms , berries and insects .
For keep quarters , Jenny say , “ Housing needs to be dependable and easy to houseclean . Most people who raise quail for eggs use stacked cages with roll - out slur for eggs . Metal , wood and wire are common materials used . I move my living accommodations accord to the weather condition . I like movable penitentiary that are about 4 by 5 feet because it is easy to move them outdoors when it ’s nice and onto a clean area so I can clean the previous lieu where they were . It also lets me add thing for them to do such as Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin boxes , bunch of grass and grime , and position to hide.black coturnix squinch
“ I protect my quail from predators using small wire on the pens or computer hardware textile . Or I move them indoors . I never allow them to free range because coturnix quail are not aboriginal to Oklahoma . Also , they would be eat by cats or other piranha . I ’ve see them set up with volaille , but I have n’t try it . I house them severally from other bird . ”
black coturnix quails
In winter , Jenny ’s quail are in sheds , chicken cage and Will ’s shop . In summer , Jenny keeps the quail in the tincture and monitors for fresh water . One summer she kept them in the service department with a window air conditioning unit .
The Value of Quail Eggs
Coturnix start laying tiny , spotted bollock at 6 weeks of years . Jenny says they rest any time during the day and during all seasons , include winter ( depending on the quails ’ ages and trapping ) .
“ The chicks hatch in 18 day but can hatch in the first place or later , ” Jenny articulate . “ They are like to babe Gallus gallus , but they need food , water and bedding change a great deal more often . There are special food and water container for quail chicks . Plus , they take a heat lamp until full feathered .
“ The eggs start develop at around 99 point in an incubator , or underneath their mothers . I have only had a couple of quail attempt to brood their skirt , and it never worked . ”coturnix quails
Jenny spends 10 to 20 minutes daily accumulate egg , replenishing food for thought , water and guts , and inspecting for injuries . She fill the feeders and the water container , and spend an minute weekly clean the cage / pen and providing new bedding .
“ The eggs taste similar to chicken eggs , ” Jenny says . “ I ’ve read that quail eggs have about 15 calories each , and more protein , atomic number 26 , riboflavin and Vitamin B than chicken eggs . Many sources say they are a super food , and that they can help with wellness yield such as diabetes . ”
For incubation intention , Jenny hive away egg on the counter . But she cleans the other bollock and hive away them in the refrigerator . Although soak eggs in white vinegar makes the shells come off more well , removing the racing shell is still tedious work . She pickle eggs for salads and snacks . As well , she fries and boils eggs , and uses them in recipes .
coturnix quails
She enounce they are great in Asian soup recipes . For recipes , keep in head that three quail ball equal one wimp ball .
As for challenge , Jenny enunciate , “ The males start fighting around 5 weeks old . If you are n’t fast about separate them , they will pull the skin off the heads of other males . There are dissimilar colors of coturnix quail , but only a couple are color sexable , let in Pharaoh and Italian . Females have spotted knocker but males do n’t .
“ start out with one of those colors makes it much easier to distinguish the supernumerary Male early . ”
Quail are slap-up for gist , eggs and PET . By June 2023 , Jenny have 150 quail , but she says to start small , with five females to every male person . Do n’t mix unlike ages because older birds will hurt younger additions . If there are bird wound or food for thought buildup , shift the setup .
