Raising Quail

   

   Who would have ever thought that quail could be so much fun. This particular breed of quail is known as  Coturnix or Japanese quail.  (and I still do not know how to pronounce "Coturnix", so please don't ask me.) Coturnix quail space requirements are small, they don’t eat a lot. They mature quickly. Coturnix Quail are produced mainly for their eggs and meat.  

    I acquired the eggs from my aunt and uncle, who have raised quail for several years. The two of them are a wealth of information when it comes to almost any type of poultry. 

   Coturnix quail have an incubation period of 17 days at a temperature of 99º to 100ºF with a humidity level of 60%. The Coturnix Quail can began laying eggs as early as 5-6 weeks old and reach a slaughter weight at about 7 weeks. The young birds begin to crow at 5 to 6 weeks old. Some say the crow sounds as though they say "pick-per awick" or "ko-turro-neex". I, like others think it sounds like "Look-at-me, Look-at-me".  A female can lay up to 300 eggs a year.

    The eggs are delicious and a meal of quail is wonderful. You definitely have to get past the "These things are so darn cute" if you intend to raise quail for meat. We love the taste of quail and this was our reasoning for the venture into quail raising. We have some raised now, just starting to crow. We will keep some for egg laying so that we can incubate more eggs. They will soon be at the mature age for slaughter. However, I am not sure I have reached past the point of  "These things are so darn cute" yet.