to quail or not to quail........

[toothlessjaws]

so i have finally rid myself of my first experience keeping quail.

i sold my pair of californians after keeping them for a little over a year.

personally i found them to be a pain and hardly worth it. the reasons:

they were flighty. the cock often chose to fly around hitting the wire despite plentyful vegetation.

they were messy. they created a lot of large droppings and the scratching in the food tray constantly spilt seed all over the floor.

i went through a lot more seed.

and lastly they were potentially disruptive to the finch nesting. the one season i had them i raised not a single young in not a single nest.

my question is this: is this specific to the larger game species or is the ever popular king quail just as bad? i notice almost all finch keepers keep a few of these apparent prolific breeders and would consider acquiring some but would like to be sure that i wont just be repeating the same mistake.

so king quail - are they worth it?

[BENSONSAN]

How big is your aviary? They can be a pain in the rear. I know bb and Sam keep them with finches but I got rid of mine. They flew up and still ate all my live food so for the cordons sake I moved them.

[finchbreeder]

I like them and have always had them. Yes they call at night. Yes they do larger droppings than finches. My birds are not particularly flighty, this may be the bloodline. My birds have always "birdsat" any fledglings that show a tendancy to not be ready for roosting though already fledged. Hope this is helpful.
LML

[spanna]

I've always had them also, and find them very easy to look after. They've never caused any trouble with any finches, and only need a basic diet. You have to feed seed on the ground, and they do dig through it a bit to get their favourite seeds, but it's easy to stop wasted seed by simply putting the seed bowl in a kitty litter tray. The young can be a bit dizzy and get lost, but this may not be the case in smaller aviaries.

I have a hen sitting on 6 eggs just inside the aviary entrance, and she will sit tight while I step over her, while I have other hens that run when they first see me. They never fly unless cornered though.

[Danny]

You need to ask yourself why you want quail??
If the answer is "to keep the aviary floor clean" then don't get them for the quails sake. Quail need all the basic needs of a finch - they are not a feathered mouse.
If you just want something adaptable moving around on the floor then kings or japs are your best choice but wing clip them as you put them in - by the time they moult new feathers they will be accustomed to you and will usually not need it again.
If you really love quail then you'll design the aviary to suit the behaviour, not try and redesign the quail to suit your inappropriate conditions.

[Tintola]

The key word that you used here was "Californian" They are large for a quail and just about always very flighty in a small aviary. Even though Jap quail and Bobwhite quail are similar size they are usually more docile. King quail are the usual smaller species kept in with finches and are usually docile but have their drawbacks, as they do call at night, attracting cats etc, and are hard to sell as they are so common. Wing clipping probably won't work with Cali's as they will jump and hop to the highest point in the aviary anyway. Some of the smaller Button Quail could be a better choice but they can have their drawbacks as well. Recommended reading on the subject, "A Guide to Pigeons, Doves and Quail" ABK, written by Danny.

[SamDavis]

How big is your aviary? They can be a pain in the rear. I know bb and Sam keep them with finches but I got rid of mine. They flew up and still ate all my live food so for the cordons sake I moved them.

As Ben says, I have King quail but not for much longer. I try to keep all the food/water up off the floor but with quail this isn't possible. I have my livefood well out of reach, but they eat any natural livefood on the ground before the other birds get a chance. It's also a real pain to keep any excess young - if more than one cock is kept in close proximity they'll scalp each other and they can be hard to sell in any quantity. Despite this, the chicks are really cute and if you haven't had them before they're probably worth a go (for a while at least!)

[jusdeb]

I have 2 pairs of Kings in separate aviaries and they are no trouble at all .

[teg33]

I have a pair of king quails in my large aviary. They are pretty good, because they don't call in the night, or fly absolutely everywhere, and are quite happy to just hide away until you are done in the aviary.

But for my smaller aviary I don't think I would like to keep them in there, because the aviary is quite small and it is not fair for them!!!

I think if you aren't prepared to put dishes and that on the ground, and if your aviary is quite small, then maybe don't get them. Its quite easier without them!


By the way, is anyone interested in a brown hen? (king quail)
If so, we live in Bayswater, so PM me!

[roma9009]

always had king quail on my aviary floors and were never a problem and when they have young they are so cool and if any youngsters come out of the nest a day or two early I would always find them usually sitting with a sitting hen for warmth