- House quail in cages under 1 ft tall or over 4 ft tall. Quail jump straight up when startled and can break their necks.
- Quail will start laying eggs as early as 6 weeks old.
- Quail are ready for processing at 7 weeks old.
- Quail can easily survive Ohio winters. They do not need supplemental heat. Keep them out of the wind and rain.
- Feed young quail a high protein feed, such as Kalmbach Turkey Starter, 28%. Feed should be 25 to 30% protein. About a month after they start laying, they can be fed a lower protein feed, such as Meat Bird feed.
- Quail layers are very light sensitive. To keep them laying in fall & winter, install lighting in their cage and connect it to a timer to give 14 hours of light. You can use a desk lamp, or buy an LED Under Counter light set at Amazon for under $60, such as this one: https://www.amazon.com/Litever-Lighting-Fixtures-Installation-Kit-5000K/dp/B01L6W7HHE?th=1. Use your phone’s camera to scan this code:
- Quail hens will lay very well for about a year. They will lay almost every day. Replace your flock between 6 and 12 months.
- If you plan on incubating eggs, you can buy a small incubator for under $50 that holds 35 eggs. An incubator we like is at https://www.ebay.com/itm/404088787531. You can also scan this code:
- A good ratio is 5 or 6 hens to 1 rooster. Too many males may result in fighting and death.
- We recommend housing only 1 breed together. Different breeds of quail will often fight and try to kill each other.
For more information about raising quail, see our article titled “Raising Quail for Food”.
Best wishes on raising your own quail! Contact us if you have questions.