How Many Quail Should I Start With?
If you’re thinking of starting a quail flock, you may be wondering how many quail you should start with. The answer is based on your personal goals for raising these birds and your home’s available space.
If You Plan to Keep Quail for Eggs
Ideally, a female quail can lay between five and seven eggs per week. This is about a third of the size of chicken eggs and more than enough for the average household.
Quails also make good hunting birds and are an ideal addition to any backyard poultry flock. They’re hardy, eat a varied diet and don’t require a lot of space to grow and lay eggs.
They’re also easy to raise and can be very quiet in the house, especially if you keep them in a large cage. This makes them a great option for those who live in apartments or urban areas where neighbors might be concerned about the noise from a typical flock of chickens.
If You Want to Make Money With Quails
Since quails are excellent egg layers, you can make a profit by breeding them. They’re also a good choice for meat eaters, as they produce between 6 and 10 ounces of meat per bird.
The price of quail eggs is usually cheaper than chicken eggs and their meat is often less expensive than that of chickens, making them an ideal choice for people on a budget.
They’re also easy to care for and can be raised in smaller spaces than a traditional chicken flock, saving you money on feed.
You can also raise quail as pets. They’re relatively quiet and easy to care for, but they do get aggressive if they’re not well treated, so you should only keep them with other friendly quails or a small group of males.
If You’re Raising Quails for Meat
Because they can be eaten young, quail are not as high in protein as chickens. They can be fed a variety of commercial quail feeds or even a nutrient-rich vegetable and weed mix. They are also low in fat and cholesterol.
However, you’ll need to feed them a calcium supplement and plenty of fresh greens in order to keep them healthy.
Lastly, they’ll need to have access to fresh water in a suitable container. They don’t need a waterer as large as a chicken, but a shallow dish with pebbles in it will help keep them from drowning.
If You Want to Raise Quails for Meat
The minimum number of quail that you should start with depends on your goals for the birds. If you’re planning to raise quail for eggs, you can get away with one or two per cage; if you want to raise them for meat, you should start with three or four males and two or more females.
It’s a good idea to have more males in a flock if you’re planning to sell quail meat. They’re larger and heavier than females, so they make better meat producers.
