Raising quail

[cathunter]

Just wandering if anyone has every raised quail for eating purposes? From what I've read eggs and meat are body healthy foods. Just tried the eggs this morning taste the same as chicken eggs to me. But the wife thought they were richer.

 

[X-Tennessean]

I have raised both Bobwhite and Coturnix.
Id rather eat the bobs but will not turn down a coturnix with them being more of a meat producing bird. They are ready for slaughter in 6-8 weeks. The only draw back to them you have to incubate the eggs, they will not hatch them.
My bobs (250 or so) I raised in a ground pen of about 10x20 fully enclosed with electric fence around the bottom and top.
Coturnix I raised in an upright dog coop (50-60). They eat and waste a LOT of food!!

The fella I bought my Coturnix from had a sweet setup, he has an old milk barn that he built several 6x10 pens in. He was able to hatch, sort and raise them all in one location. Only issue I seen was no exhaust fan, the ammonia smell was terrible in there.

Its been a while since I had mine but seems like I paid .25/chick unless I bought in bulk and $1.50/2 week olds. This is on the Coturnix

 

[Chapman]

I had around 20 of the Coturnix quail years ago. My son wanted them to make the pickled eggs. Later he decided he didn't really like eating the eggs and I was not too crazy about them either. I ended up killing and eating them. They had the strongest smelling manure I had ever dealt with, way worse than chickens.

 

[BlackBelt]

Had a covey of quail walk under my treestand a few weeks back. They were turning over every leaf looking for insects.
I had to smile because although I have never hunted them, my grandfathers passion and life was centered around quail. He passed away in the early 1980's but sometimes I think he sends an angel to remind me of him manifested in things like those quail. I know it is just coincidence they came by, but it makes me smile just the same.
As far as eating them I always thought they tasted great. I only had the quail my grandfather shot though, so there were usually a few lead pellets from his shotgun scattered through the meat.

 

[pb10point]

Used to love hunting and eating quail growing up. If there was quail in East Tenn now like there was back then I would probably quit deer hunting.