Quail Breeding For The Falconer

[MattSpar]

There have been a number of threads involving this topic in one way or another so I decided to try to put my experience into hopefully useful advice for anyone wishing to try producing their own food. I realise there may be as many different methods as people who do it for themselves - all I can say is this works for me!

The file is in pdf format so obviously you'll need Acrobat reader to read/download it.

http://www.devonbirdofprey.co.uk/lj/Quail.pdf

[Moses]

mate brianm breeds them too , i saw his setup, very good indeed when i saw those quails all i thought of was quail curry


edited to add checked out your article, very good mate


cheers

[Legion]

nice post... thanks

[Heike]

Yes thanks for that one, got my first hatch out a week ago, so this extra info has come at the right time, cheers:-D

[Moses]

i found this lil incubator in ebay :D digital one


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BRINSEA-RCOM-DIGITAL-INCUBATOR-hatching-eggs_W0QQitemZ7720195078QQcategoryZ3211QQrdZ1QQcmd ZViewItem

[MickeyDredd]

Remember folks, a chicken is for life not just for Christmas - unlike turkey of course lol

[Jazz1]

Yes this is great info thinking of starting up with Quail and this info will help alot just need contact numbers for any1 in Fife or nearby area's that will have them or eggs?
Gary

[Moses]

Remember folks, a chicken is for life not just for Christmas - unlike turkey of course lol



lol i swear mate i thought the same made me laff :D kids in the pics breeding chicks

[MattSpar]

LeighJauncey and I thank everyone for their positive remarks. A lot of people have asked me questions about the "right" way to go about it. We are pleased it seems to be of some use.
Regarding Jazz1's search for a supplier near him, the address in the article will be happy to send eggs. They're as good as any you'll find, and better than most, believe me. Please don't contact me for eggs. I don't supply them.

[Moses]

matt i just read it all again and printed it


thanks alot bud, i was setting my incubator earlier, im back at work again, will check what the temp is when i get back hame

your guide is superb



cheers

[MattSpar]

Thanks Moses. As I said, it's worked well for me for a long time. It's good to know someone else may find it useful.

[CooperMan]

Cheers matt this is great I think I may give it a go and see how we get on it costs us about £500 every 6 weeks at the moment on food

[MattSpar]

You'll find it is possible to do it cheaper, if you're careful how you go about it.

[Moses]

matt its great help bud , saves buying a book costing 10 to 15 quid my friend

cooperman go into ebay and look for the breeding packages by hatchin incubators i got mines fae them bud

[MattSpar]

matt its great help bud , saves buying a book costing 10 to 15 quid my friend

Didn't think of that. That's typical of me. ******.

[Pitbull]

excellent thread, just read it as at times i have considered it

[Moses]

Didn't think of that. That's typical of me. ******.


lol all the good for us newbies mate :D

cheers

[Moses]

latest news, im a happy bunny, i checked the eggs via the candler yesterday and more than a half were fertilisized, lucky me :D, it was the 10th day yesterday and i hope to God it goes well

where do u lads buy your heat bulbs from , i got a big heat lamp with a big bulb i wanted tae use a smaller bulb with a smaller light unit from a broken lamp

how many watts is the safest for young chicks

cheers

[Sparrow Hawker]

I use a infra-red heat bulb get mine from Scatts, some people prefer using normal light bulbs! With my heat lamp I am able to control the amount of heat the quail have by using a thermostat!

One tip you might find useful is if the quail huddle together there too cold if there around the edges of the brooder away from the heat source there too hot!

All the best Moses,

HH

[Moses]

I use a infra-red heat bulb get mine from Scatts, some people prefer using normal light bulbs! With my heat lamp I am able to control the amount of heat the quail have by using a thermostat!

One tip you might find useful is if the quail huddle together there too cold if there around the edges of the brooder away from the heat source there too hot!

All the best Moses,

HH


thanks alot bud just ordered my quail food just now too, its a pity i couldnt get the 27 to 30% protein content unless i ordered a tonne :D so had to do with 4 bags of 25kg each with only 20 % protein

see how it goes

cheers hh :)

[Takajo]

Are you gettin a raptor this year Mos?

[JayHawk]

nice 1 mattspar damn good read and very encouraging


jayhawk

[BrianM]

i found that a 15 watt bulb was ample for my chicks,,, really depends on what size of brooder you are useing,,,,,,, you should really have it up and running for a few days to level the temperature out before transfering the chicks into it

[Moses]

Are you gettin a raptor this year Mos?


mate in september my friend, this is my training period to get hang of it all :D for the future

so these quails i will eat and freeze and keep a few to lay more eggs and then freeze enuff for my hawk and myself when the time comes to get my hawk



thanks brian i try to get one of them and sure will do bud, will run it a few days before they hatch and i do hope they hatch :D

cheers

[MattSpar]

nice 1 mattspar damn good read and very encouraging


jayhawk

Thanks for that JH. I was originally undecided whether it would be worth the trouble. People seem to be finding it useful, which is nice.
Moses, did you get your eggs from a reputable scource? 50% fertility is pretty poor I'm afraid.

[Moses]

Thanks for that JH. I was originally undecided whether it would be worth the trouble. People seem to be finding it useful, which is nice.
Moses, did you get your eggs from a reputable scource? 50% fertility is pretty poor I'm afraid.


mate over 50 % meaning maybe 50 to 60 % my friend i got em free from my friend heike here aka keith, i cant complain lol didnt pay nowt for it :D he sent me 3 different types of eggs

tuxedo
italian and also japanese

big up tae keith, what a nice lad, stephen was oot hunting wae him and he gave him some eggs to give to me as a gift


yes matt thanks as i said before bud for posting this pdf booklet, i luv it bud, and so would anyone getting into breeding their own quails, its def worth it, it felt so good yesterday when i was candling them and u see the progress, it rocks

maybe in a few yrs when i got some experience i would luv to breed my own hawks for personal hunting lol, pigs may fly, but i can only hope haha

my own impring gossies woohooo

[Red-Devil]

mate over 50 % meaning maybe 50 to 60 % my friend i got em free from my friend heike here aka keith, i cant complain lol didnt pay nowt for it :D he sent me 3 different types of eggs

tuxedo
italian and also japanese

big up tae keith, what a nice lad, stephen was oot hunting wae him and he gave him some eggs to give to me as a gift


yes matt thanks as i said before bud for posting this pdf booklet, i luv it bud, and so would anyone getting into breeding their own quails, its def worth it, it felt so good yesterday when i was candling them and u see the progress, it rocks

maybe in a few yrs when i got some experience i would luv to breed my own hawks for personal hunting lol, pigs may fly, but i can only hope haha

my own impring gossies woohooo
moses pigs are fliyin down hear they got choppers lol

[Hacker]

Don`t forget, anyone with flocks of 50 or over birds must by law register with defra.
I think a £5000 fine if caught without registration.
This includes quail etc.
Our shoot has had to do it for the pheasants. A bit of a pain as pages of forms to go through, but a necessary evil.
Do not be tempted not to, as if any incidents come to light they will further degrade our sport.

[Barbary Boy]

i cant beleive anyone can be bothered to even try and breed their own quail you may save a couple of pence on each one but the work involved and time puts me right off. their not that expensive to buy commercially, i can do without the hassle but take my hat off to anyone who bothers, well done keep up the good work, but i bet you soon get sick and pack in,

[Moses]

moses pigs are fliyin down hear they got choppers lol

lol we got em here too bud :D



lads im so happy and nervous like a nervous father :D

my first lil baby quail just hatched i had a shock the wee man was having a walkaboot in the incubator, i took him oot, he still has his eyes half closed is this normal, he is all dry and i put him in a box under a heat lamp 1 meter above

his siblings r hatching, 2 of them still trying to get oot and other ones havent hatched but the eggs r moving , not long now

i put saw dust on the box, the baby chicks wont choke on it would they if i put too much in it

i put a lil drop of water in a wee lid the feeder is a lil too big for them i think


so happy but so nervous


barbary, its worth it mate, just to see them hatch, its amazing

[Hacker]

Moses,
They will all be dead soon, do not get attached, think of them as a quail sarnie for your eventual hawk m8

[Moses]

Moses,
They will all be dead soon, do not get attached, think of them as a quail sarnie for your eventual hawk m8


i know mate lol, so sad their too young i wont mind killing them when their old

but u know i get like that, i hunted alot of animals and normally its quick death by slicing their throat

last week i went oot wae harrisi and first time i despatched a rabbit with my bare hands by holding its legs and snapping its head and the wee man squeeled and i saw his goofy teeth, i felt so sorry for him, coz he looked like my wee nephew with those goofy teeth, my nephew is only 1 yr and a few months old, first day when i was gonna eat the rabbit , i couldnt eat it all, my wife asked me , why whats up, i said to her, he looked like my wee nephew with those beady eyes and goofy teeth, i call my nephew bugsy :D

[Moses]

6 now so far :D


got 2 elder males aff stephen today, he helped me oot with the food, i didnt get my order in time, supposed to come in tuesday still not arrived

so stephen gave me a packet and also 2 male quails to eat, i woz gonna say 2 cocks to eat but hey im not gay :D


and i slaughtered them in the afternoon stephen mate lol im gonna make a curry tonight, it was awesome slaughtering the older ones


and thanks for the box for the u quails

brb in a bit customer

cheers

[MattSpar]

Barbary Boy is right... up to a point. Hatching quail in small numbers brings into effect the law of diminishing returns. As I said in my original article, if it's small numbers you want, you'll be better off bying them. there's no doubt of that. However, once you reach a certain number, it is certainly cheaper to produce your own. One thing though - you must be systematic about the whole thing. Clear your incubators on the 18th day to make way for the next batch. Resist the temptation to mollycoddle any weaklings or late hatchers. Better to cull them at the start. Kill the whole lot at the age you choose. Above all, begin with quality foundation stock. I'd suggest batches of 100 chicks as the minimum to be cost effective. I've done this for years. It works.

I repeat, BE SYSTEMATIC.

[Dave G]

are those chineese quails any good as i could ring up the chinky thing there number 106 on the menu pmsl, if so quite alot of bird keepers breed these as they keep away the mice im told ,my missus sister breed them every year without even trying they looked a nice little meal packet for the hawk but she was having none of it when i said i would take some home lol

[Moses]

Barbary Boy is right... up to a point. Hatching quail in small numbers brings into effect the law of diminishing returns. As I said in my original article, if it's small numbers you want, you'll be better off bying them. there's no doubt of that. However, once you reach a certain number, it is certainly cheaper to produce your own. One thing though - you must be systematic about the whole thing. Clear your incubators on the 18th day to make way for the next batch. Resist the temptation to mollycoddle any weaklings or late hatchers. Better to cull them at the start. Kill the whole lot at the age you choose. Above all, begin with quality foundation stock. I'd suggest batches of 100 chicks as the minimum to be cost effective. I've done this for years. It works.

I repeat, BE SYSTEMATIC.


matt u r right bud, i started aff with a few so i can get a haud of it and get used to it when the time comes for my hawk etc

this was a practice run


romeo, chinese ones r very small mate, i saw stephens chinese quails their tiny, i saw his big japanese and bob white quails, their massive and good for the table :D, chinese ones r good for soup

[Dave G]

cheers moses japaneese or whites mmmm isnt there a cantaneese quail pmsl,moses your getting attached to the little fluffy things arhhhhh by this time next month you will be a full blown quail breeder whos not got the heart to kill them pmsl 2 years time mosses has a million quails running around bless

[Moses]

cheers moses japaneese or whites mmmm isnt there a cantaneese quail pmsl,moses your getting attached to the little fluffy things arhhhhh by this time next month you will be a full blown quail breeder whos not got the heart to kill them pmsl 2 years time mosses has a million quails running around bless


lol mate haha i like it cantonse quails :D


mate lol God willing i should be able to slaughter my own home bred ones

i had no probs slaughtering stephens earlier lol , it was like a scene out of texas chainsaw massacre when i slit their throats, it sprayed everywhere, im glad i did it in the garden, quick death, best way, drain the blood oot

but my wee ones r so cute, its sad mate once is very ill looking he hatched in the afternoon, if he isnt well till later, i will need to put him oot of his misery, the rest are all jumping and eating and drinking now

thats a total of 9 hatched before i left

see how they get on later

their so lurvley mate, tiny lil babies

bob whites r the size of a partridge, big fat things

[Coen]

Anyone has a link to this file that still works, or can mail it to me ?


Thx.......

[MattSpar]

I don't quite know what's up here, but if anyone wants to avail themselves of my article, PM me with your email address, and I'll happily mail you a copy.

[LeighJauncey]

Sorry - my fault - doing a bit of house-keeping on the site - I'll put it back asap!

[MattSpar]

Thanks. Sorry old boy, that should have read, "our article".

[LeighJauncey]

It's back - same link:-

http://www.devonbirdofprey.co.uk/lj/Quail.pdf

[Coen]

Thx, good article :)

[TimDog80]

great thread very usefull may consider giving it a go myself in the future!!!

[Paul42]

god write up Mattspar,what about breeding the smaller chinnese quail has anyone breed those in big numbers,could be good idea for the falconer who flys the smaller birds.

[CanadaManada]

god write up Mattspar,what about breeding the smaller chinnese quail has anyone breed those in big numbers,could be good idea for the falconer who flys the smaller birds.

Japanese are easier, and cheaper. Just kill them at an earlier date. Once they reach the size you want, TWIST!

[MattSpar]

Japanese are easier, and cheaper. Just kill them at an earlier date. Once they reach the size you want, TWIST!

Yes, that's quite right.