bibwhite quail question

Does anybody keep bobwhite quail. If so how many should i keep in a 12L 4w 6h ft pen? Also what ratio should i have male to female. I heard equal ratio but i want to make sure. Also is it true they get aggresive dyring breeding season?

Apparently not too many people are into quail, Travis. The only reason I piped up is that I live a few miles north of the "Bird Dog Capital of the World", and that means they also raise a lot of bobwhite quail around here. But I haven't checked into it, although I do see them for sale on the local Craigslist all the time. If you are having trouble finding resources, I can check in around here if you would like me to.

travis hoeffel wrote:Does anybody keep bobwhite quail. If so how many should i keep in a 12L 4w 6h ft pen? Also what ratio should i have male to female. I heard equal ratio but i want to make sure. Also is it true they get aggresive dyring breeding season?

John Elliot wrote:Apparently not too many people are into quail, Travis.....

My family and my neighbor when I was a child kept bobwhite quail in a completely closed off pen of similar dimensions. I don't remember how we got our quail which was only a short period of time, but my neighbor would catch them from the wild. My guess was that stocking density was not really a concern given that we had possibly 50 to 100 in the pen. The thing is that quail is a tough keeper. They panic at every gesture you make. They have very little meat, its not tender unless cooked low and slow. Forget having a reliable source of eggs. They burn a lot of calories compared to chickens because of their energy levels. Bobwhite quail are not popular because chickens are much better suited to the homestead.

I keep Coturnix Quail as they are supposed to be hardier then Bobwhite and will produce year round. (I am allergic to chicken eggs.) I believe the stocking rate is recommended at 1sq. Ft per bird for both species. That did not really work out well for me. My birds are currently stocked at 5 birds in 24sq ft. in a quail tractor mostly because I only had 5 females. You might look into the Backyard Chicken forum for more folks with Bobwhite experience.