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wellington womble
Joined: 08 Nov 2004 Posts: 15051 Location: East Midlands
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chez
Joined: 13 Aug 2006 Posts: 35935 Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset
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Tavascarow
Joined: 06 Aug 2006 Posts: 8407 Location: South Cornwall
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wellington womble
Joined: 08 Nov 2004 Posts: 15051 Location: East Midlands
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chez
Joined: 13 Aug 2006 Posts: 35935 Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset
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wellington womble
Joined: 08 Nov 2004 Posts: 15051 Location: East Midlands
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Tavascarow
Joined: 06 Aug 2006 Posts: 8407 Location: South Cornwall
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wellington womble
Joined: 08 Nov 2004 Posts: 15051 Location: East Midlands
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Fee
Joined: 21 Mar 2005 Posts: 15922 Location: Earth
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wellington womble
Joined: 08 Nov 2004 Posts: 15051 Location: East Midlands
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Posted: Sat Mar 24, 18 8:52 pm Post subject: |
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I think you probably do. While not exactly charming (they are vicious, frankly) they lay lots of super eggs, cost nothing to feed, need hardly any space and the males have a lovely call, which sounds very tropical. I keep them in the garden (rather than down in the field) for this reason.
They need a low run, or they fly into the roof and break their own necks (yes, really) and need protection from rats. I also find a little heat in the winter (I use the electric hen the chicks have in the spring) means I feel less sorry for them, as they are too stupid to go to bed at night. Also, you can’t free range them, they don’t come back. Half a dozen in a small eglu is just right for them, I think.)
In the butterfly house at Stratford they have quail pottering around on ground. When I get a polutunnel, I’m having some in it. They don’t scratch like chickens, so all but the tiniest of seedlings are safe from their titchy feet (which can get mud balls on them. This is the only difficulty I have with them. I bring them in to the house and put a soggy towel in the bottom of a plastic bucket until they are soaked off. Then put a dry towel in until they are dry, and can go back outside) |
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Fee
Joined: 21 Mar 2005 Posts: 15922 Location: Earth
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wellington womble
Joined: 08 Nov 2004 Posts: 15051 Location: East Midlands
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 18 11:05 am Post subject: |
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Chez says it’s like hatching bumble bees. They’re bonkers though, their natural state is full on panic.
In the small eglu, they lay in the nest box. I have the occasional egg in the run, but it’s rare. I think if they are more open, they lay all over. I did have one go broody, and I was tempted to to see if she would hatch (quail are supposed to have had broodiness bred out of them, but I have read that they do brood if kept with more space). Only she killed another one defending the nest box, And I remembered that it’s virtually impossible to mix hatches.
I wonder if you started them off in a small space, and they got used
to laying in a box, theyd keep doing it even once they had more range? Or if you provided tons of boxes around and about. I wanted to start them off with dummy eggs, because they usually lay where they see eggs, but I couldn’t find any quail ones. I had grand plans to blow some quail eggs and fill them with plaster or resin or something, but I never got round to it, and they laid in the box anyway.
I’m mildly concerned about them being hot in a tunnel. They’re ok at Stratford where is hot, but not uncomfortably so, but I’m guessing they have some fairly close climate control for the butterflies and zillions of people that come through. |
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