Coturnix husbandry

A Brief History

Female on left, Male on right

The coturnix quail originates from Europe, Africa and Asia as a migratory game bird. Since the twelfth century it has been raised in Japan as a pet, for meat and eggs and as a singing bird. Coturnix quail were introduced to the United States around 1870.

This quail is known by many names: Japanese quail, Pharaoh quail, Stubble quail, Nile quail, Bible quail and more. The Latin name of the quail we raise is coturnix coturnix and it is the D1 strain.

General Information

Coturnix Quail are a fast growing hardy bird. They are mature at 6 weeks of age and are laying eggs by 7 weeks of age. They are an excellent gamebird for meat and egg production.

Color

Males are characterized by a rusty brown throat and breast feathers while the hens have a lighter cream colored feathering on the neck with black stripes and dotting on the breast.

Breeders

Grouping of one male to three females will generally produce high fertility. The ideal temperature to maintain in your breeder house is 70° to 80° F. Adequate ventilation is needed to replace stale air with fresh air and to remove any odors. Breeders should be given 15-17 hours of light daily for best egg production.

Eggs

Egg production is approximately 300 eggs per year. Eggs should be collected at least once daily and stored at 55° in moist humidity for best results. Eggs should be stored and incubated with the large end up. Eggs lose a little fertility each day they are stored. Daily setting is best but eggs may be held for up to seven days.

Incubation

Incubation procedures will depend on the type of incubator you use. Follow your incubator manufacturer’s directions. Natural incubation is also possible using Bantam hens. Coturnix hens rarely set their own eggs.

Proper temperature, humidity, turning and ventilation are the most important factors in incubation. Failure in any of these areas will result in a poor hatch. The eggs should be turned a minimum of twice a day. If your incubator does not have an automatic turner you can place an X on the side of an egg with a felt tipped pen. Rotate eggs 180° so the X will be on top one time and on the bottom the next time.

The charts show incubation times, temperatures and how to figure relative humidity:

Requirements	Coturnix Quail
Incubation Period	17 days
Stop Turning Eggs on	14th day
Circulated Air Operating Temperature (degrees F., dry bulb)	99 3/4°
Humidity (degrees F., wet bulb)	84° – 86°
Operating Temp. During Last 3 Days Of Incubation (degrees F., dry bulb)	99°
Humidity During Last 3 Days of Incubation (degrees F., wet bulb)	90° – 94°

Converting Wet Bulb from Degrees Fahrenheit to Relative Humidity

In the chart below, the box formed by the intersection of the lines from the dry bulb temperature and the line showing the difference in dry and wet bulb temperature, represents the relative humidity in your incubator, assuming a clean, wet wick.

		Difference in Degrees between Wet & Dry Bulbs
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Dry Bulb Temperature	60	94	89	84	78	73	68	63	58	53	48	44	39	34	30	26	22	18	14
	65	95	90	85	80	75	70	65	61	56	52	48	44	39	35	31	28	24	20
	70	95	90	86	81	77	72	68	64	60	55	52	48	44	40	36	33	29	26
	75	95	91	87	82	78	74	70	66	62	58	55	51	47	44	40	37	34	31
	80	96	92	87	83	79	75	72	68	64	61	57	54	51	47	44	41	38	35
	85	96	92	88	84	80	77	73	70	66	63	60	56	51	50	47	44	41	38
	90	96	92	88	85	81	78	75	71	68	65	62	59	56	53	50	47	44	41
	95	96	93	89	86	82	79	76	72	69	66	63	60	58	55	52	49	47	44
	100	96	93	89	86	83	80	77	73	70	68	64	62	59	56	53	50	49	46

Hatching

Once a quail chick pips the egg, it may take up to 10 hours for it to come out of the shell. It will take a few hours for it to dry after it hatches. Normally chicks will all hatch within 24 hours. Chicks can stay in the incubator safely for a day and then they should be transferred to a brooder unit.

Brooding

When chicks are removed from the incubator they must be placed in an area which is heated to 99 ¾° and an unheated area which is much cooler with enough room to move between the two areas as the chicks choose. The brooder temperature is reduced 5° each week until the 4th week. At this age room temperatures can be adjusted for the comfort of the quail.

If chicks are too cold they will huddle together and on top of each other to try to get warm. If chicks are too hot they will spread out to the furthest edges of the brooder. If the temperature is right the chicks will be active and evenly spread out.

Chicks need several food and water locations throughout their brooding area so no matter where they go they can find food and water. Water receptacles must be of an appropriate size to prevent drowning.

At about 4 weeks of age the quail can be placed in breeder cages, grow-out cages or on the floor in grow-out rooms. If you are raising them for dog training or as a hobby they can be placed in an outdoor pen if the weather permits.

Feed and Water

We recommend you use gamebird feeds for best results. They are available for all stages of growth. Cool, clean water must be available at all times.

Cleanliness

Coturnix quail can be brooded then grown out in cages or on bedding. The cage trays that catch fecal material and bedding material should be cleaned regularly to help prevent disease, odor and fly problems.

All feeders, water receptacles and other equipment should be sanitized regularly to help prevent disease.