Coturnix Quail

Quail, as domesticated fowl and game birds, offer a versatile addition to various living environments, ranging from homesteads and farms to apartments and houses. Their diminutive size, approximately that of a large hand, makes them an adaptable choice for diverse spaces. Beyond their practical contributions, quail can also serve as delightful pets, adding an element of companionship to the living environment. Moreover, their provision of both eggs and meat further enhances their appeal as a sustainable food source.

Coturnix Quail have a compact body, small beak, and several types of feather patterns that provides effective camouflage in their natural habitats. Many people are very happy with our assorted color varieties. They are generally easy to care for and are popular among quail enthusiasts and hobbyists.

Our Coturnix quail are raised lovingly and humanely. We provide them with enclosures that offer protection from predators and sufficient space to move around. Quail during the rearing process have several molts. Depending on what age you purchase some feathers may be missing and growing in. This is normal.

Quail hatching eggs have a shorter incubation time than chickens, please educate yourself on hatching quail. Quail chicks are very fragile when born and require a non slip surface when hatching and in the brooder for the first 2 weeks. We highly recommend using an infrared heat lamp for quail chicks, not a heat plate.

Celadon Quail

We are excited to offer the rare variety of Cortunix - Celadon. The Celadon Quail is a special variety of Coturnix Quail who carry a rare, recessive gene (the celadon gene) which causes their eggs to be a gorgeous blue color. Some are even speckled! Due to the nature of the autosomal recessive gene, not all hens that hatched from blue eggs will lay a blue egg, however the inner shell should still be blue indicating the bird is a carrier of the gene and the egg or hen of that egg should lay a blue egg if the hen is bred to a cock that hatched from a blue egg. There are no guarantees the offspring will lay blue eggs.

The Celadon gene is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner, meaning both parents must carry the gene in order to produce offspring with the celadon eggshell color. When two birds with the Celadon gene are bred together, the resulting offspring will lay eggs with the characteristic blue-green coloration. This is a recessive trait so egg color can never be guaranteed.

Celadon Quail can be kept for both egg production and ornamental purposes. Their unique eggs are highly sought after by collectors and can add visual interest to any egg basket or culinary creation. The eggs themselves are the same size and nutritional value as those of other Coturnix quail.

Color variations

We carry a variety of colors so when ordering you will receive those colorations. Some colorings include:

Wild Type (Pharaoh)

Manchurian

Italian

Cinnamon

Tibetan

German Pastel

Rosetta

Autumn Amber

English White

Tuxedo

Pansy – Sparkly, Fe.

Egg Production

During Spring and Summer these quail will lay 6 eggs a week, if given supplemental light they will lay year-round, potential for 300 eggs a year. If no supplemental light is given, they will taper off egg production in the Fall as the days grow shorter and will pick back up again in the Spring.

Why Coturnix Quail?

Self Reliance – you can raise them for eggs and meat. They mature at six weeks, which is simply amazing! Laying eggs at 8-10 weeks and over 200-300 per year! They can be processed for meat at 6-8 weeks. We learned that processing is not hard, no special equipment needed.

Simplicity – quail can be raised in “captivity”, as in they demand protective housing at all times. They don’t do well free ranging and are not like chickens. If let out they will not return. They have a lot more predators that are interested in them. Quail like the security of protective housing and are not as stressed if they feel safe. Remember stressed birds tend to have lower immunity and more susceptible to getting disease. You can look up some coop ideas online, they can have an outdoor coop with access to fresh ground or on a porch, patio, or in a home or apartment!

Cost Effective – they are quiet compared to other fowl, and make a lovely chirp like a wild bird, you can raise them on a patio or porch and wont bother neighbors!

Hardiness – these birds are very hardy in all temperatures and this breed is a good choice for a starter bird.

No regulations: There are no regulations for keeping quail that we know of (but please check your state and town ordinances), like chickens or roosters in particular. The males’ crow is a soft trill, like a song-bird, and so, many urban families who cannot have roosters, opt for a few backyard quail. You can have them in an apartment, patio, home, farm, any setting, urban or not.

The Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica), also known as the coturnix quail, is a species of Old World quail found in East Asia. First considered a subspecies of the common quail, it is now considered as a separate species. The Japanese quail has played an active role in the lives of humanity since the 12th century, and continues to play major roles in industry and scientific research. Where it is found, the species is abundant across most of its range. Currently, there are a few true breeding mutations of the Japanese quail. The varieties currently found in the United States include Pharaoh, Italian, Manchurian, Tibetan, Rosetta, along with the following mutations: sex-linked brown, fee, roux, silver, andalusian, blue/blau, white winged pied, progressive pied, albino, calico, sparkly, as well as non-color mutations such as celadon.

Diet: A good feed ration is essential with Button Quail. because of their tiny size, they need to receive all their nutrition in a complete feed. They need a high protein feed which is generally 28% to 30%, we highly recommend Sugar Feather Farm Gamebird Starter. The feed is already ground up and provides all the essential nutrients for a healthy bird. In addition, Button quail are omnivores and require a varied diet that includes vegetables, fruits and insects such as mealworms and grasses. You can also offer small amounts of chopped cooked egg. We like taking their eggs, boiling them and chopping it up and giving it right back, a free protein and calcium source! Fresh water should be available at all times.