We were gifted with a huge batch of fertile quail eggs in July, 2020.  Not ever refusing the opportunity to put eggs in the incubator and see what comes out, about eighteen days later our quail adventure had officially begun.  We had to play catch-up for a bit and hurried to get quail housing ready in time for the chicks to leave the brooder.  But despite all the rushing, the entire process has been one of the simplest we have ever undertaken.  

So, what came out of those eggs?

It turns out that we hatched many dozen Jumbo Brown Coturnix Quail.  These are small wild-looking domesticated birds which originally hailed from Japan.  This jumbo variety is reportedly larger than the typical Coturnix quail -- sometimes reaching as much as fourteen ounces in weight at maturity.  

We think they are lovely birds - the boys with their red breasts and the girls with their quaint speckles everywhere, but they come with a few caveats.

What we have learned about Jumbo Coturnix Quail*

*​That the internet failed to tell us.

• Though Coturnix quail eggs have a short incubation period (only 18 days until hatch), they seem to not produce the most outstanding hatch rates.  We are perfectionists when it comes to hatching and strive toward astronomically high fertility and hatch rates here with every single hatch.  In this regard, our quail hatches were frustrating.  We assume this had a lot to do with the incredibly fragile nature of the small eggs.  Perhaps, because these quail are such prolific layers, most folks do not worry too much about hatch rates: when you can easily put 500 eggs in the incubator, a fifty-percent hatch rate is sufficient.  However, we will be working in the future to improve our rates with these little birds.  Because we are obsessive like that.
• Quail stink.  We had read several articles encouraging us on our impending quail adventure by assuring us that quail are easy to care for in small spaces.  And they are.  But pound-for-pound there is no animal on our farm that produces this much stench.  Tiny quail in the brooder required twice-daily cleaning just to keep the fumes down to a manageable level.  Adult quail in the breeding cages would do well with the same twice-daily cleaning if we could afford to take the time for it.  (However, we usually all have to settle for daily cleaning as part of our regular chores.) Some internet suggested keeping quail indoors as a sustainable food source for your family.  We strongly recommend against that.  Just make sure that wherever you keep them - their housing lends itself to easy cleaning because you will be doing it a lot.
• The boys can be brutal.  We were smitten by the sweet little chirpy birds hopping around in their various enclosures for the first couple of weeks.  We had read that fighting among males would be possible in colony situations where competition for females would lead to ... violence.  And had chosen to isolate males with trios of females as an alternative.  However, when they (quickly) reached maturity - there was a bit of shock and horror.  Several of our females were literally scalped by their male counterparts.  We have been carefully reorganizing our pens so that the injured females can recover in the quail infirmary while the offending males are relocated to the waiting meat pens and replaced by more docile males.  On the bright side, the aggressive males make it a lot easier on the heartstrings on meat harvest day.

Why keep quail?

With all the warnings out of the way, we are happy to tell you that we have found keeping these quail to be entirely worth the unhatched eggs, vigilant cage-cleaning, and mean quail roosters.  If you have the room and the time, we highly recommend adding some quail to your farm or backyard.  

First, as mentioned above, they are pretty birds.  They make an array of wonderful woodland sounds: from the roosters' chortle-like crow to the chirps, coos, and whistles of the entire flock while they're going about their quail business.  They are fun to watch and sweet company in an aviary setting.

Second, you cannot beat the amount of potential food production per square foot - whether you are raising them for meat or eggs or both.  The eggs are a wonder to behold with no two ever exactly the same - arrayed in spots and speckles and spots, sometimes blue or purple or black.  And, as a bonus, they are delicious.  They can be prepared just as you would prepare any chicken egg (although it takes about three of these eggs to equal one chicken egg), but add a gourmet touch to breakfast or dinner.  Alternatively, the meat is rich, tender, and easy to prepare.  (Check out the internet for scores of great quail recipes.)  The birds mature from hatching to butcher ready in only six or seven weeks and are extremely easy to process - no special equipment required and no need to set aside an entire day for harvesting.

We will certainly be continuing our quail adventure indefinitely here at LeChat Noir Farm.  We will be setting new batches for hatch every two months beginning in October, 2020.  Extra chicks will be available for purchase - please check our For Sale page for availability.  And, of course, we always have quail eggs available - contact us to find out more.