How to Breed Coturnix Quail

Coturnix quail are a Japanese quail breed raised both as a human food source and as a high-protein feed source for hawkers to feed their hunting birds. Fine dining restaurants use both the eggs and the whole quail in delicacy dishes. Coturnix are fully grown and ready to be butchered at 6 weeks of age and sexually mature and ready to breed at 8 weeks of age. They are hardy breeders which will lay fertile eggs year-round if temperature conditions are correct and adequate feed and water are provided.

Things You'll Need

  • Hens
  • Cocks
  • Feeders
  • Watering devices
  • Hens
  • Cocks
  • Incubator
  • Brooder
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Instructions

    • 1

      Put male and female Coturnix quail together in a three to one ratio. One cock can service three females. Only breed the best of your quail. Do not breed birds with physical defects or diseases because this will weaken the offspring and lower your total live-hatch rate.

    • 2

      Provide a continuous supply of feed and water for the birds. As a general rule, you should provide1/2 inch of feeder length per bird.

    • 3

      Set a heat light in the enclosure and keep it running all the time. This will discourage predators from digging into your pen and eating your birds, and will encourage the females to continue laying year-round.

    • 4

      Watch for your males to ride your females, or for the females to show signs that they have been bred. Often, the females heads will look like they are balding from the males plucking their head and neck feathers while riding.

    • 5

      Gather the eggs twice a day and collect them in a quail egg carton. Keep them there until you are ready to begin incubating the eggs. Eggs more than 14 days old may be less viable than those set in the incubator sooner.

    • 6

      Set the eggs in a forced-air incubator. The incubator should be set at 60 percent humidity, and between 99 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn the eggs twice daily for 15 days. The eggs should hatch on the 17th and 18th days.

    • 7

      Move baby quail out of the incubator an into the brooder as soon as they are dry. The brooder should be set at 100 degrees. Keep baby quail in a brooder until they are fully feathered. Lower the temperature inside the brooder 5 degrees a week, or 1 1/2 degrees every other day, until the temperature inside and outside the brooder are the same. Make sure that they are protected from drafts completely, and clean out the brooder daily to prevent disease.