Day Old Pharaoh Coturnix Quail Chicks
Hatching May to September. Orders of 50 will not ship until June. Orders of 100 will start shipping in May.
Quail may be the definitive dual-purpose bird. They lay lots of eggs, are an excellent and delicious source of protein, are quiet, don’t eat too much and are easy to care for, have a sweet sound, and are calm, docile animals.
Production: Pharaoh Coturnix Quail hens will lay approximately 300 eggs per year, beginning at about 6-7 weeks of age.
Temperament: By all counts Pharaoh Coturnix Quail are gentle, sweet birds. They coo and make sweet, relatively quiet noises and the hens are excellent mothers. Many people who live in cities with chicken ordinances have found quail to be a legal and, in some ways, preferable alternative.
History: There are many different varieties of quail, but the Pharaoh Coturnix Quail has been raised as a domestic bird since about the 12th century in Japan. They were kept for their lovely song, and also for meat and eggs.
Pharaoh Coturnix Quail were first imported to the United States from Japan in the 1850s. They were raised on farms but also released into the wild. Still today, some people raise them as game birds, for release. Many others have found that it is possible to create a profitable business with small-scale quail farming.
Because Pharaoh Coturnix Quail need little space to thrive, they can be healthily raised in cages in confined areas, such as a garage or shed. Both quail meat and quail eggs, especially pickled quail eggs, are often considered delicacies.
Colors: Males are mottled with dark brown and cinnamon-colored feathers. Females have a similar appearance except they have cream-colored feathers where the males have cinnamon.
Body Type: Small and round.
Average Mature Weight: 3.5-5.5 ounces, with females slightly heavier than males
Scientific Classification: Coturnix coturnix japonica
