If you are picking what quail breeds to raise at your humble homestead, you’ve come to the right page. Currently, there are 130 different quail breeds around the globe. To help you choose, we’ve rounded up a list of the five best breeds according to the purpose. Check them out below.
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What Are the Best Quail Breeds to Raise?
Benefits of Raising Quail
Quails are mid-sized birds that originated in North America. They can also be found in other continents like Asia, Europe, Australia, and South America. According to Healthline, quail eggs are smaller than chicken and duck eggs. But, they are equally packed with vitamins and nutrients.
There are many different benefits of raising quail. First are the many health benefits. Eating quail eggs can give your daily dose of protein, Vitamin B2, Riboflavin, and Folate. At the same time, quail meats are an excellent source of nutrients like protein, iron, and zinc.
Second, you can raise quail for profit. Quail farming is low-cost but high return business. You can even start growing a quail coop in your backyard or garden, using a DIY flight pen.
Each hen can lay around 200 eggs annually. You can sell live quail and quail eggs for a price higher than chicken eggs.
If you are thinking of raising quail on your own, there’s a handful of superior quality quail breeds suitable for homesteaders like you. Each breed can offer something unique and useful.
To help you get started, here’s a list of the five best quail breeds that you can raise in your homestead.
1. The Coturnix Quail
If you want to breed quail to make a profit, then the Coturnix is the right choice for you.
The Coturnix Quail is the most popular quail breed all over the world because of its fast aging process. The Coturnix can already start laying eggs at around six weeks old; and produce up to 200 eggs per year.
Its aging process is pretty fast, considering that chickens can usually start to lay eggs at around 24 weeks old. Because of this, the Coturnix quails have a shorter lifespan than chickens, which is only about two years.
This breed is very friendly and gentle as well. Unlike chicken roosters, male Coturnix quails are more neighbor-friendly, as they are very quiet and behaved.
2. The Bobwhite Quail
If you are looking for a quail that you can raise for sports, this breed is for you.
Wondering why this breed is called a Bobwhite? The name of its breed is derived from its unique whistling call. When they are whistling, the birds sound like as if they’re singing the phrase “bobwhite”.
The Bobwhite Quails are a fantastic option for bird sports because they're irritable, small quails. They are very agile and can lift themselves off the ground faster than other breeds. Indeed, they are a challenge to hunt for.
But if you’re looking for a very quiet breed like the Coturnix, the Bobwhite may not be an option for you. Although they're less noisy than chickens, Bobwhite quails are very enjoyable. Sometimes, they even sing or whistle.
This breed is around the same size as the Coturnix. Although, the Bobwhite matures slower and only lays around 100-200 eggs per year. Also, they are very common in the United States, Caribbean, and Mexico.
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3. The California Quail
If you want a picturesque and ornamental quail breed that can entertain you, then the California Quail may be what you’re looking for. The California Quail is usually famous for being the most adorable breed.
As its name implies, the California Quail is native to central California. They are also common all the way to some parts of Oregon and Nevada. In fact, it is the official bird and the national emblem of California.
This handsome breed has a cartoon-like head shape with a curvy head knot. It’s short-legged, and it has a plump and round body, with scaled underparts.
California quails are mostly kept in the homestead for pleasure, not precisely for breeding or harvesting eggs. Since its smaller than the Coturnix or the Bobwhite, it only has little meat and lay only a few eggs.
4. The Button Quail
The Button Quail is another novelty breed that you can keep as a pet in your backyard. You can also commonly find the Button Quail in a lot of pet stores.
This breed shares similar characteristics with wild quails, but are way smaller and more behaved. They’re easier to keep in a quail housing as compared to the other breeds.
Being the novelty pet breed, the Button is also very quiet. Unlike the other breeds, the Button won’t disturb the neighbors with any excessive singing and whistling. As long as there are water and feeder in its quail housing, it remains calm.
This breed usually lives in warm grasslands in some parts of southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe.
5. The Blue Scale Quail
If you are after a quail breed that does well in the wild or can attract other wild quails, then the Blue Scale may be the perfect option.
This breed originated from the Southern USA, like New Mexico and Colorado. Blue Scale Quails are also known as Cottontops because of their unique plumage on top of their heads.
The Blue Scale looks more handsome and exotic as compared to others. These quails have beautiful bluish grey feathers. They have a black lacing that resembles scales. Their wings and their tales are greyish brown.
Unlike the Coturnix and the Bobwhite, this breed doesn’t lay a lot of eggs. They only lay around 5 to 10 eggs per season.
For more insights on breeding quails, watch this video by Discovery Agriculture:
These five quail breeds are a great addition to your homestead. Whether you want to breed for profit or have more pets, quails are generally behave, friendly, and low maintenance. Build a comfortable quail housing, always leave enough feeds and water, and they’re good to go.
What quail breeds are you eyeing to get for your home? Share your preference in the comments section below!
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