The sudden
explosion of a bobwhite quail covey rising from the ground cover produces an
exciting thrill, especially for a quail hunter. But because of extensive land
development, there has been a reduction in the amount of habitat available for
bobwhite quail hunting. As a result, the number of hunting preserves in many states has
grown rapidly in recent years. The use of bobwhite quail as a food source, both for
home and in many dining establishments, also continues to increase. To satisfy
this growing demand, the production of gamebirds such as bobwhite quail has
become a multi-million dollar industry.
The Bobwhite Quail is one of the most popular of all quail. They are
excellent fliers. There are said to be 44 species of quail, and more than 22
subspecies of northern bobwhites. Some have been known to weigh as much as 2
pounds.
The males have mostly reddish, brown feathers with white, barred with black
feathers, on their belly. The throat and a line around the eye are white, with
a black line of feathers extending from the eye backwards to the throat. Full
grown males can be about 10 inches long. Males that have yet to "pair up" with
a hen will call the distinctive "Bob-Bob-White". After pairing up, they drop
the first "Bob". 
The females colors are identical except for the white area around the eye
and throat which is buff colored. This makes sexing the birds quite easy as
the differences in head color are obvious. Full grown females quail are about the
same size as the males. The hen can lay over 100 eggs a year, more if they are
exposed to 16 hours of light a day. The eggs are pure white, and hatch in 23
to 24 days, up to 26 days in some of the larger breeds.
Breed 1 male to 4 hens, or breed in colonies with a low male ratio. A
Bobwhite Quail eats about 4 pounds of feed in 20 weeks, and can begin laying
eggs in 140 days.
Incubation is normally 23-24 days. The temperature during incubation should
be at 99.7F (40.6C) and a wet bulb temperature of 84-88F (31.2-33.6C). Eggs
are to be set with the small end down and turning should be done at least 3
times a day until the 21st day. On the 21st day, the wet bulb temperature
should be raised to 90-92F (34.8-36C) to make piping and hatching easier for
the chick. Once the chicks hatch, leave them in the incubator until dry. Brood
at 95 degrees, and lower the temperature 5 degrees each week until well
feathered. The use of stemie alfalfa as bedding as well as the use of a red
light helps to prevent straddle legs, toe picking, and cannibalism.
Make sure you offer plenty of fresh feed and water. We feed our chicks
Turkey Starter on paper towels for the first three weeks then we start adding
millet and parakeet grit to the starter as well as using feed bowls. Pay close
attention to the size of the feed crumbles during this time. It may be
necessary to run the feed through a food processor to "powder" it before
feeding it to the chicks. If the crumbles are too large a chick may develop
an impacted craw. A "no-drown" waterier for chicks is essential as they easily
become wet or drown in water dishes. Make sure the water and feed is not
placed directly under the heat source and is changed out at least once daily.
This prevents spoilage by poop and dirt and the water from getting too hot. In
addition it forces the chicks to move around and exercise. When they reach
adulthood, we switch to Game Bird Feed. Seed, dry greens, millet, and grit is
also given to the adults as treats.
