Read on to learn how long quarries last, as well as what goes into making the quarries long, happy lives. On average, a quail lives for just two or three years, significantly less than your average cat or dog…or chicken, for that matter. The average life span of wild quails is two to three years, but many may live up to five to six years.
Quail can live for up to six years if they are kept as pets. However, wild quail rarely live this long, because they are eaten by predators during their first year. Quail have a short lifespan compared to many other bird species because of their high metabolic rate which causes them to mature quickly.
Domesticated quails generally have longer lives; however, if you are keeping a quail as a pet, you should not expect to keep it around for years. I am making this point merely to remind you that your quail will only be with you for a brief time, and if they do go down in 3 years or so, that is just a natural thing that they would do. One reason why I love raising my own quails is so I can give them the most comfortable lives possible.
Quails Are Unlike Other Bird Pets
Quails are going to be different than any other pet bird that you will ever have, and there are some things you should know before bringing a quail into your home for the first time. If you want to help your quail live long, get your bird checked on annually by an avian vet, and feed your bird a good diet, as well as optimal living conditions. All-in-all, quails are easy-to-care-for, delicious, small birds that also offer meat, eggs, and hours of entertainment.
The coturnix quail eats little forage, requiring very little care, in order to provide your family with a healthy, gourmet-quality egg supply, as well as meat from the quail. As a result, the Quail can forage on their own and abandon their nests far earlier than many other types of birds. My own backyard quail could lay about 230 eggs (some have laid up to 300) when kept properly, given a little light in the shorter days, and proper insulation against the cold during the winter. Quails can be quite prolific, producing about 230 eggs per year, and are therefore a perfect solution for those who have a small backyard, which is not suitable for chickens.
Quails are also kept as backyard or commercial birds in certain parts of the world, due to the Quail meat and its vibrant eggs. There are about 20 different species of quail found worldwide, with 70 domesticated quails kept as poultry birds. Some species have been domesticated and raised on farms for meat and eggs, while populations in certain places frequently hunt wild quails. In captivity, Japanese quails, the most widespread species raised for meat and eggs, Japanese quails are territorial, often guarding their homes from invaders.
Quail Eggs Are Notoriously Fragile
Due to the tiny size of Japanese quails, quail eggs are fairly fragile, making them vulnerable to being preyed upon by predators such as squirrels, foxes, coyotes, raccoons, skunks, hawks, snakes, dogs, owls, cats, rats, and weasels. While technically, you could eat any bird or its eggs, you would not find a lot of production of both with a loving button quail. Jumbo quails lay about the same number of eggs as the standard, but eggs are larger, and birds produce more meat. While eggs might just be a bonus to you, know that, unlike some of the songbirds that are commonly kept as pets, the hen can lay an egg every day, depending on which quail breed you have chosen.
By 10-weeks-old, quails kept for eggs or reproduction need breeder-grade food, which contains 18-20% protein. If Japanese quails are not subjected to a genetically selected body weight, the adult male quail will be approximately 100-140 grams, and the female is a little heavier, 120-160 grams. Quails will quickly mature, with adults weighing between 3-1/2–5-1/2 oz, and standing around five inches tall.
Adult quails will survive and breed successfully when allowed 145cm2 per bird of floor space (125cm2 per bird in a wire enclosure). Wherever Quail birds live, they need cover to roost, rest, nest, flee from predators, and protect themselves from the elements. As long as their domesticated cousins are protected against high winds and cold temperatures, domesticated Quails may live either inside or outside.
Quails Can Die of Boredom Easily
Quails are susceptible to boredom within their confinement, and, naturally, cannot be allowed out free-range as can other poultry due to their short-range flight capabilities. Quails are similar to chickens in that they slow egg production while they are in their egg-laying phase, but do not appear to slow down quite as drastically as do chickens. Quails begin to lay eggs in only 8-12 weeks (assuming adequate daytime), so their productivity is quick in comparison with that of chickens.
Quails typically produce nearly as good of an output their 2nd year as they did in year 1, so it is worth keeping your layers 2 years long if egg production is something you are targeting. However, since they breed so rapidly and grow up, replacing layers with younger brooders each year is not unreasonable. Quails lay down nicely the first year, and often well into their second, and while most books say that they only last for 2 years, I found that my birds last 3-5 years. Quail eggs hatch in under a month, and are ready for mating and breeding at just around two months.
Simply letting your quails live in more of a natural environment encourages a few behaviors many quail keepers think were bred into them (such as hatching their own eggs). If you are wondering whether or not quails make for a good pet, the truth is, humans have been keeping birds as pets for thousands of years, and quails are no different.
