100 quail should go through about 25 pounds of feed in a month.
During the first season of egg production, it will be necessary to begin planning for the next season. Your breeders can be used again for two to three additional seasons. It should be noted, however, that each recycling of the breeders will result in lower egg production, lower fertility, lower hatchability, poorer chick quality, disease build-up and an increased breeder mortality rate. Close observation and culling should be carried out throughout each laying season. The breeders must be rested for a minimum of 3 months between each breeding season. Rest the birds by turning off the lights and providing a maintenance-level diet.
An alternative to recycling your breeder stock is to replace it with offspring from your current breeders. This will be the desired system for most producers. If genetic selection is to be practiced, this system will permit more rapid improvement of the stock. Use birds from hatches before the peak production period. These birds are usually stronger, healthier, more disease resistant and lay more eggs. In large breeder flocks, this type of selection and breeder replacement will not create any inbreeding problems. Small breeding operations (less than 200 pairs) will need to introduce unrelated breeder stock at least every third year.
It is possible to improve egg production in breeder stock without the necessity of pedigree production records. This is done by hatching succeeding generations from eggs laid at 5 to 6 months of production. In this way, breeder chicks are hatched from the old breeders that continue to lay well over a long production period. This is most successful with larger flocks that do not need periodic introduction of new stock.
The best way to introduce new breeder stock is by purchasing hatching eggs. If eggs are not available, day-old chicks can be purchased for future breeding stock. Only as a last resort should adult breeders ever be brought into an existing operation. The risk of introducing disease problems far outweighs any benefits that may be derived from the new blood lines. Any birds other than newly hatched chicks should be quarantined for at least 3 weeks to ensure the absence of disease. Whenever possible, purchase eggs or stock from dealers participating in the National Poultry Improvement Plan.
The Italian Jumbo Quail: These quail are raised similar to the Coturnix. They mature very quickly, can lay up to 300 eggs per year and are very close to being domestic. These quail can be laying at 6 weeks of age and their eggs are very even sized. They also can be raised at a ratio of 1 cock to 6 hens. Using a proper management schedule, I would rate raising the Italian Quail as a 5.
The Japanese-English White Quail: These quail have the same characteristics as the Italian Jumbo and are raised the same. So I will give raising the Japanese English White quail the same rating of 5.
The Tennessee Red Quail: Raising these quail is similar to raising the northern bobwhite. These birds require more space than the two species listed above. They also become extremely aggressive during breeding season and should be paired to keep from fighting. So raising the Tennessee Red Quail properly will require a lot more space. I would have to rate raising these quail at a 7.
The California Valley Quail: Raising these quail may not be as hard as people are led to believe. Under proper conditions they breed very well in a captive environment. They are however very high strung (nervous) and also need extra room. They do better in ground pens under proper conditions. I would consider proper conditions as being a very dry environment. Ground pens under wet or damp conditions do promote disease. These quail can be raised on wire, given the proper amount of space. I think I would also give raising the California Valley Quail a 7 rating.
The Harlequin Quail: This quail is very often confused with the mearns quail. I can't say that I have even seen any of these quail for sale. These quail become extremely aggressive to each other during breeding season. Pairing these birds is considered a must. They also have a tendency to fly straight up when scared. This can cause severe damage to the birds and possible death. It is advised to have very tall cages and to clip their primary wing feathers at least twice a year. It is also advised to give them plenty of brush cover in their pens to hide under, this will also help prevent some of the flying. Because of these birds being so hard to find and the good chance of inbreeding, also the wing clipping. I think raising the Harlequin Quail will get a 7 rating too.