Coturnix Quail (Yes, Again!)

SOOOOoooo I’ve been obsessing off and on about quail ever since BlueTang started me thinking about them. Recently, many factors have started bringing quail back into my radar, so I’ve decided to increase my numbers a bit to fill in some freezer (and jar) space.

I had some already, but I had a problem – no males. This meant I could not start hatching my own eggs. And rather than have some shipped in, I figured it would be better to simply buy some birds. I figured this would save me at least 6 weeks, 4-5 days or so to arrive, 17 days to hatch, and another 21 days to get to “mature” status and start laying eggs.

Looking around for more birds, I was unable to find anything close by. I spoke with CJ, owner of Fischer’s Farm Feed and Supply,  a local feed store, she said she’d look for some for me. I also mentioned it to many of my friends, as well as on Facebook. All of this with no luck. My only options seemed to be Fellsmere at a regular Saturday Farm sale or Lake Worth, where I bought my last birds, both over an hour’s drive away.

Tuesday of this week, I was a little over half way to the Lake Worth location, so I contacted them, and drove the remaining 27 miles (according to my GPS). I picked up for more birds, two males, and two females. As I’ve said before, this brings me up to 8 birds total, two of them being males.

I settled them in, freshened their feed, took a couple pictures, and went inside. Less than two hours later, I get a call from another friend of mine that likes to be an enabler to get me into mischief, Amanda from Oxbow Eco Center. She asked if I was still looking for coturnix quail. I said, well I guess I still am, then laughed as I shared my trials and tribulations as I tried to find more. By the way, if I didn’t say it, thanks Amanda! I appreciate  your efforts, if the timing was a little off.

So now I’ve doubled my numbers again, this should bring me to 15 or 16 total. Sweet! I had better go get more feed. So I went over to see CJ (see above) to stock up on quail food, and as I walked up, what does she have in her “For Sale” display cages out front?

Quail. Seven or eight more. I got these for you, I knew you were looking for more.”

Baby Coturnix QuailAssuming everything works out with Amanda’s find, this brings me from the 4 quail I started with on Tuesday morning, to a possible 24 in less than a week.

I guess this falls back to the old saying, “Be careful what you ask for – you just may get it!”

Peace,
db

As always, please “like” FloridaHillbilly on Facebook, subscribe to my feed, and tell your friends! The more folks that start preparing themselves, the less likely they are to sneak into your back yard dump a bunch of quail in your pens!

7 comments:

  1. I know you weren’t getting quail from anyone living in the City of Lake Worth since the northern refugee condo commandos/hoa hores have defeated several proposals to allow poultry to be kept in backyards…-You probably mean Greenacres, The Acreage or Loxahatchee…- LOVE your site. Would you like some chaya tree rootlings? Spineless variety parent from ECHO in N Ft Myers? Perhaps some Katuck(sauropus- more nutritious than Moringa?) What kind of Bamboo you planning on? I went out and looked at edible clumping bamboo at TropicalBamboo in Loxahatchee last spring, still discussing with the husband. BTW you’ll mostly see me @ Countryside Families on HST.com, even tho we live inside the city limits.

    1. It was on Colbright Rd in Lake Worth, FL 33467…but the property looked to be 5+ acres, so may be zoned agricultural.

      I have some Chaya in my backyard, I believe it originated at ECHO too. I have an aunt with some katuk, and I’ve tasted it, its fantastic! Its on my list of things to get from her…she works at Heathcote Botanical Gardens, so has access to lots of tasty items…

      Bamboo is on the back burner for now, lots of other things in front of it. I’m actually thinking sugarcane may end up being a hedge instead…

  2. Yeah, City of Lake Worth is pretty much limited to 33460. 33467 is mostly Loxahatchee/Wellington. I am looking really hard at perennials to limit my energy expenditure-Started Lotus in a 30 gallon tub in backyard from Kmart and water chestnuts in 2 4×2 ft cement mixing pans and had enough that we are comfy w/water chestnuts for next 6 months and had a couple stir fries w/lotus and planted a couple more pots. Have orders in for Canna -looking at kiddie wading pool there. Keep up the good work happy to see the next generation light burns bright.

    1. You have me interested in the water plants…there’s another project I may have to research now! What kind of yield do you get from the water chestnuts?

      And for what it’s worth, I’m a grandparent too…just on the younger side of the scale 🙂

      And I’m hoping to expand my self reliant nature on at least one of my kids!

    2. Grandmotherbear, sorry but you are mistaken. 33460 is Lake Worth east of I95. 33467 is unincorporated, but still MOSTLY Lake Worth.
      We are VERY MUCH Lake Worth.
      And zoned agricultural. And we have livestock. Legally.

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