Keeping quail on every size scale

9 October 1998

Keeping quail on every size scale

THOSE interested in quail from small-scale fancier breeding to commercial production and marketing level, will find useful tips in Katie Thears Keeping Quail*, now in its third edition.

She advises on breeding, housing, feeding and the production and marketing of eggs and meat. Coturnix quail selected for egg production can produce 200 to 300 eggs a year, while meat strains are capable of converting balanced feed at a 3:1 ratio to liveweight, reaching 160-200g (6-7oz) at six weeks old.

Recipes for quail carcasses and eggs are followed by a list of further reading, quail breeders, equipment and supplies and four pages of relevant advertising.

An informative read for fanciers, smallholders and farmers with suitable premises who are interested in quail as a commercial diversification. HPH

*Keeping Quail – A Guide to Domestic and Commercial Management, by Katie Thear, Broad Leys Publishing Company, Buriton House, Station Road, Newport, Saffron Walden, Essex (£6.95).