Pharaoh Quail

The Pharaoh Quail, also known by other names, gets this particular name from the Pharaohs of Egypt which it served as a food source for. This 'old world quail'
fed the Egyptians, the Israelites, the Chinese, and the Japanese to name a few. The Coturnix family (which the Pharaoh is part of) has a range from the island of
Japan, spanning across Asia and Europe to France and south through Africa. It is also found on Australia. Other quail in this family include the African, Rain,
and Harlequin Quail. This very quick and active little quail can be sexed quite easily. Male Pharaoh Quail have a rusty red breast and a white 'collar.' Hens have
a light breast, speckled with black. The hen's collar is not solid white. Other Coturnix Quail are not as easily sexed as the Pharaoh- which gives them an easy
advantage for the beginner that is keeping them.

This little bird is extremely inexpensive and has every use
a bird could have. Hens are prolific layers of thin-shelled
eggs, great for hard-boiling. These birds reach maturity
between 6-8 weeks of age, giving them an edge to meat
production. They have lacy, multi-colored feathers that are
great for fly fishing as well.

Chicks are vulnerable to cold and disease in their first few
weeks. Adults are pretty easily taken care of when mature.
Care needs to be taken, however, not to startle these
birds. They have a tendency to fly straight up and hit their
heads, often causing damage to themselves. It is also
wise to have only one cock housed with a few hens.

Our personal experience with these birds was 'testy' at
first. We had multiple males in pens with females which
fought very badly. We weren't aware that they were so
aggressive. With the right housing now, each male is
paired with 1-3 hens and they are all getting along quite
well.

A new section in our Quail Barn has been constructed specifically for Pharaoh Quail. Each trio has a pen that measures 4' x 2' with a height of about 2'. What
makes these birds popular with dog trainers is their flighty and erratic behavior when spooked. The pen should be at least 2' high with plenty of hiding spaces
so the birds will not fly into the roof. Our birds have little nest houses on each end of their pens which are filled with alfalfa hay. These are for hens to lay in and
for them to hide in when I change the water and feed. They are fed gamebird starter feed as 3/4 of their diet. The other 1/4 is made up of small oyster shell,
limestone grit and wild birdseed. Each pen also has a deep dust bath that the birds can climb down into and dust themselves. Dusting is not only a social
behavior, but an insecticide too. Some keep these birds on the ground but Mr. Hayes and myself prefer to keep our birds on wire. Wire floors minimize
exposure to feces and disease. They are also a lot easier to clean.