Sustainability Spotlight with Hawaii Kai Auntie

Permaculture, Plants, People and Preservation

Menu
  • Hawaii Kai Plant Exchange and Sale
  • Plants and Permaculture
  • Costco and Cooking
  • Coturnix Quail
  • Local Musings
Menu

Am I still raising Japanese quail (coturnix) in Hawaii? YES

Posted on December 27, 2022

Over the past few weeks, I’ve received a couple of inquiries about quail. I am still raising them 2.5 years after the first COVID-inspired hatch. During this period, I’ve had 11 hatches (with incubation) and purchased quail or eggs from four suppliers.

When I say suppliers, that’s loose terminology. My initial hatch was from eggs sent from the Big Island. Since that time I bought birds from someone’s backyard pair, my neighbor, and a guy from Halawa Heights who sold me jumbo-sized silver-line Coturnix. Other than the eggs from the Big Island, all of the other connections were made through Craigslist.

Honestly, breeding line counts. The silver-line Coturnix from Halawa Heights were my favorite. My birds are a really nice size and gorgeous. Most of the offspring surpass the 12 ounce mark, making them jumbo.

composter - square pic

Recently, we just did another hatch. These birds are now five weeks old and living outside. Prior to that, I sold hatching eggs to a retired couple and loaned them the incubator so they could hatch their own. They kept eight and returned two males (something I’m willing to do, because most people don’t want to raise the birds for meat; they just want eggs and pets).

Dialing back in time, after one year of raising quail, I addressed the question of whether to continue or not. In the end, it wasn’t the eggs that convinced me to continue, but the poop. Having a regular source of composting material and manure really upped my gardening game. When dry, there is little to no smell. I usually collect 2/3 of a trash can full, then throw it into one compartment of the rotating composter and wet it down. It smells for about 2-4 days, then the odor subsides. Three weeks later, it’s cool enough to mix with potting soil for a hearty blend of growing material.

These days, I’m keeping no more than two dozen. I can pay enough attention to them, but not so much attention that they become pets with names. I’ve learned to rotate my stock so they usually get two years of life before being rotated out. I’ve noticed that at two years, they slow down considerably, and if kept with younger birds, will be rotated out on their own due to the birds’ pecking order.

In a sentence: YES, still raising quail and YES, they are a key asset in the search for sustainability.

East Oahu and Hawaii Kai News

  • Blue Bloods’ Erin and Anthony ‘lose touch’ as sneak peek teases results of DA campaign - Express
    February 3, 2023
  • NCIS' Torres rocked by brutal murder of a child in harrowing promo clue - Express
    February 3, 2023
  • Kokua Line: Why is tax refund so small? - Yahoo News
    February 2, 2023
  • Heidi Klum, 49, admits wanting fifth child and says she's 'waited a long time' for a baby - Irish Mirror
    February 2, 2023
  • NCIS LA’s Admiral Kilbride set for family reunion as estranged son cast for final season - Express
    February 2, 2023
  • City reaches $2.85M settlement with central victim in Kealoha corruption scandal - Hawaii News Now
    February 2, 2023

Popular Subjects

2015 2016 aina haina CoronaVirus Costco Coturnix covid19 East Oahu Edible Edible Plant Education Freecycle gardening Hahaione Hawaii Hawaii Kai Herb herbs Honolulu Kahala Kaimuki kaiser Kaiser High School kalani Kamiloiki koko head Kuliouou landscaping Makapuu Maunalua Bay Neighborhood Board niu valley Niu Valley Middle School Oahu Ornamental Permaculture plant Plant Exchange Portlock Sandy Beach Southeast Asian Cuisine Sustainability traffic vegetable vegetables

List of Categories

Log in
MASTODON: @EastOahu96825@mastodon.social EMAIL: auntie@eastoahu96825.com
©2023 Sustainability Spotlight with Hawaii Kai Auntie | Theme by SuperbThemes