Quail in Your Classroom
The coturnix quail is the ideal animal to raise in the classroom.
For teachers whose labs require a constant supply of fertile eggs, the quail
will prove reliable. And you will find them easy to care for, too.
 Fertile
quail eggs hatch in 16 or 17 days, compared with 21 days for chicken eggs. The
quail chicks grow quickly and begin to lay eggs when they are only 6 or 7 weeks
old. If males are present for mating, the resulting eggs will be fertile. Since
males and females do not pair off, one male can be placed with two or more
females successfully.
You will need to buy or build a quail cage; neither task is too difficult. Any
type of cage that prevents the quail from flying out will do the job. A cage
about 30 cm by 30 cm by 20 cm is an adequate amount of space for about 4 to 6
birds. In fact, because the adult quail are quite small, any cage with a height
of more than 17.5 cm leaves ample headroom.
To make care of the quail easier, set up a cage that can be cleaned with minimal
effort. Purchase or build your cage with a wire mesh bottom, and raise the cage
about 5 cm off the floor so droppings will never collect on the wire mesh. Place
newspaper beneath, and droppings will be easy to dispose of.
Proper feeding of quail is critical; birdseed sold commonly in grocery stores
would not be adequate. Game bird starter or high-protein turkey feed eliminates
the need for grit or oyster shell in the quail's diet. You can purchase both
feeds at hatcheries and feed stores.
If you plan to hatch the eggs with your class, you will need a good laboratory
incubator. Look for incubators with round lift-off tops — they are reasonably
priced and present very few maintenance problems. Most manufacturers suggest
maintaining the temperature in the incubator at 38.9 to 39.4°C. However, because
of the location of the thermometer in the incubator, the thermometer may be
reading the temperature above the eggs, rather than the temperature around the
eggs themselves. Heat comes from the top in round incubators; as you move deeper
into the incubator, the temperature drops. The temperature may be 39.4°C on top
of the eggs, but only 36.1*C at the bottom, which means that the average
temperature at the center of the eggs is between 37.2 and 37.8eC. Such low
temperatures will not produce viable offspring. To correct this problem, you
must bend the thermometer support until the bulb of the thermometer is about 1
cm from the incubator's floor.
Good incubators come equipped with pans to maintain incubation humidity. Keep
the pan full of water. If the water is evaporating too quickly, for convenience,
you can place a second container, such as a jar lid full of water, on the floor
of the cage.
Turn the eggs at least twice a day. Be consistent with this procedure. After 16
or 17 days, the eggs will hatch. The young chicks can be left in the incubator
for 12 to 24 hours. To determine whether the chicks are ready to be removed,
examine their down feathers. The feathers should be dry and fluffy.
You will need to set up some type of brooder-box for the chicks. A cardboard box
about 60 cm by 90 cm. which you can find in the produce section of your grocery
store, lined with foil and fitted with a 40-watt light bulb is fine for this
purpose. Arrange the bulb so that the young quail can move into or out of the
heated area easily. After 3 weeks, no brooding will be required.
Initially, give the chicks finely ground prestarter feed for game birds or
turkeys. Check local hatcheries and feed stores to locate this feed. After 2
weeks, you can begin feeding the birds the regular game bird or turkey feed
mentioned earlier.
If you can't find coturnix quail, you can usually find eggs at a local hatchery
during the spring and summer. Or, contact a local pet store. Staff there may be
able to refer you to someone who is raising the birds, as well as provide
additional information.
Quail are valuable additions to any biology classroom. Their behavior motivates
students, and their care is something that any reliable student assistant can
undertake.
Alan S. Wuth, a biology teacher at South High School, 1700 Ј. Louisiana Ave.,
Denver, CO 80210
"The Scienee Teacher", March 1988, p.56
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