Most quail are completely hardy and can withstand quite severe temperatures but they do not like getting wet. Our buildings do not have any heating.

If you intend to keep your quail outside you must make sure that they have a dry covered section for when the weather is bad.

Make sure that the wire mesh is no bigger than ½"x1" to make sure rats and stoats cannot gain access.

Quail eggs have long been used in China as an alternative remedy for hay fever and rhinitis.

They contain a natural antihistamine. 

Quail egg tablets are now also available in the UK

Don't panic if you suffer a power cut. Wrap your incubator in a blanket or towels and wait.

Some of our best hatches have been after an 8 hour loss of electricity.

Just allow an extra day or so for them to hatch before you give up on them. 

If your birds have already hatched when the power goes off put a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel underneath them. Give them light from a torch otherwise they will pile on top of each other and die.Cover the brooder as much as possible to keep the heat in

If you keep your birds inside with no natural daylight, give them a vitamin supplement in the water to compensate for the lack of sunshine.

If you give them extended artificial light to keep them in lay, make sure that the extra light you give is not brighter than that which they get for the rest of the day, otherwise they will get confused and stop laying altogether

Keep a hairdryer handy for emergencies.

If your birds should get wet you need to get them dry very quickly and it is always handy to use to get your brooder up to temperature especially if using a 60watt lightbulb. Once hot, the bulb will maintain the heat

If you use corrugated paper to put under your chicks, turn it into dimpled hatching paper by scoring on the diagonals with an open pair of scissors. It will help to stop the chicks getting splay legs.

Always be on the lookout for red-mite. If your birds are off colour and looking lethargic this is always a possible cause. Not always visible to the naked eye, the tell tale black dots on the underside of drinkers and feed dishes are mites full of blood from your birds.

Clean out the run and use a blowtorch wherever possible as they hide in corners and crevices where sprays don't always reach