Location and Covey sizes:
Unlike pheasants, quail are gregarious and live together in coveys of between 5 and 50 with exceptional coveys of up to 100 California Valley Quail being reported. Coveys break up into breeding pairs later around the end of the winter and the pairs will usually star laying eggs around late September. Although nesting can continue throughout February. California quail are year-round residents in the southwestern United States. They inhabit shrubby areas, open woodlands, grassland, desert, fields, gardens and can also be found in the edges of urban areas. They have also been introduced to Australia and New Zealand and are not causing problems unlike some....other types of problem animals there.
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Brooding & incubation time:
The pairs will usually cover their nests with a thick layer of dead grasses and other plants on the ground and they will usually lay around 15 to 20 eggs. The hen normally lays around 2 or 3 eggs a day until she is satisfied with her clutch size. The incubation usually takes around 20-24 days, but go into lockdown around day 20. the hen and roo will both incubate and will take turns standing guard while the eggs incubate. They will protect there nest aggressively and even though they look harmless enough they can pack a tiny, but still angry punch. However it better for everyone, inducing the eggs if you just leave the nest alone so the parent can do what there made to to.
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Helping weak chicks and how to put them back:
When hatching, like most quail it can take any amount of time depending on the chicks want to hatch, and overall strength. Sometimes it only takes chicks and hour before there fully pipped, zipped and pushing out from the egg, or it can take multiple hours or maybe even a whole day before the chick is fully out. Luckily the mom will usually wait for all the egg to hatch sometimes even helping some other eggs hatch, and will only leave around the 24 hour mark if the remaining egg haven't pipped. Chicks can normally run and walk around an hour after they hatch. However you if you see that the parent abandoned some unhatched eggs and you've candled or there are living pipped eggs, you should put them into a brooder or an extra incubator so thy can hatch safely. after the chicks are dry and hatched you should return strong chicks to the rest of the clutch and the parents and watch them to make sure the parent don't attack or reject them thinking they are hatchling from another pairs clutch.. After hatching healthy and strong chicks are very active and are able to fly at around three weeks. However any weaker chicks that aren't keeping up with mom or are overall less lively should be brought to a brooder to gain weight and strength more easily and should be put back once they are healthy again. Chicks should be fed game bird crumble, or turkey starter works fine as well.
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Switching to game bird feed and new roosts:
Once the chicks turn 7-8 weeks old, they can begin to forage on their own and will start to wander a little farther from mom while dad watches from afar as they become more like the adults. At this stage in their life they can fly up to higher perches and roost during the night. At this age they can now start to eat juvenile turkey starter and and also eat a little game bird feed here and there. However they should be moved to game bird feed only, around 9-10 week old this is when they start to have adult plumage.
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Diet:
California quail eat mostly seeds and grains as it makes up around 60 to 80 percent of their diet, but they will also eat greens such as ground level plants or sprouts although they will also eat insects and crustaceans like rolly pollies, worms, grasshoppers and other small bugs they come across.
