Urban Homesteading: Quail

     Quail are probably the niftiest native but domesticated backyard birds available. I have been tossing around the idea of getting quail versus chickens, but considering I will need to buy 100% of their feed, quail seem like the best choice. They are quieter and take up very little space, and even more prolific than chickens in terms of meat and eggs.
     Quail could also serve as cat and dog food with hardly any preparation in the event that we were unable to buy pet food. If that day seemed close on the horizon, rabbits, quail,  and chickens would be raised in every back yard. Quail are insectivores beyond par, it would behoove all of us to raise insects (mealworms, black soldier fly, cockroaches, grasshoppers) to feed our microlivestock healthfully. Although there is not much common knowledge on the topic, cockroaches would probably be the easiest to raise, since they can live on cardboard and mulch, right?

     The young man over at Florida Hillbilly has written a number of articles featuring knowledge he has learned from raising quail in his backyard. This kind of secondhand experience is priceless, and makes for interesting reading even if you aren't interested in quail...yet. Florida Hillbilly's Quail