Quails are kept mainly for meat and egg production and are widely distributed across all regions of Kenya as either wild or farm-reared birds. Common wild species include the common quail, African blue quail, rain quail, and African harlequin quail. The Japanese quail is the most common type kept under farming systems.
Quails show varied physical characteristics. Plumage color includes grey and black, yellow and brown, as well as blue, cream, and white. Plumage patterns may be speckled, mottled, or plain, and the feather structure is smooth. Their eyes are brown or black, while the beak appears black or grey. The shank color ranges from yellow to white.
Quails have a mature live weight of 0.15 to 0.2 kg. They start laying eggs early at 6 to 7 weeks of age and produce between 150 and 300 eggs per year.