Rotation?

Date sort Score sort
ekalf33

ekalf33

In the Brooder
May 1, 2015
48
5
31
So I have been lurking around the forum and gleaning as much information as possible about the process of keeping quail. I LOVE the idea of it and I am currently saving up my pennies so that I can build a cage and keep quite a few to provide quail eggs and meat to neighbors, family and maybe even a couple of nearby restaurants. I have a design in mind that will fit very nicely on my property, the cage will be approximately 12' x 2' by 2' with a couple of nest boxes. I live in AZ and the summers get pretty hot and I don't want to fry them but I can't keep them inside.(my wife would kill me) So what I am wondering is how heat tolerant are Coturnix and how do you guys deal with the fact that they don't get a long with each other if not raised with each other? My plan is to EVENTUALLY... Start with 12-20 quail and every week add another 12-20 quail until I can have a continual supply of quail every 8 weeks. I know that the above mentioned pen will not be adequate but I need to know if I can hatch a brood and then intermingle then with a brood that is 2 weeks old? Or will I need to build 8 individual pens to house the 8 different aged batches of quail? Thanks for any input!
 
ekalf33 said:
So I have been lurking around the forum and gleaning as much information as possible about the process of keeping quail. I LOVE the idea of it and I am currently saving up my pennies so that I can build a cage and keep quite a few to provide quail eggs and meat to neighbors, family and maybe even a couple of nearby restaurants. I have a design in mind that will fit very nicely on my property, the cage will be approximately 12' x 2' by 2' with a couple of nest boxes. I live in AZ and the summers get pretty hot and I don't want to fry them but I can't keep them inside.(my wife would kill me) So what I am wondering is how heat tolerant are Coturnix and how do you guys deal with the fact that they don't get a long with each other if not raised with each other? My plan is to EVENTUALLY... Start with 12-20 quail and every week add another 12-20 quail until I can have a continual supply of quail every 8 weeks. I know that the above mentioned pen will not be adequate but I need to know if I can hatch a brood and then intermingle then with a brood that is 2 weeks old? Or will I need to build 8 individual pens to house the 8 different aged batches of quail? Thanks for any input!
Click to expand...

Welcome! My quail do better than chickens in the heat, and keep laying all summer while the chickens take a break. Here are some threads that discuss keeping quail cool in summer.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/944586/body-coolant-for-quail
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/783165/arizona-quail

Only keep the same age quail together. Don't mix ages unless they are the same size or the big quail will kill or maim the smaller ones. Also it can be problematic to add new quail to a pen that already has quail as the resident quail will view the newcomers as a threat to their food supply and territory.
 
Sill X2 Quail do well in the heat if you keep them well. Shade only. Use a fan on them. They will sit right in front of the thing to stay cool. You can mist the birds down as well. Don't drench them as wet feathers can cause them to over heat. Just a lite mist works well. Put ice cubes in the water fonts. Feed them cool treats like watermelon, cantaloupe, chilled apples, ect... You can even use those liter bottles filled with water and frozen. Some birds may snuggle up to these and if nothing else the radiate cool temps.

Good luck!!
 
Oh and welcome to BYC!
frow.gif
 
Okay, sounds good. I was just wondering if there was any other way around this issue, and what the more commercial quail farmers did to skirt the issue. Thanks!
 
Commercial farms will either condition the air and or use fans depending on where they are located. If your birds are on wire you will definitely need a way to cool them down. If they are on the ground just a patch of damp earth will go a long way to keep them comfortable.
 
Awesome thanks Sill. I have plans to put a shed in my back yard, maybe part of that could be a coop. My chickens don't have a problem with the heat, but their coop has grape vines growing over it all summer long. I think I am going to have to get creative.Thanks agian
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

mybabychickens
    • Sad
a weasel killed my quails
Replies
2
Views
310
Huntmaster
Huntmaster
speng5
Large group communal housing
Replies
3
Views
244
jargon777
J
B
Quail breed identification and temperament differences
Replies
9
Views
1K
calicocows
calicocows
springvalley123
    • Like
My new quail: 3 sparkly, 3 jumbo brown age 4.5 weeks (hopefully)
Replies
1
Views
368
Kiki
Kiki
smokyfluff
    • Like
Can four male button quail live together (no females)
Replies
5
Views
698
smokyfluff
smokyfluff

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom