Can my Quail live with my Chicken?

[Habib Ikram]

Can my Quail live with my Chicken?

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

I would not recommend housing quail and chickens together. If you only have one of each, please get them a friend of their own kind. Back when i housed my quail in suspended cages above my chickens, i lost a couple when they got out...the chickens literally ate them. Full feeder, but they pecked and killed the poor quail. Also, quail are susceptible to disease and stuff that chickens carry and don't do as well housed in the same place, much less together. Now my quail have a large aviary and never see the chickens, i haven't lost any more. I had a high mortality rate when they were all in the same coop.

 

[birdwrangler057]

I agree, quail get slaughtered by chickens. They are too small and fragile to defend themselves.

 

[geniash]

Animal instincts aside - the main reason of not keeping quails and chickens together is the plethora of diseases that chickens are immune to but quails are not. Look up Marek's disease as an example.

 

[wingedshade]

Animal instincts aside - the main reason of not keeping quails and chickens together is the plethora of diseases that chickens are immune to but quails are not. Look up Marek's disease as an example.

That is why I plan to keep my quails inside when I get them. I'm going to get them their own feeders and such instead of reusing chick feeders etc. and try to wash my hands after chicken care.

 

[yook2000]

Now my one month chicks are living with the 2 months old quails. They are getting well now. But I think I should separate them soon.

 

[Habib Ikram]

thanx everyone

 

[beautifulchaos]

Is disease an issue if there is only one chicken? There is a farm nearby that has 3 quail housed with a banty and they're looking to give them away. We were considering it but maybe we should rethink?

 

[JaeG]

Is disease an issue if there is only one chicken? There is a farm nearby that has 3 quail housed with a banty and they're looking to give them away. We were considering it but maybe we should rethink?

It's up to you whether you take the risk and if they all seem healthy and you aren't planning on breeding them to sell I don't see why not. I've hatched quail under my bantams but I'm in New Zealand and we don't have Coryza here which is the biggest disease risk to quail from chickens. Honestly, wild birds pose just as great a risk so make sure you have a secure run that wild birds can't access (or sit on top of and poop into)!

 

[beautifulchaos]

Is there a problem with breeding them in the spring if we separate them from the chicken? Or does mixing them mean they shouldn't be bred at all?