Is keeping quails and chickens together possible?

[Chickadee00]

I have a very big flock of about 50 chickens. I've got some big hens like sulmtaler, lakenfelder and medium sized ones like lohmanns. They live together with a lot of bantams for example sebrights and dwarf cochins. My question is - since my very large run would be quail safe (double close meshed fence, hawk netting, no way out lol) - can I keep quails with my chickens? I've heard stories of the chickens pecking quails to death but I've never had any problems housing the big hens with the tiny ones, I also never had to separate chicks from the older chickens since they always ignore them.
Pls help me with your experience as quail keepers! Thanks!!

 

[007Sean]

I don't recommend doing it!!! Not only do you have the worry of aggression towards the quail but also disease, chickens can carry disease's that they can tolerate but will kill quail and other gamebirds.
It's better to raise the quail seperate from you're chickens....with 300' separation from their respective enclosures, if possible?
Biosecurity is a must have when raising gamebirds.
You will hear, or see that some people raise them together but you never hear about them dying off...it's just a 'ticking time bomb'.

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

Don't do it OP, it won't end well. Plus both birds have different needs, it will be easier to keep them separate.

 

[Nabiki]

One more vote against it. It's not a good idea. You may end up with some that survive, but there will be casualties.

 

[lost-duckling]

You WILL lose some, but if you are an agriculture person instead of an animal lover then doit in the name of science, I would love to hear how it turns out.

How large is your run?

If you choose to go forward i would first set up a small inner run that quail are free to enter but chickens are not. I would also recommend making small but not too dense brush piles or perhaps get some plant potted or no. From my observations with free range guinea pigs and dogs cover is very important.

 

[lost-duckling]

You WILL lose some, but if you are an agriculture person instead of an animal lover then doit in the name of science, I would love to hear how it turns out.

How large is your run?

If you choose to go forward i would first set up a small inner run that quail are free to enter but chickens are not. I would also recommend making small but not too dense brush piles or perhaps get some plant potted or no. From my observations with free range guinea pigs and dogs cover is very important.

also i would make the quail live only in the inner run for a while first.

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

You WILL lose some, but if you are an agriculture person instead of an animal lover then doit in the name of science, I would love to hear how it turns out.

How large is your run?

If you choose to go forward i would first set up a small inner run that quail are free to enter but chickens are not. I would also recommend making small but not too dense brush piles or perhaps get some plant potted or no. From my observations with free range guinea pigs and dogs cover is very important.

An "agricultural person" would know this is something you don't do. Waste of money, time and most importantly bird's lives.

The keeping of the two birds together isn't the issue, they would probably be able to get along well enough if the quail had hidey places to go and the same for the chickens.

The issue is the diseases which chickens can carry and spread to gamebirds such as quail. These diseases completely unaffect the chickens but they will still carry them and spread them to the quail.

Although quail seem to be like "small chickens" they're very different. The only other birds quail should really ever be kept with are those who live in aviaries (canaries, budgies, finches) simply as they do not have such a high risk of such diseases.

Nevertheless, the quail could kill most the birds who land on the ground, quail are not huge fans of other birds. I guess years of being forced to be battery-farmed egg producers is the reason for this. They are much better kept on their own, for their own sake.

 

[ButtonNomies]

Another vote for no, even if ur chickens were really good with them ud just need 1 aggressive male quail n he'd go on a killing spree before u even knew he was aggressive.

That's without knowing about disease cross contamination xx

 

[lost-duckling]

An "agricultural person" would know this is something you don't do. Waste of money, time and most importantly bird's lives.

you are correct it was wrong of me to use that term.
What i meant was someone who keeps animals but is not concerned about the individual experience each one has, instead they are just curious to see what can and cannot be done.
For example lets say a person has a large bator and hundreds of quail with little sympathy for them, they might not care if 20 put in the run die.

 

[Nabiki]

you are correct it was wrong of me to use that term.
What i meant was someone who keeps animals but is not concerned about the individual experience each one has, instead they are just curious to see what can and cannot be done.
For example lets say a person has a large bator and hundreds of quail with little sympathy for them, they might not care if 20 put in the run die.

I have to admit, that attitude is very sad to me. I raise my birds for eggs and meat, but in return, I feel that it's my duty to make sure they have the best lives I can give them.