Quail and chickens

[mhzl123]

So I know you shouldn’t keep quail and chickens together in the same coop but would it be ok to build a quail pen, high up off of the ground in the chicken coop so they don’t have direct contact? I’ve read about Coryza and how it can be devastating to quail but that it is primarily spread by bird to bird contact so could it still be easily spread to them if they are above the chickens and if the quail are taken care of first and then the chickens?

 

[nuthatched]

That sounds like a bad idea. Most disease are spread by dander.

 

[Nabiki]

Disease can spread if they're within close proximity. I'd have to look it up, but I believe the minimum recommended distance is 100 feet.

 

[AmeliaBedelia]

I did see one guy who had a set up where some of his quail were in cages above his chickens. But he seemed like the type who saw them as farm animals and not pets, and who had limited space.

He said a “pro” of his setup was that the chickens scratched the quail poo into the deep litter so he didn’t have to clean it up as often.

 

[mhzl123]

That was my thought too, would make cleaning easier. Oh well, we have the room to put them further out so that’s what we’ll do. Ours will be raised for meat and eggs also but I still don’t want them to get sick and or possibly lose a whole flock and have to start over. Thanks guys!

 

[The Birb King]

They should not live together but they can be next to each other. In the spring and summer, I move my Button quails outside they get their own section of the Serama coop. They can see each other, hear each other, and are really close, but not together. I have never had a problem with it yet.

 

[The Birb King]

That sounds like a bad idea. Most disease are spread by dander.

I thought most were only spread by feces or water.