quail with chickens

[TheQuailKid]

Hi guys!
I am looking to expand my quail operation to a larger coop/shed. I will have around 7 or so quail and was wondering if I could hatch out a jersey giant chicken with them. Would that work? If they are raised together from birth it shouldn't be an issue right? And as for diseases, it is only one chicken, could that hurt?

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[Huntmaster]

I want an animal I can bond with unlike skittish quail.

Kinda sounds like quail aren't for you, I would maybe suggest you do away with/rehome your quail or just keep them in their own enclosure. And research other birds/animals that may fit your wants/needs rather than trying to adapt the bird/animal to fit yours. I am sure you have only best intentions for your birds/animals but to be a good bird/animal keeper you have to meet the needs of what you are raising to keep them (Safe and Happy) no matter what our use for them is. As far as diseases chickens are carriers of some that are not harmful to chickens but very deadly to gamebirds.

 

[Nabiki]

This is not a good idea. Even if they are raised together and get along well, the chicken is likely to injure or kill some of your quail by accident just due to the size difference. Also, quail need to be kept enclosed at all times since they won't "come home" at night, and your chicken is not likely to be happy in those conditions.

 

[Nabiki]

Really? Even with a run the chicken wouldn't be happy? Also, would it make a difference if I got a smaller breed of chicken? Thank you for your help!

It depends on the size of your run. If you have quail in there, chicken wire isn't going to be enough. You'll want it all to be 1/2" hardware cloth to keep the quail in and predators out.

Seriously, though, you're taking a pretty big risk by keeping a chicken in with your quail. It's likely to peck at the smaller birds and it won't be pretty.

 

[CliftonQuail]

Even with bantam breeds? I thought they are around the same size

I found this image online that should help a bit:

 

[Nabiki]

Even with bantam breeds? I thought they are around the same size

Bantam chickens are still larger than quail. It might work, but I wouldn't bet on it. Are you ready to risk your quail?

 

[Qwerty3159]

There’s a lot of birds you can keep with quail including pigeons/doves, finches, parakeets, canaries, etc.

Chickens of any size are not worth the risk in my opinion. Similar sized chicks could do alright together but I imagine the chickens would quickly outpace the quail in growth leading to all sorts of issues. If I was forced to do this combination I would definitely pick a bantam breed over the utterly massive jersey giants

 

[Nigel27]

A smaller chicken would be better, I would recommend having it hatch a few days later if you're going to do it. Have you thought of different types of quail or pheasants?

 

[TheQuailKid]

I have, but I want an animal I can bond with unlike skittish quail. Also, do you know if one chicken could be a disease problem? they would be sleeping in the same area.

 

[Cluckies]

Chickens are flock animals, would not be happy alone, even with quail. They need flock mates, other chickens.