Are Quail Like Chickens??

[c0dywhite]

I was wondering if quail are like chickens & by that I mean when I raise them can I let them out & they come back to the pen like chickens come back to a coop?

 

[Kevin565]

Which species are you planning on raising?

 

[TwoCrows]

No, you can not free range quail at all. They must be confined at all times as they will fly off and never return.

 

[c0dywhite]

Bonwhite.

 

[c0dywhite]

**bobwhite

 

[drowe005]

No, you can not free range quail at all. They must be confined at all times as they will fly off and never return.

I second twocrowsranch. If you let them out, they may hang around for a couple days, but after that, they'll be gone like the wind.

Some people do have success with call back cages, but those are more designed for birds that you won't have any contact with, it just more or less provides them safe housing at night from predators.

I might add too that my grandpa raised Hungarians in Iowa many years ago, in which they were free to enter the cage and leave as they wanted. They stayed for years, came back every night, and layed their eggs there. They even were tame enough to come sit on their shoulders. In the instance of what my grandpa did was EXTREMELY RARE, and in my opinion, I wouldn't even risk it. Just thought I would share that though.

 

[SeptemberQuail]

I have some funny little male quail. The females don't do this; Take the males out, they'd wander around aimlessly then run back, dragging their beaks along the cage, trying to get in.
But my females would rather search for food like bugs or pick off the grass in my yard. They have potential to free range, but you'd need to keep a very careful eye on them, plus the only safe way to do it is one quail out at a time and you'd probably need to bring them back in as they would have no clue. But this is for my tamed cots, bobs are probably more likely to run off.

Quail also don't roost in nesting boxes nor do they lay in them and they can't perch. But you can teach them to lay in the nesting boxes by putting their own eggs in, they'll eventually come to see it and lay their eggs there. (Worked for me....)

 

[c0dywhite]

How do they sleep?

 

[Chick Charm]

Free ranging Bobs is.......not having Bobs anymore. Any quail for that matter are not meant to be cared for like chickens in that sense.

All of my cots lay in a nest box. Some things learned, is to put the nest box in the enclosure from the time you introduce them. They get the idea naturally and really quick. ALL MY COTS LAY IN A NEST BOX IF PROVIDED FROM TIME OF ENTRY TO A NEW ENCLOSURE. They can and will find sand boxes to lay in if one of those is in there. If your provide nothing they will lay on the wire or ground if that is how you keep them. Cots will sleep on wire or on the ground. Most other quail will perch if allowed.

 

[Pancholoco]

Free ranging Bobs is.......not having Bobs anymore. Any quail for that matter are not meant to be cared for like chickens in that sense.

All of my cots lay in a nest box. Some things learned, is to put the nest box in the enclosure from the time you introduce them. They get the idea naturally and really quick. ALL MY COTS LAY IN A NEST BOX IF PROVIDED FROM TIME OF ENTRY TO A NEW ENCLOSURE. They can and will find sand boxes to lay in if one of those is in there. If your provide nothing they will lay on the wire or ground if that is how you keep them. Cots will sleep on wire or on the ground. Most other quail will perch if allowed.

Nice pen.