Can You Keep Coturnix Quail With Chickens?

[Ebony Rose]

I wouldn't brood them together as a newborn coturnix quail is about the size of a U.S. Nickel and a newborn chicken is about four or five times that size. Adult quail (6 to 8 weeks) are about equal in size to a 2 or 3 week old chicken. You'll need to not mingle them until they're of like sizes, and when the chickens growth outpaces that of the quail, they will already have solid friendships built between them (no fighting). By the time your chicken chicks are 8 to 10 weeks old, they'll be much larger than your quail. In theory, the quail, being adults by the time the chickens are introduced to the flock gives the quail the maturity to put the chicken chicks in their place early on, giving the quail a higher place in the pecking order. The quail will need that elevated status to overcome the growth rate of the chickens.

 

[Ebony Rose]

I serve game bird feed to the entire flock; it is higher in protein than the best chicken feed that they have on offer here; some months the grind equates to only 15% protein, and other months the same feed bag tag will indicate that it has well over 24%. That's Panama for you. We buy what they have or we don't buy; that is our only choice. Anyway... It is far easier to reduce the protein intake of my chickens with treats than to boost it with meat products. All fruit and veggie treats, oatmeal, pasta, etc., will pull down their overall intake of protein. (A handy trick for those few months when the game bird feed is too high in protein for chickens) For the months where the available feed is coming in to the store with sub-par protein content, I fortify their water with a product called Chick Booster. It's a liquid multivitamin, mineral and amino acid supplement. It sounds like more work than it is. I merely check the tags for nutritional analysis and adjust how much chick booster I add to the water to balance it to my liking. Apparently the chick booster tastes good too, as my flock prefers to drink the fortified water over plain.

 

[Ruby Rogue]

I will give you my amateur advice...

When I got quail, with zero experience, I quickly switched the chickens I was brooding out for the quail, without thoroughly cleaning the brooder. The Quail chicks soon after developed a conjunctivitis, which I treated. I'm sure it was something they caught for the chicks (which were asymptomatic) from not thoroughly cleaning the brooder.

I do house my quail with my chickens now. They are in 2 separate 'pens' similar to a rabbit hutch, built 3 ft up on the wall in my chicken coop. I've had no more issues so far. This is my general experience and other's experiences will differ.

I also clean often and do not let the chickens and quail interact.

 

[ButtonHoarder]

Thanks I think I might put the quail in a large rabbit hutch

 

[JacinLarkwell]

The rabbit cage is not insulated but if I completely surrounded it with square bales, put a heat lamp in like you said, would that be enough? Considering the fact that it gets to 30 below celsius and occasionally colder.

DON'T USE BALES AND A HEAT LAMP!!! THAT'S BEGGING FOR A FIRE

 

[ButtonHoarder]

I'm currently raising 25 coturnix quail with 7 australorpe & 5 cornish cross type chicks. The quail were young adults when I introduced the (chicken) chicks last week. The chicks are currently 2 to 3 weeks old. They're all about the same size and for the first couple of days the quail weren't having it, but now I find that they're huddling with the chicks and even seek out their company both day and night for a little snooze They're sharing 80 square feet of floor space (ground level) with loads of plastic & cardboard boxes and 5 gallon buckets to duck into or behind and they have access to their original baby-cages that I've added ramps for them to walk up for those times when they just don't wanna mess with the others. These baby-cages add another 15 square feet of living space and are well utilized daily.

Ok thanks, so could I like brood them together from day 1? Or do they need different temps? Thanks

 

[ButtonHoarder]

I wouldn't brood them together as a newborn coturnix quail is about the size of a U.S. Nickel and a newborn chicken is about four or five times that size. Adult quail (6 to 8 weeks) are about equal in size to a 2 or 3 week old chicken. You'll need to not mingle them until they're of like sizes, and when the chickens growth outpaces that of the quail, they will already have solid friendships built between them (no fighting). By the time your chicken chicks are 8 to 10 weeks old, they'll be much larger than your quail. In theory, the quail, being adults by the time the chickens are introduced to the flock gives the quail the maturity to put the chicken chicks in their place early on, giving the quail a higher place in the pecking order. The quail will need that elevated status to overcome the growth rate of the chickens.

Thank you so much for answering all my weird questions. And is it ok to feed them the same? What do you do with yours? I just don't see how I could feed them different when they're together. Thanks

 

[ButtonHoarder]

Thank you