Chickens and Quail?

[exbiologist]

Can I mix them when they're older?
Do quail ever domesticate like chickens? Meaning can I let them out for the day and expect them to return in the evening?

 

[zaylinda]

Someone should put a comprehensive "why you should not house your quail with chickens" thread up in the sticky on top...

 

[Bigfatchicken]

I was told that you can not mix because of different types of diseases and it will kill both chickens and quail

 

[darkfur]

not to mention free-range quail are cat food

 

[exbiologist]

The disease I read the most about, quail disease, I thought affected chickens too. So, if it could affect both of them independently of each other, why would I worry about putting them together? They can both get it, or does it affect quail more than chickens?

 

[darkfur]

if it's Marek's disease you mean, it kills a certain percentage of chickens but some are asymptomatic or surivors and become carriers. It's a herpesvirus so it persists in the bird's system. The mortality rate for quail is far higher (I think it was 75% in one study).
There are other practical reasons for not mixing them - the size difference is such that the quails will be pushed to the end of the feed queue and they really suit different feeders, waterers and housing from chickens. They also do better on a higher protein feed than chickens. Also on the ground they are fairly susceptible to worms and they don't like damp.

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
Mareks kills 10% of chickens in an infected flock, has almost 100% death rate on quail and the quail do not give it to the chickens, nor is it a 50-50 shared thing it is chicken "biological warfare" and very 1 sided.... and Mareks is one of the least common.... coryza or any 1 of the mycoplasma illnesses are far more prevalent in domestic poultry here in the us. Here's a link that will cover a great many poultry diseases for your viewing pleasure

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/206800.htm

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
Mareks kills 10% of chickens in an infected flock, has almost 100% death rate on quail and the quail do not give it to the chickens, nor is it a 50-50 shared thing it is chicken "biological warfare" and very 1 sided.... and Mareks is one of the least common.... coryza or any 1 of the mycoplasma illnesses are far more prevalent in domestic poultry here in the us. Here's a link that will cover a great many poultry diseases for your viewing pleasure

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/206800.htm

I should add its true of chickens, ducks, turkeys and guinea vs quail, partridge, pheasants....

poultry math when housed togather --- domestics + gamebirds= BAD MOJO, gamebirds loose!

They can all be housed on the same farm, just not togather and good biological isolation will help prevent disease spread.

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
Or hawkchow....

Even if they dont end up on the menu its quite likely they will only free range once...