Coturnix Housing?

[3potatoes]

You might check out our Learning Center...we have a quail section which covers everything from hatching, raising, keeping, housing, feeding and keeping quail healthy..... https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/other-backyard-fowl-ducks-quail-turkeys-geese-etc

Thank you - will do

 

[Binki]

Hi - 
Hoping to add some Coturnix Quail to our lives and doing lots of research - noticed your photos of the small animal cage you're using and had a couple questions - 

We have a rabbit/guinea pig cage that's 1.5 feet x 2.5 feet - and trying to figure out if we might be able to use that to house a few birds to get started - thinking 2 females and 1 male in that much space?


Wondering about how large the small animal cage is that you're using for Coturnix - and what you use for food and water?  


Thank you - super excited to be trying to figure this out!  

Thanks

Regarding this type of housing for coturnix quail, I think the big question is are you planning on breeding or just having a few females?

Here are my four hens (my pet group) in their setup, inside for the winter. This kind of cage is very popular so there is a lot available second hand for more than half off of retail.

Pengu dustbathing

I think it's the Living World brand, the bigger size that has the top lid split in two instead of one big lid on the similar shorter cage.

I see them all the time on buy and sell, we use Kijiji in Canada and I got mine for $40 CAD and it's been perfect for my girls. They love jumping up and down since their bark ramp buckled lol, I tie a clump of hay together for them to land on since they go up and down a lot especially during their "egg frenzies", when it's egg laying time and they want to go somewhere else to lay their eggs so they will sometimes pace :/ they eventually usually lay in the hay, sometimes in the sand box. Pengu is still laying nasty looking sans shell eggs in the night that are stepped on and popped into the sand by morning LOL.

This setup works because they are all girls and they don't fight/chase each other. They were hatched together which helps. Golden Girl does spaz when I cough/clear my throat and chase but never does any damage - I think she thinks I'm crowing??? Haha xD

In my other setups in the modified rabbit hutch, I put males in with females and introduce new quail so it has wrapped up hay standing in either corner (super handy and they love it) for shrouded hidey places as well as placing the boxes away from the wall creating a run way behind and in front of them.

If there is any aggression or unwanted mating, this kind of setup is best since there are places to run and hide. It's several feet long with different textures of hay and shavings with a scratch food box and sand box and corners to be alone if they want to be

I'll try and take some pictures of the inside of the rabbit hutch tomorrow, it's dark now hehe.

For food and water, you can train them to drink from any container, I use bird drinkers on the cage (clear top and green bottom) and the classic mini poultry ones (seen with the white top and yellow bottom). They will get stuff in their water of it is not suspended

For food I use boxes so they get some foraging behavior in. They are pretty good about not shooting it everywhere, just s few scratches here and there like little chickens

 

[Dani xxx]

Fab pics I love ur dog in the background chilling

 

[Binki]

Fab pics I love ur dog in the background chilling

Hehe!! Thanks, he's a big ole mutt

The quail don't mind him one bit

 

[TwoCrows]

Quote: Aww....what a cute picture!

 

[Binki]

Aww....what a cute picture! 

Hehe thanks, they were both watching a squirrel outside

That's Big Boy - the angriest cuddler I've ever met

 

[LoveInNature]

@noodlesluvspie Hi Noodles, I am in Australia so outside housing isn't really an issue as we are in a subtropical area.

I have my 5 big girls in a rabbit/guinea pig hutch as I am erecting an aviary. I found that their food and water containers were getting too mucky and taking up far too much space so I made ones which I attached with velcro for ease of cleaning.

I used pvc pipe, caps for the ends and cut a head sized piece lengthways. I used a blue pvc cement that is not toxic to animals and can be safely used in a drinking water vessel. Gluedcthe caps on and let dry for 24 hours before filling.

 

[Binki]

@noodlesluvspie Hi Noodles, I am in Australia so outside housing isn't really an issue as we are in a subtropical area.

I have my 5 big girls in a rabbit/guinea pig hutch as I am erecting an aviary. I found that their food and water containers were getting too mucky and taking up far too much space so I made ones which I attached with velcro for ease of cleaning.

I used pvc pipe, caps for the ends and cut a head sized piece lengthways. I used a blue pvc cement that is not toxic to animals and can be safely used in a drinking water vessel. Gluedcthe caps on and let dry for 24 hours before filling.

That is sooo cool!!! Very clever! Sigh, wouldn't work for me though as I'm battling freezing temperatures in Canada and have to remove their water to dethaw it a few times a day

That's the double sided Velcro right? I use it to make most of my "hay stack trees" and need to get some more, I think it's at the dollar store?

 

[LoveInNature]

That is sooo cool!!! Very clever! Sigh, wouldn't work for me though as I'm battling freezing temperatures in Canada and have to remove their water to dethaw it a few times a day

That's the double sided Velcro right? I use it to make most of my "hay stack trees" and need to get some more, I think it's at the dollar store?

There has to be some advantages of living in this horrendous heat.

I got the idea from the Jaren at Urban Aviary on YouTube. They were quite easy to make and a rewarding challenge. Very proud of myself. The double sided tape works well.

I have been thinking about you all with freezing water. You really need a heated water fountain. Runnung warm water.

We finished our aviary and installed our big girls. Oh Binki I had no idea how much they love a good sand bath. It was the first thing they did for a good 15 minutes and I never had my camera!!

I weighed my babies last night. Wow! Our big "Lavender" one is 138gm. Our smallest is 95. The only one that comes close is 126gm. I think she is going to be enormous!!

 

[Binki]

Ooo grats on your aviary!!! Do you have pics of it? Awww haha "the holy grail of quail - dust bathing"

Well we considered running electricity but don't want to risk fire :O We actually had some "ratasaurusus" two years ago suddenly appear in the garage over the winter and they did some big chewing damage in the several days before we were able to catch them... Could just imagine them chewing wires

Lol I would be interested in trying a heating pad at least for the chicken coop which is outside, a trek compared to the quail in the attached garage

With the quail I just take out their water and keep it inside by the door for a few hours then take it back out for a few hours. It can be a pain but actually this year I've only had to do it for a couple of weeks, few day stints at a time so I feel I've gotten off easy

Woah!!! That's a huge baby quail haha at least in my experience

Again, can't wait to see how they turn out!