- Mar 23, 2009
- 15
- 0
- 22
Hi All,
We have 11 hens, outside with a shed and run, but they generally free range during the day. We recently got some quail (2 hens and 1 roo so far, they're about 8 weeks now, 8 more fertile eggs in the incubator), who at the moment live in a cage in our living room.
We were planning to eventually house them in an elevated cage attached to the outside wall of our chicken shed. They would be probably 3-5 feet off the ground, with a solid floor (and wood shavings), and with no physical contact with the hens. We have a friend who houses his quail in this way, and he has (so far, it is relatively early days) had no problems with disease.
Since our hens free range over our whole property the quail would probably have less contact with the hens if kept in this way than if kept in a cage on the ground outside, and we would prefer not to have to have another cage of poultry in our already cluttered suburban backyard... how risky is this in terms of disease transfer? Has anyone housed quail successfully near their chickens? Is there any problem with diseases being passed from the quail to the chooks, or only from the chooks to the quail? Is it more risky because the quail have been raised indoors? So far we haven't particularly taken precautions to avoid contamination (although it is reasonably unlikely, except perhaps by someone not taking their shoes off after being in the chicken-poopy garden).
Thanks in advance,
Lily
We have 11 hens, outside with a shed and run, but they generally free range during the day. We recently got some quail (2 hens and 1 roo so far, they're about 8 weeks now, 8 more fertile eggs in the incubator), who at the moment live in a cage in our living room.
We were planning to eventually house them in an elevated cage attached to the outside wall of our chicken shed. They would be probably 3-5 feet off the ground, with a solid floor (and wood shavings), and with no physical contact with the hens. We have a friend who houses his quail in this way, and he has (so far, it is relatively early days) had no problems with disease.
Since our hens free range over our whole property the quail would probably have less contact with the hens if kept in this way than if kept in a cage on the ground outside, and we would prefer not to have to have another cage of poultry in our already cluttered suburban backyard... how risky is this in terms of disease transfer? Has anyone housed quail successfully near their chickens? Is there any problem with diseases being passed from the quail to the chooks, or only from the chooks to the quail? Is it more risky because the quail have been raised indoors? So far we haven't particularly taken precautions to avoid contamination (although it is reasonably unlikely, except perhaps by someone not taking their shoes off after being in the chicken-poopy garden).
Thanks in advance,
Lily
