Coturnix Quail Questions! for a newbie

[jbarrett]

wow lots of infor!! Glad you guys are able to help me and I have another one!!! Which is better for raising quail.....quail hutch (wire cage w/ attached coop) or a cage on the dirt? I have read keeping them on wire cage is healthier and cleaner 1 they cant get wet with water over flow and 2 minimum contact with poop what do you guys think?

 

[groundpecker]

wow lots of infor!! Glad you guys are able to help me and I have another one!!! Which is better for raising quail.....quail hutch (wire cage w/ attached coop) or a cage on the dirt? I have read keeping them on wire cage is healthier and cleaner 1 they cant get wet with water over flow and 2 minimum contact with poop what do you guys think?

Mine are on 1/4 inch wire mesh inside my quail/chick brooder house. quail poop alot, so i suggest wire and easy access to clean the poo.

 

[FenDruadin]

Which is healthier depends on how much space they have. In commercial operations, wire is healthier because they are kept in such close quarters it would be impossible to keep the ground clean.

In home operations, ground is better for them if you can give them plenty of space per bird. Quail are naturally ground dwellers. They will be less stressed, happier, and behave in more natural ways when kept on ground.

Unfortunately, if they are in close confinement on the ground they will soil the ground and create unsanitary conditions.

Mine are kept in a 10 x 10 chain link kennel (modified for their needs with extra wire of various sorts--essentially forming an aviary). They are extremely happy there.




There are at most nine or ten birds per 100 sq ft in this set-up. That's 10 sq ft per bird, and it's usually a smaller flock than that (I don't keep a lot of birds over winter--just my favs).

You could probably raise the number of birds significantly if you used a deep litter method--i.e., add carbon matter (hay, straw, wood chips, dry leaves, etc.) regularly to help the poop & pee decompose cleanly and quickly.

But for most people wanting to raise large numbers of birds, wire ends up being more efficient. I recommend you still try to give them plenty of space, and offer each group at least one dust bath box (usually filled with sand or dirt--a litter box with one side cut low is awesome), as this will become their favorite place to hang and to lay, and reduces stress significantly. Larger groups and those with multiple males need at least two so they won't fight over them.

Don't worry too much about water overflowing, by the way, if you decide on ground. As long as the area in general drains reasonably (it needs to drain rain water, after all), you'll be fine. Mine are very tidy with their water, honestly. Much tidier than ducks and somewhat tidier than chickens.

 

[jbarrett]

ok thank you and for now I have decided to make a wire cage till I get enough money to make a nice sized aviary, have that is my goal! But just wanted everyones opinion! Thanks again, Justin also I am starting to think I like the quail more than the chicken

!! which is weird for me because I LOVE chickens!! Thanks yall I will keep asking quaestion as they arise!

 

[MrNappy]

One thing to keep in mind f you want the mating season to be all year-round is (14 hours of light) that males will pull feathers out of females head fast, this can cause injuries and what-not. (Other people can go into detail)