Coturnix square footage?

[PrinceSandwich]

I have read on here that Coturnix need 1 sq. foot per bird, but in this article http://www.gamebird.com/coturnixquail.html it says they keep their quail in 26" by 36" cages with 30 birds per cage! That's only .2 of a foot per bird! So which one is right?

 

[Rainwolf]

Quote:
well like anything you can go high or low depending on your situation.
1 sq foot per bird is a good, safe, healthy, ratio for adult breeding birds.
imaging a 1'x1' cage with 1 birds... then imaging with 2 birds... then 5 (the large priority box is 12"x12")
which would you prefer?

 

[Rainwolf]

oh and take in to account feeders and waterers and other things that may take up floor space.

 

[peewee]

The bigger the better but the average for Cots is 1 sq ft per bird. It really is not the best to try and cram as many in the space as possible.

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
BOY I BET THEIR FISH AND WILDLIFE OR HUMANE SOCIETY WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT.....

 

[JJMR794]

As An After Thought That Has To Be A Typographical Error... You Couldnt Fit That Many Birds In A Space That Small, Unless They Were Processed And It Was A Can.... I Mean Live Birdss Are Larger In Body Than The Dimensions Given.

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

They are talking about brooder size. Babies, and like we use our tubs as tha chicks grow, they get moved to more and more brooders giving them more space. Then onto Grow out pens that have large wire bottoms (1/2' if I remember). Then the birds are sold for meat. So they are not raised to be very old. They are talking about growing out space. Not breeder space.

I think you are asking about adult birds, not babies or adolescents. Adult breeders need more space.
Also, take into consideration what size bird you are going to raise and or breed.

The bigger the variety the more space each is going to need. So decide that first thing.

Are you going to raise Pharoah size, the Jumboes or are you going for the biggest Coturnix that the likes of mankind has ever seen.
Because I would but Pharoah size in .75" - Jumbo's .75-1." but the big ones no less than 1"-1.25 for breeders. But more is always better.

Dang, I went back and reread it. That's what it says, but I sure wouldn't try it and I wouldn't make them that short for the big birds either. 2x'3'- I would put about 6-8 big birds in there if they all got along. Sand boxes take up room.

 

[Sumatra503]

Have you guys ever seen a production laying hen operation? Those birds are that cramped in those cages. They can't even walk without stepping on each other and they are cramped so tightly their feathers hit the sides of the cages. For a production quail operation that souds about right.

Read the ad and it was the one i was thinking of. He raises them for eggs and has commercial laying operation for them. that's why the cage space is like that. Some of my isolation pens ore about 10" tall and that seems to work well for the little pharoh sized quail.

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

Quote:
Right but most of us don't raise them so tightly packed.
I agree 10" for a Pharoah size would work.

But there is no way one of my big girls is going to fit in a 10" high cage and be comfortable. No way to stretch her neck, no way to get into her sand box for her extra calcium and to bathe and lay those big eggs. They would be constantly bonking heads just moving around. I like spoiling my big girls, they give me big birds to process.

So when I see 10" high cages, I know those are not big birds. They are either regular Jumbos or Pharoah size. Oh, and if they are cramed in, they aren't eating as much as they could be to grow larger. So think about that before setting up your cages. You really have to plan on what you want before you start out.

 

[Sumatra503]

Quote:
Right but most of us don't raise them so tightly packed.
I agree 10" for a Pharoah size would work.

But there is no way one of my big girls is going to fit in a 10" high cage and be comfortable. No way to stretch her neck, no way to get into her sand box for her extra calcium and to bathe and lay those big eggs. They would be constantly bonking heads just moving around. I like spoiling my big girls, they give me big birds to process.

So when I see 10" high cages, I know those are not big birds. They are either regular Jumbos or Pharoah size. Oh, and if they are cramed in, they aren't eating as much as they could be to grow larger. So think about that before setting up your cages. You really have to plan on what you want before you start out.

Yes, but when you raise a few thousand for egg production you don't have room to spoil them. this guy raises them commercially. They don't have a sand box and they don't get calcium suppliments. They are simply fed a laying ration. They are most likely pharoh sized coturnix if they are being used for eggs.