Do they need a run?

[rjrinehart]

Do you need a run for quails? Or is just a hutch with room to run around in sufficient?

 

[TwoCrows]

Do you need a run for quails? Or is just a hutch with room to run around in sufficient?

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

They don't need a run, but they do enjoy as much space as you can afford. And going outside into a run, dust bathing in the dirt, are all favorite things to do for a quail.

However yes, you can just keep them in a hutch as long as they have enough space per bird. And I like to add fake or real foliage to a hutch to give it a more natural feeling. Quail LOVE to hang out under brush and such, it gives them privacy from the others and gives them a sense of protection. Also keeps them from flushing up into the ceiling. I use grass hay in my hutches too, easy to clean and keeps them off wire.

 

[rjrinehart]

Hello there and welcome to BYC! 

They don't need a run, but they do enjoy as much space as you can afford. And going outside into a run, dust bathing in the dirt, are all favorite things to do for a quail. 

However yes, you can just keep them in a hutch as long as they have enough space per bird. And I like to add fake or real foliage to a hutch to give it a more natural feeling. Quail LOVE to hang out under brush and such, it gives them privacy from the others and gives them a sense of protection. Also keeps them from flushing up into the ceiling. I use grass hay in my hutches too, easy to clean and keeps them off wire. 

Thank you!

If I'm building a 32" wide x 10ft long x 2ft high hutch how many babies can I have?

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC! 

They don't need a run, but they do enjoy as much space as you can afford. And going outside into a run, dust bathing in the dirt, are all favorite things to do for a quail. 

However yes, you can just keep them in a hutch as long as they have enough space per bird. And I like to add fake or real foliage to a hutch to give it a more natural feeling. Quail LOVE to hang out under brush and such, it gives them privacy from the others and gives them a sense of protection. Also keeps them from flushing up into the ceiling. I use grass hay in my hutches too, easy to clean and keeps them off wire. 

Thank you!

If I'm building a 32" wide x 10ft long x 2ft high hutch how many babies can I have?

Coturnix Quail? You can easily keep about 15 birds in this space. Make sure to keep only all hens or only 1 male with hens in this space. 2 males probably wont work here.

 

[rjrinehart]

Coturnix Quail? You can easily keep about 15 birds in this space. Make sure to keep only all hens or only 1 male with hens in this space. 2 males probably wont work here.

Yes I want to eventually breed. So I'll probably also have a male too. What happens once I have chicks and there is a male(s) in that other than the first male?

 

[pkhunter]

Thank you!

If I'm building a 32" wide x 10ft long x 2ft high hutch how many babies can I have?

I wouldn't build one that deep Unless you have really long arms. I build all of mine 24" deep by 10 ft and 10" tall. Figure 1 bird per sq. foot and they will have plenty of room. If you are going to breed quail later I would divide your cage into 3 or 4 compartments.

 

[rjrinehart]

I wouldn't build one that deep Unless you have really long arms. I build all of mine 24" deep by 10 ft  and 10" tall. Figure 1 bird per sq. foot and they will have plenty of room. If you are going to breed quail later I would divide your cage into 3 or 4 compartments.

Probably a dumb question but how much is a square foot exactly?

 

[TwoCrows]

1 square foot is a square that is 1 foot deep and 1 foot across. 2 square feet is the same, 2 feet across, 2 feet deep.

Quail generally dont go broody, so you will need an incubator. Chicks will need to be mature to mix into an adult flock. Do this slowly with a divider in the hutch, everybody sees, nobody touches for a couple weeks, then you can mix them.

 

[pkhunter]

1 square foot is a square that is 1 foot deep and 1 foot across. 2 square feet is the same, 2 feet across, 2 feet deep.

Quail generally dont go broody, so you will need an incubator. Chicks will need to be mature to mix into an adult flock. Do this slowly with a divider in the hutch, everybody sees, nobody touches for a couple weeks, then you can mix them.

2 ft across and 2 ft deep is 4 sq feet. Not 2

 

[rjrinehart]

2 ft across and 2 ft deep is 4 sq feet. Not 2

So one bird to one square foot.

And thanks @twocrows I was trying to figure out how to put chicks into the bigger flock