how big does my cage need to be for 10 Cortunix quail?

[youridreezen]

would like to know if a 2X3 cage is ok for 10 junbo Cortunix quail or would i need a 2X4 cage?

and would a 2X3 cage be ok for 10 common sized Cortunix quail?

any help would be great as i need to build cages befor the 19 of this month.

so any help would be great.

cheers youri.

 

[pixie74943]

the sticky up the top says 1sq ft per bird, and I assume thats common coturnix... so 2 x 3 would be pushing it a bit. especially for the Jumbo

 

[youridreezen]

Quote:
yes that is what they say but a lot of people say you can put more in a cage.

 

[youridreezen]

A 2x3 cage would hold 6 birds (going by the 2 sq. ft. per bird recommendation), but would probably house 8-10 very comfortably. I have one cage that is 2 1/2 x 3, and I had 12 birds in there at one time, no fighting. There were 2 males and 10 females. I eventually had to remove a few females cause the other females were picking on them.
Then the 2x4 pen would be okay for 8, if going by the recommended 1 sq. ft. rule, but would probably be fine for at least 12 birds, probably more like 15.

so if i make 2X3 pens i will put 10 and if i make 2X4 pens i will put 15 in it.

they will be on wood shavings so will have something to do.

cheers youri.​

 

[canter6]

Quote:
yes that is what they say but a lot of people say you can put more in a cage.

Yes you can double maybe even triple+ stuff coturnix, but if you follow Youri's 2 threads about about pen construction, you will find an unstable element. A solid litter floor.

When building pens, several things come into play. The dimensions of the materials used in the construction. I.E. most wire comes in 24" or 36" widths, wood usually comes in 2 dimensions 8 feet long. Plywood is X thick and 4'X8', etc...
Add in the human element. ME. I'm 5' 6" so the largest pen size I want to deal with is 2'x2'. I build 2'x4' pens with a divider in the middle so each pen is 2'x2'. I can comfortably reach every square inch of a 2'x2' pen, so that is what I gravitate to.

As far as how many birds I put in my 2'x2' pen..... zero to 8. It really depends on the temperament of the 2 to 8 birds I put in there.

 

[youridreezen]

do you mean wood shavings are bad for quail?

i don't like wire floors.

cheers youri.

 

[canter6]

Quote:
No, I mean that most people that raise most species of quail other than buttons, do so on wire floors. Your request for pen specifications based on solid floors + wood shavings creates an unstable element, and is difficult for me to process.

I don't know what to tell you, because I haven't properly analyzed poo ratio on litter, and other things.

I'm not trying to talk you out of your wire floor aversion, but it is difficult to advise you on how many birds you want to pack in how much space with out knowing just how many times a day you are going to be changing the litter. 10 coturnix quail create a bunch of poo.

 

[shelleyd2008]

2x3 is fine. The recommendation is 1 sq. ft. per bird, which would be 2x5. However I have had 12 jumbos in a 2 1/2 x 3 cage, and they got along just fine. My other pens are all 2x2, and have anywhere from 3-6 birds in them right now. Most had 5-6 this summer, but I've decreased my stock on some.

Coturnix do not need very much space, I think more of a 1/2 sq. ft. per bird is adequate.

I would not keep coturnix on a solid floor. They just poop too much. You can have them on wire with a solid floor below, for ease in cleaning, but having them on a solid floor creates a number of other problems. You would have to clean their pens very often, to avoid poop balls forming on their toes. There are also some diseases that they can get from being in their own poop, I don't remember what they are right off. It's just easier and safer to have them on wire. You would need to still have part of the floor solid, to save their feet, but this can be accomplished by a large dusting pan, or a nest box. Mine all have a 1x1 or 2x1 piece of particle board in their pens, along with their dust pans, so they can get off the wire.

 

[Akane]

I use all solid floors but I would highly suggest not over stuffing them on a solid floor. You'll have quite a mess and be cleaning constantly. I put mine in 1/2 sq ft each and it was solid quail poo within 2 days. If you want solid floors you'll probably have to double the space each one has instead of lessening it unless you plan on scooping quail poop with a bit of bedding every day.

 

[youridreezen]

i will have a pull out tray so i can clean them easy.

i will have a good 2 inchs of wood shavings so the poo is not just setting on a floor.

there is someone that i have been chatting to and they told me that they have a cage of about 2X3 1/2 cage for 10 quail.

cheers youri.