How high should I make my Jumbo Brown Coturnix Cages?

[danrut101]

I am thinking to travel into quail raising. I have raised chickens all my life and want to try something new. I have been reading about breeder cages and want to know the minimum height. I have read not to make them too high as they may fly up and hurt/kill themselves. But what is minimum height for them to be comfortable. I have a few cages I made to transport hens that are 8" high. Can I use these? Some are 24" x 36" x 8". I have others that are 24" x 72" x 8". I want to keep Jumbo Brown and A&M Whites. How many jumbo quail could I keep in a 2' x 3' cage? Is the 8" tall enough or do I need to go higher?


I will house them in cages until I can get a nice outdoors cage for them.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[mhwc56]

1 bird for every square foot of space so 2' X 3' is 6 birds.Some folks give their birds less room but it's really too crowded and many people have trouble with fighting and deaths if they are more crowded.
8" is too low for any length of time but for short term temporary head space it might be ok....generally 12-18 "high is a good ceiling height for cages.
Also, it's best to house them in 1 rooster/4-6 hen ratios. More peaceful that way, so you're going to need more than 1 outside cage if you want more than just a small number.

 

[Fat Daddy]

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+1

 

[millebantam]

There could be some merit to the 8" height thing though. You would eliminate scalpin' because their heads would already be naked from rubbin' on the ceiling. And they would be tender as heck from not bein' able to jump.

I'm stealin' this idea to use in my super secret ultra-mega jumbo white meat project. You will all be in awe when I unveil these magnificent birds.

 

[mhwc56]

Quote:
i DO enjoy reading your posts....

 

[MobyQuail]

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i DO enjoy reading your posts....

x2

 

[Picco]

I have never had a problem with "popcorning" with my Jumbo Coturnix. In my opinion jumbos are the most laid back and relaxed animals and I've never had them bounce up and hit the ceiling. 8" is really too low of a ceiling height in my opinion. The birds should be able to stretch and exercise naturally (this includes a bit of jumping and flying) and 8" doesn't give them enough room to do that. I would say a minimum height of 12-18" is ideal. I don't worry about the maximum height as I have no problem with bouncing. One of my pens has a 2-3' ceiling (it's sloped) and the greenhouse has a 7' ceiling and I have very happy quail in both pens and never had a head injury.

Coturnix are territorial and need a lot more space than people say. The rule of 1 square foot is really WAY too small. 2-3 square feet per bird is really what they need. A 2x3 cage should only hold about 3 adults. Make sure also that you only have 1 male per cage. Coturnix males are very intolerant of each other and will really fight and possibly kill each other. I've had major issues with coturnix roosters fighting and have found them being awful to the hens too. unless you plan on breeding them I really suggest not keeping any males; your hens will be happy and healthier for it. I do have 2 males together in one of my pens but the pen is huge with a lot of hiding places and those two males seem atypically tolerant of each other (6X8 greenhouse with 8 hens).

 

[aprophet]

I cannot speak for 8" high but 10-12" is fine 18 imho is to high, hope you don,nt find your birds dead from an animal causing them to flush shorter cages prevent them from jumping as high

 

[mhwc56]

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sounds like everyone has a different opinion...LOL...
i have to agree with picco though. a happy bird is a healthy bird and if you only give them an 8" height they cannot stretch etc which they do enjoy. my cages are 12"-24" high and i've had dogs,cats, possum and a hawk at them without any of my birds"flushing" and smacking their heads in the taller cages. I HAVE had injuries in the LOWER ceilinged cages however....
i should have said MINIMUM space alotment should be 1 square foot /bird.

 

[Riffecreek]

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I agree, 18" is just too high if they are outside where other animals can get to the bottom of the cage. If you will notice in the pic of the box, that pen is 18" high and I've lost 4 birds in it within a year from them flushing from the neighbors dog!!

Also, 1 roo to 4-6 hens?? I don't agree with that either as my hatch rate drops off at the upper end of that ratio! I keep 1 to 3 ratio in 2' by 5' pens with 12 birds in them with no problems. I keep feed, water, and nesting boxes (made like little chicken nests) for them to hide in when one starts getting rough on them.