How many Coturnix can fit and setup questions?

enigmachick

Chirping
Apr 29, 2020
72
64
81
Central Illinois
So, we have ordered eggs and are excitedly hoping to start keeping quail (Coturnix, for fun & eggs). We have purchased a coop that is not often used for quail, it's actually for chickens/guinea pigs but hopefully it will work (pictured below). We ordered 25 eggs and the coop itself is about 6 square feet and the run is about 10 square feet. I am wondering how many will be comfortable in here? I know all will likely not hatch and a few males may have to be culled. I have read anywhere from 1 quail per sqft to 4...I want them to be happy and healthy, but one thing is we have raccoons and I think we will probably have to put them in the coop at night so keeping that in mind, how many do you think would be happy in there?

We're planning on putting a second door in the side of the run so we can reach in anywhere for eggs/cleaning. Am I missing anything I should be thinking about? We are planning on building a raised bed over concrete with either sand or deep litter for the run and bedding inside the coop.

Also, should the food and water be kept inside the coop or in the run (especially if they sleep in the coop at night?). Thank you so much!

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So, we have ordered eggs and are excitedly hoping to start keeping quail (Coturnix, for fun & eggs). We have purchased a coop that is not often used for quail, it's actually for chickens/guinea pigs but hopefully it will work (pictured below). We ordered 25 eggs and the coop itself is about 6 square feet and the run is about 10 square feet. I am wondering how many will be comfortable in here? I know all will likely not hatch and a few males may have to be culled. I have read anywhere from 1 quail per sqft to 4...I want them to be happy and healthy, but one thing is we have raccoons and I think we will probably have to put them in the coop at night so keeping that in mind, how many do you think would be happy in there?

We're planning on putting a second door in the side of the run so we can reach in anywhere for eggs/cleaning. Am I missing anything I should be thinking about? We are planning on building a raised bed over concrete with either sand or deep litter for the run and bedding inside the coop.

Also, should the food and water be kept inside the coop or in the run (especially if they sleep in the coop at night?). Thank you so much!

View attachment 2853868View attachment 2853869
I recommend keeping water outside, and food inside, that way no racoons or anything could get the food from the outside and such. Also, maybe upgrade it a smidge, just a thought! (Like the nesting area if possible) i think 3 maybe could, but i dont know, it looks a tad small in the nesting area for them
 
Best rule is at least one square foot per bird. Remember to subtract space used by hiding places, feeders, waterers, and sand baths.

The people who put more than that in a pen are usually breeders looking for meat and not worrying about the happiness of their birds.
 
I would say that you might also want to consider wrapping the run in a smaller mesh, as it looks like the holes might be big enough for a quail head to stick through? And make sure there are lots of places for them to hide - which as @Nabiki mentioned means you need to subtract that space from your total. Was there a number you were hoping to keep? I've had my quail for only about 3 weeks, and I built their aviary to suit the number I wanted, rather than having the aviary and fitting only the number of quail into it that I could, if that makes sense?
 
It's hard to gauge from the picture, but the mesh should have holes no larger than 1/2" x 1/2". Be sure to add an apron under the run as well: both predators and quail can dig. Better safe than sorry. There are too many sad tales on this forum of losing birds.
 
I’ve seen the omlet products at a local 4 h fair. The spacing is wide enough that mice and rats can get inside. I just had unprecedented flooding in my area, and it pushed rats into the neighborhood, there was a gap of about 3/4 to 1 inch in the doors of my 2 large adult pens, and I lost over 25 birds. Rats will murder your birds for the joy of murdering them. I only had 3 of my precious celadons left, and I lost all of my snowie celadons that I worked on for a year. You will need to wrap the entire run in half inch hardware cloth, even the floor panel. To be honest, it would be cheaper for you to build a pen out of hardware cloth and attach it to a waterproof bin. Cut an entry hole in the bin and voila. If a rat can fit it’s head thru, it can contort the rest of its body to fit thru too. Rule of thumb is that a mouse can fit thru a hole the size of a dime, and a rat can fit thru a hole the size of a quarter. Juvenile rats can fit thru a hole the size of a nickel.
 
I'm super paranoid about coop security. To prevent entry through the gap of the door, I secured a surplus vertical blind to the opening. Any long piece of material should suffice though. Entries have some give to them and are enough for predators to squeeze through. I've seen mice get in and help themselves to food, but they're not a danger to the birds the way rats are.

Depending on where you live, you may have other types of sneaky predators like snakes. Hawaii doesn't have those, but I would think they can get into spaces that rats could as well.

Can't remember who uses cinder blocks around the perimeter of the run, but that's also a great option for the base. It makes it hard for animals to dig under and I think they put plants in the openings for shade, appearance and to make the quail feel secure.

If you're building a raised bed on concrete specifically for the quail run, perhaps you can put a raised edge that fits around it so predators can't dig in and quail can't dig out. Or at least you can design a system to surround it with posts and wire.

I'm trying to be as frank as possible. Quail are a really good small space choice for poultry so I also want to be encouraging. I never imagined that I would continue raising them, but I love the way they fit into the total picture of sustainability.

You'll have fun with them, but a little caution will make the fun stretch further.
 
I would say that you might also want to consider wrapping the run in a smaller mesh, as it looks like the holes might be big enough for a quail head to stick through? And make sure there are lots of places for them to hide - which as @Nabiki mentioned means you need to subtract that space from your total. Was there a number you were hoping to keep? I've had my quail for only about 3 weeks, and I built their aviary to suit the number I wanted, rather than having the aviary and fitting only the number of quail into it that I could, if that makes sense?
I just saw on another thread some grass huts that are very tiny and I think would be perfect hidey holes for them! When we bought the coop we were planning on maybe half a dozen but I could only get 25 eggs (the farm didn't have a lower number) and I have a feeling we may get attached to more than I initially planned. 😳
 
It's hard to gauge from the picture, but the mesh should have holes no larger than 1/2" x 1/2". Be sure to add an apron under the run as well: both predators and quail can dig. Better safe than sorry. There are too many sad tales on this forum of losing birds.
This run has a wire bottom (to keep rabbits/Guinea Pigs from digging out) that I think is WAY too big holed. That's a concern I have as well...I might need to put a finer mesh underneath but I also didn't want to stifle their ability to scratch around on the sand/litter etc. I was thinking maybe nothing would burrow under there but now that I'm thinking about it digging through some sand underneath and crawling in doesn't sound hard at all for a weasel or rat ☹️
 
I’ve seen the omlet products at a local 4 h fair. The spacing is wide enough that mice and rats can get inside. I just had unprecedented flooding in my area, and it pushed rats into the neighborhood, there was a gap of about 3/4 to 1 inch in the doors of my 2 large adult pens, and I lost over 25 birds. Rats will murder your birds for the joy of murdering them. I only had 3 of my precious celadons left, and I lost all of my snowie celadons that I worked on for a year. You will need to wrap the entire run in half inch hardware cloth, even the floor panel. To be honest, it would be cheaper for you to build a pen out of hardware cloth and attach it to a waterproof bin. Cut an entry hole in the bin and voila. If a rat can fit it’s head thru, it can contort the rest of its body to fit thru too. Rule of thumb is that a mouse can fit thru a hole the size of a dime, and a rat can fit thru a hole the size of a quarter. Juvenile rats can fit thru a hole the size of a nickel.
That clinches it, I'll definitely look into wrapping the whole run with hardware cloth then (I have read your thread about your birds, I'm so sorry that must have been devastating 😩). My son is desirous to have responsibility of the quails and he is very concerned for their comfort and safety, I know he will likely learn some sad lessons as some may not make it but we've talked about animal stewardship and I think he is ready 👍🏻

I've been toying with the idea of building a tight pvc and hardware cloth "aviary" that goes entirely around their raised bed home to:
1. Keep vermin away from them entirely (hopefully)
2. Provide a full rain shelter roof
3. Prevent young children attempting to care for them from accidentally losing some when they open doors

Does that seem nuts? I can tell this project is already growing beyond my initial expectations 😂
 
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