How much ventilation do coturnix quail need in their "coop"

[rcstanley]

I'm new to coturnix / Japanese quail and have been diligently (over) researching. One thing I haven't found the answer to is how much ventilation do quail need? I know chickens in their coops need 1 square foot of ventilation per bird. Is there a similar number for quail? How high above their heads should a vent be so they don't get a draft on them?

I'm in the planning stages for a quail pen. I'm balancing a couple of different requirements, mine and the birds Here's my current plan: I want to build a 12in h x 2ft w x 4ft L outside quail pen. This would let me comfortably keep a male and four females. I could build this out of one piece of plywood, which would keep my costs low since I don't know if I like quail My current plan is to have the roof, floor, back and sides be plywood. My understanding is that quail feel safer if they are covered on three sides. Part of the front (about 12 - 18 inches) would also be covered with plywood to give them a place to get out of the rain / snow / wind. The rest of the front would be hardware cloth.

Would this be sufficient light and ventilation for them or do I need to add some vents on the sides or back as well?

 

[CapricornFarm]

Hi, i enjoyed having quail until i had to sell them and move. I like how calm the Coturnix are compared to the button quail i had. I always built my quail houses with wire bottoms and put in a small tray of sand for them to enjoy. I never had to add ventilation because of the wire floors and doors. We lived in TN at the time, and they did just fine. Good luck with your flock. Hope this helps

 

[dpenning]

I built something similar to what you are describing. I originally just had the front made of hardware cloth but it seemed too dark so I cut a window at each side (I have two sid by side). Seems to be working as they started laying at 6.5 weeks!

I'm new to coturnix / Japanese quail and have been diligently (over) researching. One thing I haven't found the answer to is how much ventilation do quail need? I know chickens in their coops need 1 square foot of ventilation per bird. Is there a similar number for quail? How high above their heads should a vent be so they don't get a draft on them?

I'm in the planning stages for a quail pen. I'm balancing a couple of different requirements, mine and the birds Here's my current plan: I want to build a 12in h x 2ft w x 4ft L outside quail pen. This would let me comfortably keep a male and four females. I could build this out of one piece of plywood, which would keep my costs low since I don't know if I like quail My current plan is to have the roof, floor, back and sides be plywood. My understanding is that quail feel safer if they are covered on three sides. Part of the front (about 12 - 18 inches) would also be covered with plywood to give them a place to get out of the rain / snow / wind. The rest of the front would be hardware cloth.

Would this be sufficient light and ventilation for them or do I need to add some vents on the sides or back as well?

 

[rcstanley]

Thanks. I had wondered if it might be too dark in there. I'll add in a window.

 

[dpenning]

Thanks. I had wondered if it might be too dark in there. I'll add in a window.

To be fair mine is under a tree and in a 10 x 10 dog kennel with a cover so you may be ok. I kept the cutouts so I can pop them back in in the winter