I have a quail that showed up to my coop...help!!

[Rcole18]

I have a quail that randomly showed up at my coop....and hasn't left in over 2 weeks. She is eating and drinking fine and stays in the yard with my girls during the day. She has stayed inside a few nights when I closed them in but I can't force her to go in at night (she's a little skittish). I have added a crate with straw for her to nest in at night in the closed in yard, so at least she is safe from predators. I feel like she needs a proper structure out there....since it seems she's decided to stay. What type of structure do they need? TIA

 

[Nabiki]

What kind of quail?

If it's a wild quail, you probably shouldn't do anything. If it's a domestic quail, if you want to keep it, you will need companions. Quail are social. You will also need to think about food and housing since they have different housing and feed requirements than chickens.

 

[Rcole18]

What kind of quail?

If it's a wild quail, you probably shouldn't do anything. If it's a domestic quail, if you want to keep it, you will need companions. Quail are social. You will also need to think about food and housing since they have different housing and feed requirements than chickens.

I'm not familiar with quail but it isn't wild. I did a Google image search and it was identified as a Coturnix quail. What I need to know is what type of housing do I need for her? She's been eating mealworm, sunflower seed and Kalmbach feed. What are their feed requirements?

 

[Nabiki]

Coturnix quail are definitely domestic. I would start with the articles here. You will find articles on housing, basic care, and what to feed them. I hope these help, but if you still have questions after going through a few of them (most of them are quite short), feel free to ask.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/quail.32/

 

[CliftonQuail]

If it's coturnix, it's going to want some quail companions. Do you know if any of your neighbors raise quail? It's possible she's an escapee from someone nearby.