I'm totally new here!

[Chickincredible]

Hi everyone! My neighborhood doesn't allow me to have chickens but quail- a whole different story! I have a slightly major chicken obsession and I want to learn more about quail if I'm thinking about getting some. First of all, does anyone know how many quail you need or if they can be solitary? What type of housing do you need and do they need nesting boxes or make their own nests? Thanks!

 

[BackYardQuail]

Welcome to BYC!

Lol that is the same reason why I got into quail, my neighborhood only allows 4 hens and no roosters... What kind of rule is that?

Anyways, a lot of people recommend pretty small cages with wire bottoms so that it will be easier to clean. By small I mean 3'Wx6'Lx2'H and raised off the ground a little so that no snakes rats mice can't get in along with "creepy crawlers".

Different breeds require different coop measurements. I keep brown/white/golden Coturnix quail and they need at least 1 square foot each. If you want them to be very happy give them 2 square feet each. Also if you keep less than 10 females with 2 or more males, the males WILL FIGHT TO THE DEATH. I suggest a ratio of 1 male to 7 females (which is how I keep them). Also if you plan on keeping a small amount of quail in each cage I would keep no less than 3 females and no more than 1 male.

Coturnix quail don't really nest they just lay eggs where ever they are standing when they need to lay, but I do keep a little coop in their aviary just for them to go in at night if they need to.

If you end up buying quail (which I suggest you do because their eggs are delicious!) make sure you make them feel as comfortable as possible like putting in a small box of sand in their cage for them to dust bathe, putting some leaves and grass into their cage too, but most importantly they LOVE live meal worms. If you have more questions feel free to ask!

 

[Chickincredible]

Thank you so much! Quail are definitely unique and it'd be great to get a few! (Plus you get to think about all of those delicious eggs!)

 

[BackYardQuail]

Thank you so much! Quail are definitely unique and it'd be great to get a few! (Plus you get to think about all of those delicious eggs!)

You're welcome.

The eggs are delicious to me because they taste a little different than chicken eggs and I have eaten so many chicken eggs through out my life that I cannot stand them anymore. So you might think quail eggs taste the same as chicken eggs or that they are gross etc. But I will always love them, well at least until I get another 50 quail can when I get 50 more I'll be getting around 45 eggs a day Lol.

 

[Chickincredible]

Oh! I just thought about another question. Do quail have a lot of fun personality or do they like to interact with you?

 

[streetmutt]

I'm new to quail too

Quail are much more skittish than chickens, from my experience so far. But my quail are so ****** spoiled now from bringing them treats frequently (meal worms) that they will practically jump into my hand now. But unlike chickens, they just don't seem to settle or enjoy being held and groomed. With my chickens I used to pick pin feathers and fawn all over them, but I'm learning that while my quail will take treats from me and seem quite intelligent, they just don't like cuddling with me (or maybe it's me?).

And they are intelligent. They figured out my rabbit waterers in a jiffy. They puzzle things out, but not enough to get themselves into trouble. I can leave the door open to their coop and they seem to have no desire to come out unless I have treats in hand.

On your nesting box question, no not necessary. Quail lay eggs wherever, but usually in their sand boxes or a favorite soft corner.

I wouldn't keep them by themselves. I keep my quail in groups of 3-5. I have three adult roosters (actually thought I had two and discovered today that I have three; he's with two hens and another rooster and they've been living together happily for 4 weeks now). I have been doing one rooster for 3 hens. But I have one very skittish rooster with two hens (he doesn't bother them too much), and the two roos that accidentally live together are both upstanding gentlemen. They feed their hens (and then while they are munching on the treat they gave them, they mount them) and they have been very good with each other. I don't recommend this. It was an accident, but now that it has happened and they are OK, I'm not messing with it. I've also kept young roosters together that grew up together in "bachelor" bands ... they were young enough to hump and hurt my young hens, but not old enough to harvest yet, so I let them grow together and while they humped each other a bit, they didn't fight since there were no hens to fight over (kind of the same concept can be applied to stallions ... I'm a horse person lol).

The biggest thing I've learned with quail: if a living arrangement works, don't mess with success. Don't try to introduce adult quail to each other or even young adult quail in with less-young adults. It's best to set up the micro flock how you want it while they are all still youngish. They aren't like chickens where they will establish a pecking order and be done with it. They will murder the introduced quail (I almost lost one due to my ignorance).

Here is my pen (unfinished in photo with bottom doors not on). We call it the Quaility Inn

 

[Chickincredible]

Thank you so much for your help! I'm really interested in getting quail. And wow! what a nice coop! I'd be proud to say that was mine but, it isn't. Hopefully I might be able to have a cool quail coop in the nearby future!

 

[BackYardQuail]

I'm new to quail too Quail are much more skittish than chickens, from my experience so far. But my quail are so ****** spoiled now from bringing them treats frequently (meal worms) that they will practically jump into my hand now. But unlike chickens, they just don't seem to settle or enjoy being held and groomed. With my chickens I used to pick pin feathers and fawn all over them, but I'm learning that while my quail will take treats from me and seem quite intelligent, they just don't like cuddling with me (or maybe it's me?). And they are intelligent. They figured out my rabbit waterers in a jiffy. They puzzle things out, but not enough to get themselves into trouble. I can leave the door open to their coop and they seem to have no desire to come out unless I have treats in hand. On your nesting box question, no not necessary. Quail lay eggs wherever, but usually in their sand boxes or a favorite soft corner. I wouldn't keep them by themselves. I keep my quail in groups of 3-5. I have three adult roosters (actually thought I had two and discovered today that I have three; he's with two hens and another rooster and they've been living together happily for 4 weeks now). I have been doing one rooster for 3 hens. But I have one very skittish rooster with two hens (he doesn't bother them too much), and the two roos that accidentally live together are both upstanding gentlemen. They feed their hens (and then while they are munching on the treat they gave them, they mount them) and they have been very good with each other. I don't recommend this. It was an accident, but now that it has happened and they are OK, I'm not messing with it. I've also kept young roosters together that grew up together in "bachelor" bands ... they were young enough to hump and hurt my young hens, but not old enough to harvest yet, so I let them grow together and while they humped each other a bit, they didn't fight since there were no hens to fight over (kind of the same concept can be applied to stallions ... I'm a horse person lol). The biggest thing I've learned with quail: if a living arrangement works, don't mess with success. Don't try to introduce adult quail to each other or even young adult quail in with less-young adults. It's best to set up the micro flock how you want it while they are all still youngish. They aren't like chickens where they will establish a pecking order and be done with it. They will murder the introduced quail (I almost lost one due to my ignorance). Here is my pen (unfinished in photo with bottom doors not on). We call it the Quaility Inn

Do you have Coturnix quail? Because I know for a fact that only Coturnix don't nest, others like button do. Also you should watch out for those 2 males, just have another pen ready if one hurts the other.

Oh! I just thought about another question. Do quail have a lot of fun personality or do they like to interact with you?

My quail hate me, even if I walk up to he cage they see me and run to the other side lol.

 

[streetmutt]

Yes sorry I should have said I have coturnix and am only speaking on my very new experience with them. And I'm keeping an eye on them now that I know. I have a solution, and it isn't another pen #fillingupthefreezer

 

[BackYardQuail]

Yes sorry I should have said I have coturnix and am only speaking on my very new experience with them. And I'm keeping an eye on them now that I know. I have a solution, and it isn't another pen #fillingupthefreezer

I agree with that solution (just make sure you pick the one that did the pecking). I just didn't know if they were pets of meat birds so I always tell people to separate them.

Also if you cull the one being pecked, your hens are at risk of being pecked too so I suggest you cull the one that will be doing the pecking.