Is it legal to raise quail in my back yard?

[RobPS]

Forgive me if I've missed an important post on this... I'm a newbie and the only search I could find on this subject resulted in a very old 2009 post. I'm hoping to get some updated information from current members.

I live in Saline, MI (Pittsfield Twp) and am wondering if there are any restrictions against raising quail in my back yard (in an appropriate coop). I will not be selling eggs or birds--this is an adventure for myself and family. I hope to have enough quail to have eggs that we'll eat, but not sell. We may eat the birds eventually, though I don't know if I have the heart to do that (or if my kids and wife will permit!)

Are there some Saline, MI people on this forum who can help me understand if there are any restrictions, or what I need to do in order to embark legally?

 

[feedman77]

I'm not from Mi. but Mo.

if your raising cotournix it should not be any issue. they are not native birds.

Now if you raise bobwhites or gamebird species that are native to your state their could be some permitting involved.

in Mo. if we wanted to raise bobwhites or pheasant we have to have the minimum of a hobby permit which is for personal use only. up to 50 birds. permit is 10 dollars.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...ggbMAA&usg=AFQjCNGJl31pOvj4r57LGsxWT36ZB8xsDA

 

[RobPS]

Thanks for the link feedman77!

I'm definitely going to focus on cortournix, at least for now.

 

[lomine]

Your city's Ordinance Codes don't specifically say anything about quail (or birds, or livestock) but it does have this:

"The animal is of a type prohibited in the zoning district in which the owner's property is located; unless the owner has obtained a permit for keeping such animal pursuant to the zoning ordinance; or'

So, you'll need to check the laws for your zoning district.

 

[lomine]

Forgot to add...

 

[RobPS]

ok.. so this sounds prohibitive to me.. May I ask where you found it? And if you don't mind... how in the heck do I find such zoning information? I'm a pretty smart guy, but for the life of me I really don't have a clue on how to figure out even where to look for such regulations.

 

[RobPS]

Thanks again for this quote... you enabled me to locate some of the code online for my city (Saline, MI) and my township (Pittsfield) where I live.

I don't see any specific code seems to restrict backyard quail or chicken pens. The only code that may be triggered by Pittsfield, if I have cranky neighbors, is that if two different neighbors in my vicinity lodge complaints about animals, that can trigger action. The code appears to be targeted towards constant barking dogs, or other nuisance pet activity. I can appreciate that, and doubt that quail would be annoying--particularly where I'm thinking about locating their coop.

Friends--I am struggling to find solid plans or information that is specific to coops for quail. There's tons of info on chicken coops, but I've read enough to know that their requirements aren't the same, and I believe the coop designs would be different too. For example, the chicken coop designs that I've seen tend to have individual "boxes" for egg laying, but that doesn't seem to be the case for quail.

I have gone to the learning center on BYC about quail, and there's some good info there, but not a lot of detail. Is there a post where people have put up pictures of their QUAIL coops that I could browse through? Or... maybe just a discussion of the differences??

I'm handy with tools and lumber so I'd prefer to build my own coop. Just looking for things that I definitely should or should not do.

 

[feedman77]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/280575/show-me-your-quail-pens

several in here and lot of info.

 

[lomine]

Just for future reference to anyone else that might find this thread... I just googled the city and state name and animal laws. Usually that will bring up something, but not all cities have their codes online. You can also search ordinances or codes.

As far as noise, I had a batch of Coturnix I was growing out to butcher and the males would not stop crowing. Even in the middle of the night. Drove me crazy. However, my breeders don't make much noise at all. The males crowed a little when they were young and but now they don't crow at all. The females make a sweet chirping sound, a little like a cricket. If you get all female Coturnix you won't have to worry about noise. Stay away from Bobwhites. They are said to be very noisy.

Are you wanting an on the ground coop or an elevated one? I prefer on the ground as I think it is more natural and you don't have to worry about bumblefoot (can be a problem on wire bottom cages).

Some things to remember when planning your coop:
-At least 1 sq foot per bird (more is better).
-Keep it 1 foot or less tall or more than 4 feet. This is to minimize injuries from boinking.
-If you go with an elevated/wire bottom cage, provide a sand bath.
-Providing places to hide will make the quail much happier. Also helps them get out of the wind and weather if necessary. Also minimizes boinking becuase they would rather run for cover than fly straight up.
-Make sure you consider predators in your area that would want to eat the quail (i.e. pretty much everything) and take measures to guard against them. (Don't use chicken wire and make sure holes are small enough things can't stick their hands/paws through.)
-You don't need a nest box. They might use nest boxes but they are also just as likely to lay an egg in the middle of the cage.



Here is a picture of my quail coop/run just before I finished painting. The run is 16 ft long, 2 ft wide, and 1.5 ft tall. It's taller than it should be but three quarters of it has pine branches they can hide under so I haven't had any problems with boinking. The coop is also 2 ft wide but I don't remember how long. It was just made from siding I had left from my chicken coop build. The entire run in covered in 1/2 in hardware cloth. There is also a 1 foot skirt of cloth going all the way around, including around the coop. You can see it along the front were I hadn't finished covering it in mulch. It is held down with landscape staples but there are also large rocks all around to help hold it.

I currently have 15 quail in here. I have 2 males, 10 females and 3 unknowns. The unknowns are tuxedos I grew from my last batch. Breeding season was well over by the time they were mature enough to vent sex so I'll have to wait till spring to see if any of them are male. Extra males will be culled.

 

[RobPS]

Thank you so much for all of this useful information!! With regard to elevate or not... My current thoughts were to use the elevated sort of cage for the following reasons:

1. Elevated coops seem safer for the birds in terms of predators. Not full-proof, but safer.
2. Elevated coops with the wire-cloth bottoms allows the poop to kind of self-clean. I realize that I'll have to scrub it occasionally, but I'm not sure how often.
3. Elevated coops would be easier for tending to the birds, feeding, watering, egg collection (hopefully!) because everything is closer to eye level, and you don't have to remain bent over.
4. I think they look nicer too..

On the other hand, there's the bubblefoot problem, and I'm sure the birds would like walking on earth more. I was hoping to reduce the bumblefoot by having an enclosed "house" (nestbox I guess is the proper term) section that is not the wire floor, but I don't know if the birds will utilize that space enough to offset the bumblefoot. And having a solid floor in the "house" section represents a cleaning challenge.

Decisions, decisions! I will likely analyze this to death!