Is quail generally disease resistant?

[CSKA]

I have chicken and ducks now, and I am happier with ducks, for being much more resilient. Had several losses with chicken over time, while with ducks it seems like nothing affects them... they just roam around free, feed from grass and bugs with no health insurance needed.

How about quail? Are they vulnerable to disease? Is it common to have losses?

 

[Nabiki]

You do need to keep your biosecurity up. You don't want to mix your quail with other birds such as chickens because chickens may carry diseases that they are resistant to but quail are not.

I have never had an issue with disease in my quail, however.

 

[CSKA]

You do need to keep your biosecurity up. You don't want to mix your quail with other birds such as chickens because chickens may carry diseases that they are resistant to but quail are not.

I have never had an issue with disease in my quail, however.

Thank you for your answer? When you said "never had an issue", I assume you have quail for a long time (like years) and never had problems. Would it be possible to quantify how much was the timeline with no problems?

 

[Nabiki]

Thank you for your answer? When you said "never had an issue", I assume you have quail for a long time (like years) and never had problems. Would it be possible to quantify how much was the timeline with no problems?

I have been keeping quail for about five years now. I only recently got some chickens. The chickens are temporarily housed in my greenhouse where my quail are, but they are going to be moving out into a large run area in my yard soon.

If you're hatching your own birds, there is less chance of disease. If you get any from outside, make sure to keep them quarantined for at least two weeks before introducing them to your current covey.

You can't free range quail, so it is easier to keep up the biosecurity. Keep their pens clean, make sure that birds flying by can't poop into their pens, etc. If they're not exposed to diseases, they aren't going to get diseases.

I do keep my quail on the ground. I rotate them through my raised garden beds. Plant, harvest, put quail on, move quail off and let bed rest, repeat. While they're on the garden bed, hoe their poop under every 2-4 weeks depending on how many birds you have in your enclosure. I give mine about 2 square feet per bird.

 

[007Sean]

I have chicken and ducks now, and I am happier with ducks, for being much more resilient. Had several losses with chicken over time, while with ducks it seems like nothing affects them... they just roam around free, feed from grass and bugs with no health insurance needed.

How about quail? Are they vulnerable to disease? Is it common to have losses?

Adding to what @Nabiki has said, depends on which species of quail you are raising. Most people on this site raise Coturnix quail and most are hatched by them in incubators. As such, there is little worry of the quail contracting a disease but if raised with or in close proximity to chickens, ducks, geese, etc...the chances for contracting a disease goes way up.

Bobwhites are more susceptible to UE or Ulcerative Enteritus and Quail Bonchitus, than other species of quail, although other species can contract these diseases.
If you raise quail on wire, then you will have to watch out for "bumble foot" occurring.
If you develop sound, strict biosecurity procedures, there is less probabilities of your quail contracting a disease.