Keeping coturnix and buttons together

[Seriph]

Is it possible to keep coturnix and button quail together? Here’s my problem. The past two nights I’ve had a skunk somehow get into my 6’ chainlink fence and then proceed to move pallets to get to my coturnix quail. Didn’t touch the chickens at all, or the button quail, just the coturnix. I’ve shot that skunk and we’ve put outta traps Incase of any others. What I want to do is move the quail to the front yard where the motion sensor lights are. I’m a very light sleeper so if the light doesn’t run them off it’ll wake me up and I can intervene.

This is the set up so far. I’m still adding a lot of stone to the bottom, potted plants here and there, wood pieces, planting three clematis vines for shade over the top, another T- post, and some other odds and ends. It’s 6’ high, the gate locks and latches top and bottom. Can the two quail coexist in this? Any suggestions of things to add or remove?
Should I wait to add the button quail until I raise up some more coturnix? I had one survivor of the massacre. The poor thing finally found us this afternoon while we were putting in posts. He literally sat on my shoe and wanted picked up. Not unusual since I hand raised them but he managed to find his way from wherever he was to us all the way in the front of the house. He seemed ok aside from hungry and thirsty so I put him in with the buttons to get him out of the sun. The males immediately started picking on him so I pulled him back out and he’s now in a Cat carrier in the house. Will this behavior continue in the new enclosure?

Please excuse the mess in the yard- we had several projects going this weekend. Thanks for any advice!

 

[le_bwah]

I can't speak to keeping the two species together (don't they have different flock sizes and behaviors?) but I know for a fact that skunks can squeeze through chain link, and can't see why they couldn't fit through chicken wire. The run looks like a great set up except for the fencing; I would seriously considering installing some hardware cloth around the bottom, maybe two feet up, to discourage predators like skunks. Also, any plans to add a roof or a wire skirt of some sort? So sorry about your birds, I hope your survivor gets along okay.

 

[DK newbie]

I wouldn't attempt to keep them together. The buttons attacked the cot because they are territorial - they would have attacked another button as well. There are ways to deal with territorial behaviour, but the real issue is that the coturnix likely won't accept the buttons long-term. They are small and look weak in his eyes - and weak birds should be chased away from the flock. If 'he' is actually a male, he might also try to breed any button females, and that would be very rough on them.
I'm not saying there is absolutely no way it will work, but I consider the risks too high.

 

[JaeG]

We've had to put a solid strip of wood all the way around our coturnix quail enclosure to stop rats grabbing the coturnix at night through the half inch hardware cloth. Coturnix like to sleep against the side of the cage for some reason, making them easy targets. Is there are roof going on your enclosure? I've had a coturnix quail flush and sail easily over a 6 ft fence into the neighbours place (he did come back). Buttons are even more athletic.

Female Cots with Buttons are ok with enough space (depending on their personalities - I had one female I had to remove because she didn't like the Buttons) but males create more activity in the group and your Buttons will be stressed sharing their space with the bigger birds so they won't breed/lay eggs.