Keeping coturnix inside your house?

[PoultryParadise]

I am interested in keeping a few of my new Coturnix inside the house. What is the best mess free (or as little mess as possible) way anyone can think of. I was thinking of keeping 4 females and one male inside, and the rest outside. Would a rabbit cage work? Should they be on wire top to keep mess down? Does anyone else keep a few indoors over winter?
I just want eggs.

 

[Hooligan Farm]

All of mine are indoors. I have my Bachelor Mansion which has a wire floor and 4 hens and a male in a rabbit cage. In the rabbit cage I have pine shavings. The Frat House gets straw and both have a sand box.

 

[Robo]

If you are keeping a small number I would keep them in a wire rabbit cage with a drop pan like the ones they sell at TSC. You will have to change it quite often because quail have a high ammonia smell in their poop.

 

[Whitehouse Quail]

Where are you from? Coturnix do fine outdoors in VERY cold weather... mine are in a barn and it got down to 0* last night, and they are still kicking out the eggs!

 

[Robo]

Do you mean ice cubes?

 

[PoultryParadise]

Quote:
I'm up in canada. It will get down to -40 Celcius at night during part of the winter

 

[Wifezilla]

I had mine inside last winter. Not that Colorado winters are that bad, it's just that I bought them from a lady who had them in the basement. Wire cage with a tray worked well. I put shavings in the bottom of the tray to keep the odor down. Changed it once a day. I also bought them a chinchilla dusting hut to use for their dust bath. The LOVED it! I do prefer them outside, but it can be done indoors. If I ever did it again I would use some kind of guard along the bottom of the pen. Corrugated plastic would work. I have had tropical birds in the past and at least quail don't throw seeds at you!

 

[kingmt]

Quote:
They will through there feed everywhere though. Try to mount there feed on the outside of the pen so they don't play in it as much & keep the level well below the openings. I also use mash(not to wet) to help keep them from making a mess.

For poop control i have found that keeping them on wire & a tote with wood shavings & a little barn lime help greatly. if you can keep them from making a mess with there water(good luck) that will help greatly with the smell also. I use nipple waters that seems to do a better job after they learned to use them. The first few days with the nipple waters they drained almost all of it into the tote but now it seems to work great for them & I don't have soaked birds.

 

[PoultryParadise]

I would have never thought about nipple waterers for quail. I like the rabbit cage idea. I have one actually with a pull out drawer and a metal wire bottom.
I will definitly go with the idea about putting a few shavings in the pan, for poop smell. I think it may make it easier to clean as well.
I honestly can not come up with a good feeding option, that keeps them out of it. What about nesting areas. What has worked best for all of you?

 

[Whitehouse Quail]

Quote:
They will through there feed everywhere though. Try to mount there feed on the outside of the pen so they don't play in it as much & keep the level well below the openings. I also use mash(not to wet) to help keep them from making a mess.

For poop control i have found that keeping them on wire & a tote with wood shavings & a little barn lime help greatly. if you can keep them from making a mess with there water(good luck) that will help greatly with the smell also. I use nipple waters that seems to do a better job after they learned to use them. The first few days with the nipple waters they drained almost all of it into the tote but now it seems to work great for them & I don't have soaked birds.

What kind of nipples are they?