New Quail

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

I got 2 new corturnix today! Yay! So I want to build them an enclosure...

1. Do they fly?

2. What would be good dimensions?

3. I think I am going to do frame with wire set on the ground so they can get in the dirt. Is this what most people do?





Thanks!

 

[Kwartel]

They are great fliers if they get the chance to spread their wings. I think 18 inches is considered good for a cage or hutch since it keeps them from building momentum. Otherwise, a 6 foot tall pen with a net top is generally the next option. Anything in between that lets them slam into the top pretty hard. I think 1 square foot per bird for floor space is also considered standard, but bigger is always better, especially if you end up getting more. I keep mine on dirt and they really seem to love it. They go inside their coop occasionally, but spend most of their time out in the pen.

 

[joe125]

The generally accepted rule for coturnix is 1 square foot of of floor space per bird, and more is better. The height is debatable, but it is my experience, that coturnix generate more inertia from their legs by jumping, than they generate by their wings, so any height pen is fine, but since they are ground dwellers, they will generally stay on the bottom of any height pen. They do not usually "perch" or roost the same way most birds and even most galiformes roost.

Yes they can fly! Some more/better than others, but if they can run away! They usually take that route.

All my quail are housed on wire, no less than 30 inches off the ground. Most people that raise quail/coturnix quail, don't let them contact the ground. This is for anti-parasite reasons. Both internal and external.

Pen design is a matter of preference, but I go for network standard dimensions. The wire I use is either 24 or 36 inches wide, so my pen dimensions follow that rule. Lumber is usually 8 feet long, so I live within that rule.
I would never build a pen that is 30 inches by 9 feet, because the waste of labor/materials to construct such an oddball pen is a waste of time and materials.

I would suggest, at least a 2'X2' pen at any height. Better yet, a 2'x4' pen, because you may want more of the suckers in the future