new to quail

[chansman]

Ok, So my 12 y/o son talked me into letting him get some Coturnix. We got that chick-n-hutch from TSC and a trio of Texas A&M's. One actually laid an egg in the box on the way home.
Question; I am assuming the hens are missing some feathers near their rear end due to mating like chickens. That sound right? What kind of housing due they need? And do they need bedding in the house?

Thanks,

JG

 

[Robo]

Quote:
Yes, the loss of feather's is from mating. Do you know what sex they are? I would rip out all of the wire bigger than 1/2 inch. Then put some 1/2 inch hardware cloth over it. They will be fine on beddiing but less work with wire.

 

[mhwc56]

Quote:
What you have are Coturnix...there really aren't any more"Texas A&M"s ,which were just bigger than pharoah size white coturnix. Coturnix come in several colors. A good site to go to for info and pics is Stellargamebirdfarm.com
Average ratio is 1 rooster to a minimum of 3 but better 4-6 hens so the roo doesn't wear the hen to a frazzle breeding. They are covey birds. They require approximately 1 square foot space for each bird.
They are best on 1/2" hardware cloth as well as ALL AROUND as they can be pulled through bigger wire by opossum,coons,rats, etc. NOT a pretty thing to find first thing in the morning when you go out to feed.
For feed you need to give them 28-30 % UNmedicated Gamebird crumbles from "hatch to dispatch" as they say,in other words,all their lives.
To keep them laying through shorter daylight hours they need about 14 hours of light. A lot of people on here just string up the LED Christmas lights for the added lighting as it's inexpensive,etc.
have fun!

O ! and WELCOME !

 

[chansman]

It's a male and two females. The wire on the bottom looks like it's working for their feet and the sides have optional wooden guards. I need to do something a little better for them to get in though...right now it's bucket with a doorway...lol

 

[Stellar]

I use a few of those chicken hutches myself and staple hardware cloth over the other wire. Snakes like to enter and so the smaller wire helps. I keep the wire floor on too. I should mention my hutches are kept indoors, the reason for the smaller wire is for snakes but also the nasty opposums and racoons. Also bolt that egg door in back

My coturnix figured out how to open it and get out. Also an easy access for predators. Personal experience

Also I put a kitty litter pan in there so they rest their feet a bit...they lay their eggs in there too

 

[chansman]

Thanks for all the help! The kids and the dogs love them...lol! I'll post pictures later.

 

[mhwc56]

we are always happy to see pictures...

 

[Fat Daddy]

I like the looks of the chick-n-hutch set up... But you need 2 to 4 more hens if its possible, hes gonna be rough on just 2 hens.... I had 1 roo with 9 hens for 2 months and still had 2 bald hens. Egg fertility was great too. Coturnix roos are active!! Hope it works out for you and your son. Im sure you'll both enjoy them once your set up. Bill

 

[chansman]

Yeah, I am going to find a couple more hens for sure.