Newbie-- bobwhite quail for eggs? Housing?

[Monkeybean415]

Hello. I would love some advice. I'm looking at getting 3 (1 male, 2 females) 1.5 year old bobwhite quail from someone local. Would I get an ok amount of eggs from them? What type/size of coop do I want? I think they're just on wire right now but haven't seen them yet. Most of the info I've found is about hatching, breeding and raising chicks. I don't think we plan to breed them really just want them for eggs so what advice do you have for me for raising and keeping them? I have chickens and would need to put them within the electric fence to keep bears away. We also have to worry about ermine too. Thank you for any information you can give me.

 

[Binki]

Hello are these coturnix quail?

If so, 2 females to 1 male usually means the girls are getting injured/feather loss from over mating in the breeding season - usually at least 4 hens to a roo and I've heard of people having ten hens to one roo with no loss in fertility

You have to protect them from rain and wind as they will not coop at night/in bad weather like chickens will

Use hardware cloth half an inch or smaller (I like 1/4 inch so no mice worries) so no ermine can get in.

You probably want a soft or netting underneath your roof since you seem to have ample predators so flushing and hitting their heads would be a concern.

I recommend against wire - predators can chew off toes, are attracted to the poo platter, it stinks more than bedding, it's dangerous for your quails feet they could get cut and get bumblefoot and the poo has to get mashed through and soaking and scrubbing poop wire doesn't sound easier than rolling up some newspaper with wood shavings on top.

The quail also adore dustbathing in wood shavings almost as much as in a sand bath. I also give them corners of hay which they pick at and sometimes make nests in/lay their eggs there. I also sprinkle some finch seed mix in their shavings so they have something to do/forage behaviour

Think more like a rabbit hutch than a chicken coop. Most quail will do nicely sloped ramps/enjoy shelves to jump onto ^^

 

[Monkeybean415]

I'm running out the door but I should have mentioned in my post that they are bobwhite.

 

[Monkeybean415]

So I'm reading little bits here and there about them. Can I not put them on the ground where the chickens have been? Will some diseases spread? I see what you meant about more a rabbit hutch type of housing. Do they need space to fly around?

 

[Binki]

I'm sorry, I don't have experience with bobwhite quail but I do see some keepers put big pine boughs in their runs and they love it ^^ I'm not sure if they like to perch/fly :O