Newbie quail questions

[LindsayB]

I've been raising chickens for years and have been interested in quail for a while. I finally have the husband on board so I modified our old rabbit hutch into a quail pen. Its not very big, just 2 ft wide and 4 ft long. I was curious as to how many would fit comfortably in the pen and the ratio between males/females. We took out the solid floor and added small hardware cloth to the bottom. Do the hens need a nest box or do they just lay eggs on the wire? Here's some pics of the setup. If there's anything wrong please let me know. : )

 

[TwoCrows]

You could comfortably keep 4 or 5 Coturnix quail in there. 1 male, the rest females, or all females. If this hutch is kept outdoors, you might install a drop pan under the wire floor so nothing can reach up and grab toes at night, which happens a lot with quail. Would also catch poop that might attract predators and smell. Also the front would need some hardware cloth so that paws, snakes, mice and rats cannot enter. Quail don't reliably use nest boxes, however if you add some hay to the box, they might definitely use box and make a nest. A communal nest. Otherwise they lay them anywhere.

Other than that, it looks good!

 

[ggschulz]

Mine are spoiled and lay in a box of straw, but in theory they lay anywhere. I am going to try not to spoil the quail I have in the brooder now (2 1/2 weeks old) once they go out to lay. We will see how that works...

 

[LindsayB]

Well I just ordered 24 tuxedo coturnix eggs. : D it will probably be a while before they ship though BC of the cold. That will give me time to build a nice brooder. We'll see what hatches out of the batch and keep some for eggs and the others for the freezer. I'm excited!

 

[Redoliveberry]

Agree with TwoCrows, I would add a box or tray with hay or sand, so the birds can rest their feet from the wire if they need to. They will drop their eggs anywhere.

 

[LindsayB]

I planned on lining the inside area with straw so I hope they choose to lay their eggs in there. We'll see if they approve. I have to get the eggs and hatch them first. Do they like to dust bath like chickens?

 

[TwoCrows]

Yes, quail need to dust bath to keep their skin in good condition and keep the mites away. My quail dust bathe far more than my chickens. You can add a small tray with dirt or sand to bath in.

 

[owlett5]

I use a chinchilla dust house for mail quails to roll around in. I just throw a bit of diatamacous dust in with a bunch of their grit and leave it in there. Really helps keep the grit and dust from flying all over the place!

 

[TwoCrows]

I use a chinchilla dust house for mail quails to roll around in. I just throw a bit of diatamacous dust in with a bunch of their grit and leave it in there. Really helps keep the grit and dust from flying all over the place!

How CUTE! Great idea! But, be careful with DE. Only the tiniest amount is needed as it is very sharp and can cut the lungs of the birds. Use with caution for yourself as well and if you are puffing it around an area, always use a mask.

 

[phil666]

Where have you got your info from re: D E can be dangerous, i have read so much about DE,GOOD AND BAD,5 OR 6 Years ago i had my hole bird room fogged by a pest control company with 300 finches and canaries in the room at the time to try to stem an outbreak of redmite,never have i seen such a mess in my life,MAD you might say and now i tend to agree,not worried at the time because i had studied all the does and dont's and took the word of the operator trained by the company that sold the D E,TO CUT A LONG SHORT, It did no harm to the birds at all,BUT, The redmite well it never harmed them either,WHAT a complete waste of time and hard earned money,i have yet to see any proof about anything ever written about this ground down earth,and doubt i ever will.