Overcrowding quail or mixing breeds

[aprophet]

I will post a few more links I think the reason for the 12" or less was so they would'nt jump up . you won't believe the size cage that is recommended for a pair / trio group I am on my way out now will post the link later

 

[Prettiest Frog]

Quote:
NOT NECESSARILY.... Depends on the birds and the sexes mix. But as a general rule(NOT AN ABSOLUTE RULE...) 1 sq ft per bird with coturnix. Most of my breeder pens are 4 sq ft but they house 1 roo and 4 hens without any problems/ pecking/ squabbles. Technically thats 25% over crowded, but because of the sex mix it works fine..... So there can be variables.

Considering I've had hens attack each other before, I wouldn't do it.

I will post a few more links I think the reason for the 12" or less was so they would'nt jump up .

That's not the part I was objecting too. They simply don't have enough floor space in a cage that size.




Tux died during the night. We think he simply went into shock, and there isn't a lot available to treat that in a bird other than keep him safe and warm and hope he pulls through.​

 

[worldling]

Quote:
NOT NECESSARILY.... Depends on the birds and the sexes mix. But as a general rule(NOT AN ABSOLUTE RULE...) 1 sq ft per bird with coturnix. Most of my breeder pens are 4 sq ft but they house 1 roo and 4 hens without any problems/ pecking/ squabbles. Technically thats 25% over crowded, but because of the sex mix it works fine..... So there can be variables.

The 1 square foot per bird rule is a general guideline. I fudge it all the time. As JJMR794 suggests, it really depends on the birds and sex mix. I do the 4 square foot pens and put 1 roo to 3 to 4 hens in there. I even have a double stuffed 2x2 with 2 roos and 6 hens, but I don't recommend that setup. It's working for me right now, but anything can happen.

 

[aprophet]

another bit of info from TAM

http://gallus.tamu.edu/library/extpublications/jpquail.pdf

http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/Avian/Coturnix.pdf

http://www.google.com/books?id=zmsr...e=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false

the last is a google book I have been reading off and on thanks so much for all the info you all have provided . I am just trying to start out on the right foot is all .

I thought this pretty intresting as well

http://web.me.com/aophir/Lab/Publications_files/ophir2005JCP.pdf

 

[Prettiest Frog]

20 square inches is less than a quarter of a square foot per bird. While you might be able to get away with 4 hens and a roo in a 2'x2' pen, putting that same number of birds into a 1'x1' pen (the size your article would suggest) is just asking for sick, unhealthy, unhappy, cannibalistic birds. No wonder that article claims a life expectancy of a year.

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
Is 12" X 12"still a square foot ? so 20"X 20" is a little bigger then 1 1/2 sq ft?? 18" X 18" acording to the articles and a few others I have asked their laying drops off after about 6-8 months I will probally cull those any way I was trying to compare what is done among breeders and what the articles state thanks for your advice

http://www.thatquailplace.com/quail/coturnix/coturn4.htm

I found this intresting as well I have been reading through these as I find them.

It might be me reading it wrong I see 20" square not 20sq inches HTH

 

[Prettiest Frog]

20 square inches is a space about 4" x 5", (4x5=20). A quarter of a square foot is a space 6" by 6" which translates to 36 square inches. A square foot is the equivalent of 144 square inches, or 12x12=144.

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
NOT NECESSARILY.... Depends on the birds and the sexes mix. But as a general rule(NOT AN ABSOLUTE RULE...) 1 sq ft per bird with coturnix. Most of my breeder pens are 4 sq ft but they house 1 roo and 4 hens without any problems/ pecking/ squabbles. Technically thats 25% over crowded, but because of the sex mix it works fine..... So there can be variables.

The 1 square foot per bird rule is a general guideline. I fudge it all the time. As JJMR794 suggests, it really depends on the birds and sex mix. I do the 4 square foot pens and put 1 roo to 3 to 4 hens in there. I even have a double stuffed 2x2 with 2 roos and 6 hens, but I don't recommend that setup. It's working for me right now, but anything can happen.

So a 4 sq ft pen would be 2' X 2' by what ever you made it high ? or 1' by 4 ' ? thanks

 

[Goldlaced_Girl]

I have a cage of four mature Coturnix roosters, about 3'L by 2'W by 3'H in y basement for the winter. As long as they can't hear any females, they're fine

they have full light and everything.. the guy I got them from sold them to me like that, all together, so they're probably hatchmates. I have four Partridge Bantam roosters together too, along with two hamburg roosters. The hamburgs are hatchmates as well as the bantams and they only have the occasional face-off, but have never hurt each other. just staring

. None of our whole flock are even slightly plucked. I guess it's something about the air up here

Hope your little guy makes a quick 'n easy recovery!

just so I don't get flamed, my quail flock are in a HUGE pen in spring/summer/fall, probably a whole lot bigger than it needs to be!

 

[peewee]

I am very sorry to hear about Tux. I was hoping that he would pull threw. Those little buggers can really be quite mean.