Quail and Chickens question..

[Its ME]

hello all! I’ve currently got chickens on my property in the back yard (which is the only flat place in our whole property since we live on a use to be mine) and I want to get into game birds and I know chickens make them sick so I was wondering if I could set up a pen in the front yard right by the driveway which is around 200 Meters from the chicken coops to have quail in (coturnix if that makes any difference) we also have ducks so I have to wear boots out to the pens but I will have another pair in a different building for when I go out to the quail pens. Would this even be possible to do or will the quail end up dying because of the chickens? I know I’m going to have to sanitize everything that has been around the chickens if it needs to go near the quail.

Thanks

 

[Erkenstein]

Don't worry about it. Your biosecurity sounds more than adequate. You can also make sure to feed the quail first so you're not handling chicken feeders before quail feeders.

 

[Its ME]

Don't worry about it. Your biosecurity sounds more than adequate. You can also make sure to feed the quail first so you're not handling chicken feeders before quail feeders.

Ok thank you! I’ve had people tell me to never keep game birds and chickens on the same piece of land so I wanted to get my facts straight before I did anything.

 

[Erkenstein]

I have chickens, ducks, and quail in the same backyard with no problems so far.

 

[Its ME]

That’s good to know!

 

[lomine]

I also have chickens, ducks, and quail on the same property. As my quail are growing out I have them in a cage on the dirt floor of the barn. The chicken/duck coop is also in the barn. At my old property and in their current run, the chickens and ducks can go right up next to them. The quail have been exposed to both dander and poop. I also use feeders and waters interchangeably with just vinigar cleanings as needed. i have not experienced any illness in my quail yet.
It may be different for quail that are kept in wire bottom cages that don’t have a well built immune system.

 

[007Sean]

Ok thank you! I’ve had people tell me to never keep game birds and chickens on the same piece of land so I wanted to get my facts straight before I did anything.

Those people are who told you that were absolutely correct!
Chickens can have disease's that they can tolerate but will kill gamebirds.
BIOSECURITY is paramount when raising gamebirds. As @Erkenstein and @lomine said, they haven't had any problems, yet? The key word there is yet!
It's a ticking time bomb, may not happen today, tomorrow or a year or two but eventually, it will...better to be safe and not have to deal with the consequences.

Just my 2cents

 

[lomine]

Could it happen? Yes. Will it absolutely happen? No. No one could say with absolute certainty that it will happen. My quail are just as likely to catch something from the wild birds. Unless I want to raise them indoors in their own biosecure bubble then they are being exposed to one thing or another.

In all the forum posts I’ve ever read where a quail actually contracted something from a chicken, the quail were kept in wire bottom cages and usually accidently exposed to a chicken. They were never exposed to dirt or anything that would challenge their immune system. I’m not saying it’s the only time it’s happened but I personally think it’s a large part of the problem. It’s kind of like getting chicken chicks on your
own soil to expose them to coccidiosis is small amounts so they came build an immunity to it.

There is a risk in how I do things. As far as I am personally concerned, it’s a small risk. There is also a risk is free ranging my birds but I put that risk in comparison to the life they get to live. Also, my birds are very much for my enjoyment, not just eggs or money from sales, so I took that into account. Constantly worrying about what shoes I’m wearing into which coop and in which order would take a lot of the fun out of it.

I’m not trying to sway anyone either way. I know there are diseases chickens have that can harm or even kill quail; I’m not disputing that. I just think it’s important to share another perspective. Each person has to decide for themselves how they want to raise their quail and what they think is best for both them and the quail.

 

[Erkenstein]

Yes more biosecurity is always best. I don't have any chickens walking around next to the quail pens. I have quail off the ground far enough away from the chicken run that they probably won't transmit anything, but I would have them farther away if it were feasible. The main risk in my situation, according to the reading I've done, would be flies traveling from pen to pen and carrying something along. So, I clean the litter trays regularly and keep the flies down.

The OP's situation is 200m from pen to pen, so I definitely wouldn't worry about it.