Quail Coop and Aviary Questions

[Thefishman320]

My wife and I are talking about getting quail, most likely regular size Coturnix. I've been doing research on coops with an aviary. It seems like I am either confusing the 2 or people don't usually have a coop with an aviary. Can anyone help with coop height and size and aviary height and size. I know they require different food than chickens, what would be a good diet? We will probably be getting 2 males and 5 females. We already have chickens. I built the coop (8'x16')and run (about 1200sq ft)we have and will be building 3 chicken tractors in the next couple of weeks, so adding quail doesn't seem like a big deal. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Susan Skylark]

Quail don’t roost, they just hunker down wherever they happen to be. Their enclosure be it a pen, cage, aviary, shed, coop or whatever is their environment, they don’t tend to go from the run into the coop at night like chickens, they just snuggle down on the ground. They enjoy hiding places, brush, straw and other cover but they don’t perch or roost, they are very much ground birds. They don’t like split levels or ramps, they like single level housing. Height should be under eighteen inches or over 5 feet so they don’t bonk their heads when the flush. You’ll want at least a square foot per bird. You’ll also want 4-5 females per male. Make sure the enclosure is rat, cat, raccoon etc. proof. Make sure they can get out of drafts, rain, heat, etc. No waste feeders are nice, very messy eaters. Enclosed water is also a good idea as they spill, foul the water and maybe even drown.

 

[Nabiki]

I would suggest that you start with the articles here, then ask any questions that you still have after taking a look. Most of the articles are fairly short and easy reads.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/quail.32/

 

[Phlighter]

It's true that they will sleep wherever, but, they do have sense enough to get out of the rain if they can.

 

[KTsHens]

We just got some Coturnix quail that we hatched from hatching eggs. My husband built this mobile coop. Will this be ok in the winter too, or do we need something warmer?

 

[catesquire]

Depends on your climate. We get snow drifts higher than that cage, so it definitely wouldn't work by me, lol.

If you have very mild winters, it would probably be fine--maybe just move it to a windbreak area on windy below-zero days.

 

[Nabiki]

We just got some Coturnix quail that we hatched from hatching eggs. My husband built this mobile coop. Will this be ok in the winter too, or do we need something warmer?

As long as they're dry and out of the wind, they can handle very cold temperatures.

 

[KTsHens]

Depends on your climate. We get snow drifts higher than that cage, so it definitely wouldn't work by me, lol.

If you have very mild winters, it would probably be fine--maybe just move it to a windbreak area on windy below-zero days.

Ok, thanks, I’m in NE Oklahoma. Our average winter lows are around 28 degrees F. Usually doesn’t get below 0 F more than a day or two in the winter.

 

[lindy]

It's true that they will sleep wherever, but, they do have sense enough to get out of the rain if they can.View attachment 4086971

do you have a full photo of your birds housing? do you run hot wire on the outside for raccoons? what wire size is that? and how long does the wood last until it rots or do you live in a dry area?

 

[PatientType]

We will probably be getting 2 males and 5 females.

For a time I had two males & ten females in one cage. The result was that the more-dominant male essentially scalped the less-dominant male. The poor loser had a dime-sized hole pecked really deep in the top of his head - bloody mess - I had to cull him. Now I have my birds separated, top & bottom, in a duplex cage. At present I've got one male and 4 or 5 hens in each. And, there's peace and tolerance in each flock.

After that experience, I'd not put 2 males & 5 females together as you describe. I'd either have just one rooster quail for the 5 hens or I'd get some more hens and separate the males into two flocks with at least 4 hens each.

On cage height... My cage interiors are 11" high and each group of 5-6 birds is in a 48" x 30" cage. They seem to have adequate head room and ample space.