Quail coop design and needs.

[Nugget_123]

I am looking into getting some continue quail this spring. Does anyone know where to get some local to the texas panhandle? I want a run/ coop set- up that is in the ground. Preferably low to the ground. Idk. Could they go in raised beds if they were covered? Do quail roost? Any things I need to watch out for? Is it like having small chickens? Do they lay eggs in boxes?

 

[Nabiki]

I would start with the quail articles here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/quail.32/
Coturnix quail are ground birds, so they don't roost. They are unlikely to use a coop and prefer small individual shelters.

I keep my birds on raised beds and I move them a few times a year so I let the bed compost the poop and then plant on them.

 

[Nugget_123]

I would start with the quail articles here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/quail.32/
Coturnix quail are ground birds, so they don't roost. They are unlikely to use a coop and prefer small individual shelters.

I keep my birds on raised beds and I move them a few times a year so I let the bed compost the poop and then plant on them.

Great! Can I plant in the raised beds? If so what soil/ plants?

 

[Nabiki]

Great! Can I plant in the raised beds? If so what soil/ plants?

If the quail are on there, they will destroy anything you plant. I let mine destroy the plants after I harvest, except for tomatoes. The leaves and stalks of the tomato plants are toxic.

My garden beds are filled with cheap bulk garden soil (bought by the yard) and enriched with compost made of weeds, old feed, kitchen scraps, quail and chicken poop.

While the quail are on the garden beds, I'll hoe their poop into the soil every 3-4 weeks. If the soil is moist, it's a lot of fun watching the quail follow the hoe around hoping for worms or bugs to get turned up. Be VERY careful when you hoe, since if your quail are at all like mine, they don't have much survival instinct.

 

[Nugget_123]

Are quail winter hardy?

 

[Nabiki]

Are quail winter hardy?

Coturnix quail are. There are species such as button quail that are not, though.

As long as they're dry, out of the wind and off of wire, coturnix quail can handle below freezing temperatures quite well. I didn't lose any when it got down to -7F here.

 

[Esc_Quaily]

I would start with the quail articles here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/quail.32/
Coturnix quail are ground birds, so they don't roost. They are unlikely to use a coop and prefer small individual shelters.

I keep my birds on raised beds and I move them a few times a year so I let the bed compost the poop and then plant on them.

I love your GH set-up

 

[Nabiki]

I love your GH set-up

Thanks!