Quail Coop Design options verses necessities?

[PressOn]

Should quail nest boxes be always on the ground?

Should quail nests have night covers to keep quail from sleeping in them?

What breeds of quail need a flight pen, and what breeds need a limited height ceiling?

What breeds of quail use perches and what breeds do not?

Should you use Rabbit Mesh on the bottom of the whole coop?

Coop cover and wind break, four season states verses no winter states?

Do you have any easy clean tips other than use Rabbit mesh on the bottom?

Has anyone tried low to ground quail coops with grass growing up though the Bottom?

Dust Boxes, do all breads need them? Are they a nice extra or a necessity?

Two or three story pens with Rabbit Mesh floor on each level? What is your opinion?

Food and water space, do all birds need to be able to access at the same time?

Should you have wind break on one side, two sides, three sides, three point five sides? Or everywhere but the bottom?

Minimum amount of square feet / quail? Please answer this breed specific!

Number of quail per nesting box?

Do any of your state extension offices have a good article on this subject? I love extension office sites.

How high off the ground should you have the bottom of the pen, and why?

Are there any disadvantages to tractor style coops other than predator, and pest control?

Do fully feathered chicks need to be separated from adults? What are some reasons to compartmentalize your coop to separate the birds?

I am going to build a great coop for Jumbo Brown Coturnix, this is going to be a lot of fun. Thank you in advance for being a part of my quail coop construction.

 

[bfrancis]

Wow, tons of questions...it's great you are asking before you get them. Since you said that you are going to build a coop for Coturnix, I'll answer in bold with ONLY coturnix in mind. There are lots of differences for the different breeds, unfortunately, it's not a one size fits all.

The stickies are a great source of info too.

Should quail nest boxes be always on the ground? Cots don't need nest boxes, they lay when they get the urge, regardless of where they are...if you have a dust bath that seems to be a collection point for eggs.

Should quail nests have night covers to keep quail from sleeping in them? N/A for cots

What breeds of quail need a flight pen, and what breeds need a limited height ceiling? Any could use a flight pen, but all will also be ok in cages. 16" - 20" is a good minimum height in most cages...My cots are in a ground environment with a 9' ceiling at the peak...but a lot of my friends use battery cages with no issues at all. A modified rabbit hutch is also a good choice.

What breeds of quail use perches and what breeds do not? Cots do not need a perch. I do have a shelf of sorts that they like to get on, but ignore the branches I had in there at one time.

Should you use Rabbit Mesh on the bottom of the whole coop? If it is an elevated type coop, yes. 1/2 x 1/2. It's good to put a dust bath in to. That will serve two purposes, one to clean birds and two, to give the feet a break. Some folks will put in what is called a rest board...a piece of plywood to one side or another for them to get off the wire too.

Coop cover and wind break, four season states verses no winter states? Four season state here, my enclosure is roofed, but open air on all 4 sides. Winter months I put extra leaves in for bedding. Big thing is to keep them out of drafts or direct winds.

Do you have any easy clean tips other than use Rabbit mesh on the bottom? Nope.

Has anyone tried low to ground quail coops with grass growing up though the Bottom? I have not...

Dust Boxes, do all breads need them? Are they a nice extra or a necessity? Necessity. They are used to remove excess oils and dirt from the birds as well as a mite reducing aid especially if you add food grade DE

Two or three story pens with Rabbit Mesh floor on each level? What is your opinion? Lot's of people do it with no issues, you have to have a poop board between the levels.

Food and water space, do all birds need to be able to access at the same time? Not sure of what your asking here, I have free choice food, meaning it is in the pen available for them 24/7. If you mean enough room at the feeder for all 30 per pen to eat at the same time, then no. You just have to make sure that your feeder is full enough so once the "first wave" finish eating, there is adequate amounts for the rest to eat.

Should you have wind break on one side, two sides, three sides, three point five sides? Or everywhere but the bottom? Wind breaks normally go on the North side, but it should be the side with the prevailing winds in your area.

Minimum amount of square feet / quail? Please answer this breed specific! Coturnix need 1 square foot per adult bird..

Number of quail per nesting box? N/A

Do any of your state extension offices have a good article on this subject? I love extension office sites. Typically not with cots, they are considered Old World Quail. Articles on Native quail or New World Quail you could find there. I just gave you two buzz phrases to google.

How high off the ground should you have the bottom of the pen, and why? They should be high enough off the ground so that you are not breaking your back to do coop maintenance and can observe all the birds. It also should be high enough predators cannot reach up and grab feet. 48" is a standard.

Are there any disadvantages to tractor style coops other than predator, and pest control? With quail, when you lift the tractor up to move it, they will get out...or a few will. Unlike a chicken, you'll play heck catching them again...quail are also more susceptible to parasites and disease. Moving a tractor around could put your birds right on some native bird poop or other fecal matter that would be pretty devastating.

Do fully feathered chicks need to be separated from adults? Chicks at 6 - 8 weeks can be introduced into an adult environment. What are some reasons to compartmentalize your coop to separate the birds? Male/female ratio, color pure, controlled breeding, keepers from eaters..the list goes on

I am going to build a great coop for Jumbo Brown Coturnix, this is going to be a lot of fun. Thank you in advance for being a part of my quail coop construction. Hope this helps, post pics! There are lots of threads like "show me your coops" to give you some ideas.

 

[redamber]

This is very helpful!

 

[Shoshannah1993]

Any updates? Pictures?

 

[PressOn]

I made it according to my planned dimentions but I have it set up for as a chicken Brooding coop. I am thinking of turning my chicken coop into a Coturnix coop, and making a new home for the hens.

 

[ukrkoz]

Reviving an old thread....
I am starting quail coop in ten days. We right now have 2 families, five each, one in a basic large ground box with most of it covered in clear plastic panels/plastic mesh and one is our first chicken coop we bought in a store. A two story coop with "ground level" and ladder up into nesting boxes. Removable floor for maintenance.
So we are expecting about 10 more quails - yes, one of our hens is sitting on quail eggs as I type. She already did it once, all good.
Question. I want to add 2nd floor with several nesting boxes. Is that something against their nature? Ones in the store coop do lay eggs in nesting boxes and run up and down all the time, we keep food in both places - but night time, they have to be ushered upstairs with a little stick. They almost wait for one of us to show up and "encourage" them to go up - then they quickly line up the ladder and nest themselves in the boxes.
With winter coming, I can make upper level insulated and warm. But is it something they simply don't want to have - climbing up - and prefer to stay in a "rambler"? I can make a large ground level box, less work anyway.