Quail Housing

[SpotsandStripes]

Hey everybody, I'm a newbie to this so please be nice

I am getting both chickens and quails march next year and have a couple of questions on the quail front.

1. The chickens are going to be on wood chips is this appropriate for quails

2. I am thinking of getting 5 females and 1 male is this house big enough http://www.aquatix-2u.co.uk/acatalog/pisces-super-rabbit-hutch-run.html

3. What quails would be the most suitable for a beginner as I am only looking for eggs and pets not to breed

Would appreciate any extra advice or tips from your own experiences

 

[dragontamer56]

If you are not going to breed them then you will not need a male. That enclosure will be really big for only 5 females. If you are just wanting eggs then I would suggest coturnix quail.

 

[rittert3]

The chips should work ok in the brooder. That pen should do just fine for up to 10 (coturnix) quail. It's not advised to keep quail and chickens togather or near each other. Coturnix are a great starter quail, they are very prolific in egg and meat production, fast maturing, and tend to make good pets, though you will probably want to breed a few because it's cheaper to raise your own replacements and they don't stay productive or live as long as a chicken. You will also want to feed the a gamebird starter with 22-30% protein.

 

[SpotsandStripes]

Thanks for the comment

I have heard that a male can make the group more docile and less likely to fight

Is this true? Also heard that males are nicer then females?

Your opinions?

I have also realised that the top bit does not close of completely from the run underneath. The stairs will always be down all the time - is this alright as there is a partion bit which will be filled with bedding to nestle into and I was going to cover the upstairs wire in autumn winter with wicker fencing cut to size and probably surrounding some of the bottom with it but would like to know what you think

The chickens and quails are going to be in a huge run with roof and the chickens will take up the main part and the quails will just stay in their house but inside the huge run to protect form the nasty bird eating foxes we have round here

 

[FenDruadin]

Welcome!!

I LOVE that house for quail, and it will be just fine for five. They will be happy quail! I wouldn't worry about the top portion not closing off--they probably won't use it much anyway. They really prefer to be at ground level, and not closed in if they can help it. And if you want a boy--get one. They're funny to watch, and have an adorable little crow, and I think they do tend to be more "friendly" if by "friendly" you mean approachable--they are less timid than the females, so they will tend to be less terrified of people.

I keep seven coturnix quail in a 10 foot x10 foot enclosure, which people tell me is way too big but trust me, they are very very happy quail. I am not interested in maximizing my space for the largest number of quail. I just want happy quail, and that's what I have. The nice thing about a larger enclosure (with fewer animals) is it doesn't have to be cleaned very often (mine, not at all--nature does the cleaning), and the birds are less stressed. They don't fight if they have enough space, because the less dominant hens will just run away from the more dominant. The females don't end up with feathers taken out of their heads (like most females in a wire brooder set-up) because they can escape the male's advances if they're not interested.

Mine are on dirt & straw & grass, and they have honeysuckle and Virginia creeper for cover. Also, a bale of hay that they have dug little holes under for dust baths (I propped one end up a bit to give them a start, and they've expanded the "sheltered" portion). There are logs and other bits and pieces that offer naturalistic cover, as well as two large dog houses for getting out of the rain and to protect their food from moisture. They use the doghouses to eat in (because they have no choice), but they never sleep in them. They would rather hang under the eaves instead when it's raining, and in the open when it's not. If I were to do it again, I'd just make open-air shelters with roofs and no--or only one--wall, or little lean-to style shelters. On the other hand, they haven't been through a winter in this set-up yet, so they may use the houses during extreme weather.

One concern with your set-up is that some predators may dig under or try to up-end the containment. Make sure it's too heavy for a raccoon to lift or knock over with their body weight (is it top-heavy?). You can keep predators from digging under in a variety of ways, but probably the simplest is to fashion a "skirt" out of wire around the bottom, sticking outward. Digging predators won't bother if they have to begin digging from two feet away, and obviously they can't dig through the wire skirt.

I have ducks, chickens, quail, goats, and a cat (and honeybees). If you don't count the bees, the quail are by far the easiest critters I keep. I put food and water out for them, and I can go away for a week or more without incident and without help. But I love to toss them bird seed (a favorite treat) each time I go out there, and they get really excited when they see me coming.

Good luck and enjoy!

P.S. Just realized you plan to put that inside a larger enclosure... so you won't need the wire skirt.

 

[thekid]

You can use wood chips but they must be pine

If my math is correct that pen is 6X2 which means you could hold 12 in there, 10 females and 2 males

Coturnix are the most sutiable for beginners they are egg laying machines and are very easy to care for

 

[thekid]

here is a excelent sticky on Cotrunix

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=102281

 

[chickbird]

Quote:
WHAT TYPE OF FEEDERS AND WATERS DO YOU HAVE ,SO THAT THEY CAN LAST A WEEK.. I,M NEW AND WOULD LIKE TO SET UP LIKE THAT AS WE LIKE TO TRAVEL SOME. THANKS

 

[FenDruadin]

Quote:
Just ordinary chick feeders & waterers, I just put out a bunch of them. For seven quail, I have a one-gallon waterer, two one-quart waterers, three round chick feeders, and one long plastic chick feeder. That lasts just over a week. Mind you, the mice DO get into the feed when it sits out that long, but it doesn't seem to bother the quail much and when I can, I change them out a little more often to keep them cleaner.

But for folks who like to travel, there are not many pets, and I don't know of ANY livestock, that are as easy to set up to be self-sufficient while you're out of town. So you're doing well to choose coturnix!