Quail pens in Chicken coop??

[scandog]

would it be ok to put a couple quail pens in a chicken coop?

The pens would be up high on one of the sides in some of the wasted space. I am not looking to keep hundreds of Quail. I was thinking I could do 3 cages stacked with pull out dropping trays.

Didn't know if there are any issues with keeping them in the same coop.

Also looking at setting up a flight pen to keep just quail in for the summer.

thanks for the help

 

[jvls1942]

I was thinking of doing the same thing.. I had one button quail who spent the whole winter running loose with the chickens a couple of years ago.. she came through just fine and the chickens didn't bother with it at all.. I do not think there are any ealth issues, if that is what you are asking..

 

[tomcio]

I keep my coturnix in a cage in the coop. They co-live very well with chickens so far. I even have the coturnix 'fall out' once in a while when I clean/feed them and the chickens do not seem to bother with them at all.


I don't see a reason why this would be an issue. I guess the only thing to think about is chicken droppings if they sit on top of the cage.

 

[Southernbelle]

My quail "pens" are all-wire rabbit cages and I keep them hanging in the barn with the chickens. Quail droppings smell stronger to me than chicken droppings and having the chickens scratching around under their cage mixing up the droppings and picking up dropped feed really helps.

I also have rabbit cages hanging in the coop for the winter and the chickens are doing a good job composting the rabbit poo, too. Although, I was petting a chicken in my lap yesterday and I swear it smelled like rabbit pee.

 

[Snakeoil]

I have two pens 4'X8' of quail in with my chickens, no problems at all. I don't let the hens to roost on top of the pens.

 

[scandog]

I have not decided on a breed yet, but I think I can easily hang 3 cages 2'wide x 3'long. I am not sure how tall to make them. I was going to set them up so the Eggs would roll to the front.

With the cages in the coop, do they need an extra box inside the cage to hide/roost in?

The chickens will not be able to get on top of them. I am going to block that off.

Thanks for all the info. I just need to decide on a breed. I want them for both eggs and the table. I already have requests for table birds.

I have a tractor that is about 20" tall. would I have to worry about the quail breaking their neck in it?

Thanks again for the help.

 

[Southernbelle]

I don't have an extra box in there for mine. The only thing I have in my quail cage in an old cat litter pan that I put sand in for them - they LOVE their dust baths. At night they all sleep in it huddled in a big mass with their heads poking out.

My Bobwhite cage is 2x4x2' with 8 birds in it (I had more, but lost some). The wire is 1/2 x 1" on the bottom and 2x1" on top and edges - pretty standard for rabbit cages. I tilted it so the eggs roll to the front, but had to add a strip of hardware cloth to the front and sides because the openings of the rabbit wire were so big that the eggs were falling out and dropping on the ground.

Sometimes mine startle and fly around, but only if one of my dogs gets out and goes near them. They don't get scared of me anymore. I've never had one break their necks, yet, but they do get scared pretty easy.

My Bobwhite eggs are a PITB to eat. The shell is kinda thin, but the inner membrane is really tough, so by the time you rip that bugger open, I hope you were making scrambled eggs because that's what you're getting!

Other than that - they taste like eggs. I'm going to get some Coturnix soon and we'll see if their eggs are easier.