Quail, quail, quail how many, what types???

[clawstar]

I have a huge dog run( about 8feet by 12 feet And 6 feet tall) gravel bottom, a few perching spots, all fenced roofed and netted!!! I have 3 coturnix and plan on getting 1-3 more. How many bobwhite could I get? How many valley quail? Any broody quail? I really want friendly birds but quail are not that type of bird... Can I even keep coturnix, valley, and bobwhite together???? Should I just go with doves????

 

[dc3085]

Doves are a lot safer choice and they have the huge perk of being good brooders so they'll propagate without your direct interference. You could probably even use them to brood a few coturnix eggs at a time (in a really low nest or a nest inside a box lest the chicks take a plunge)

Valleys and bobs are best bred in trios or pairs and mixing either with coturnix that they weren't brooded with from day one is asking for a big fight. In a space that size it would possibly be ok but at some point you're likely to have problems and when you do birds will die or be badly injured.

Bobs and valleys can do a lot more damage a lot quicker with those hooked beaks, and the birds retain more natural instinct (read; aggression) than coturnix by a lot. Also valleys and bobs can hybridize and bobs and coturnix can potentially do the same but the cross species breeding is pretty brutal on the birds.

 

[clawstar]

Ok sooo, stick with bobs and coturnix???? Hatch, brood and raise together??? Bobwhite and doves will roost so provide perches???? How tame are doves??? Which doves are the best brooders for other birds eggs????

 

[QuailRaiser]

no, please do the birds a favour and DO NOT mix quail species. as a rule of thumb, they all kill eachother. the bobs kill the coturnix, the chukar kill the bobs, etc... except for a few lucky exceptions. i repeat, DO NOT MIX QUAIL SPECIES. and otherwise, either decide on bobs or coturnix, if you want doves to brood, go for something bigger like ringneck doves. were i live anyways they are really common, you can buy them in a variety of colours almost anywhere. and doves need perches, anything from 5ft-the top of the aviary, lots if possible, and a couple of platforms/nest box type things. if you want to go elegance, try diamond doves but they are awefully small. the doves can become quite tame, to the point of them landing on your hand to eat food, but that's about it. dont push it with the numbers, get 1 pair, by this time next year you'll probably have 10 doves. i cnnot stress this enough only one species of quail per pen. i recommend coturnix as they are easy to keep, calmer so they won't scare the doves, and unlike the bobs they wont compete aggressivley with the doves for space. hope this helps!

Cheers
Finn

 

[dc3085]

LOL in no way was I suggesting you should put coturnix and bobs together, my point was it couldn't possibly work if you don't brood together from day one. I don't recommend bobs to anyone who isn't committed to bobs. They are a more difficult bird to raise and require a lot more skill, equipment, and space than coturnix. When you don't have proper equipment, skill, or space, you'll have dead bobs. They aren't by any means impossible but they are very unforgiving.

 

[clawstar]

;~; ok what if all the coturnix are separated from the bobwhite all night and all school day??? I am not good with woodworking and don't want to make 20 small cages when I have one big run!!!!! Is there any way to do this?????

 

[clawstar]

What if I rotated???? One week with coturnix in the hutch then next week bobwhite???? And doves out all the time??? I have coturnix, but they don't satisfy me.... I raise birds for looks, enjoyment , and a few eggs! Bobs are so cute, friendly and make good pets...

 

[James the Bald]

no, please do the birds a favour and DO NOT mix quail species. as a rule of thumb, they all kill each other. the bobs kill the coturnix, the chukkar kill the bobs, etc... except for a few lucky exceptions. i repeat, DO NOT MIX QUAIL SPECIES. and otherwise, either decide on bobs or coturnix, if you want doves to brood, go for something bigger like ringneck doves. were i live anyways they are really common, you can buy them in a variety of colours almost anywhere. and doves need perches, anything from 5ft-the top of the aviary, lots if possible, and a couple of platforms/nest box type things. if you want to go elegance, try diamond doves but they are awfully small. the doves can become quite tame, to the point of them landing on your hand to eat food, but that's about it. don't push it with the numbers, get 1 pair, by this time next year you'll probably have 10 doves. I cannot stress this enough only one species of quail per pen. i recommend coturnix as they are easy to keep, calmer so they won't scare the doves, and unlike the bobs they wont compete aggressively with the doves for space. hope this helps!

Cheers
Finn

Claw,
Follow QRs advice. If you want "friendly" birds, they don't get any more friendly than Cots. My daughters English white falls asleep in her hand as she strokes his head. Adding more than 1 species is just asking for trouble. I once had a single goldfish. I was "advised" not to introduce any aggressive fish into this tank. A week later, I spotted a beautiful betta. It just sat in it's bowl and didn't look aggressive, so without asking any questions, I purchased the betta. The next morning, my goldfish Pierre was literally ripped to shreds.
You asked and received several great replies... from here, the choice is up to you. Good luck,
James

 

[clawstar]

Ok, I WILL NOT put the quail together! But what if I rotate??? And doves are good with bobs cots and valleys???? I think before I get valleys I will make a nice coop/run that includes part of the garden... So again NO MIXING SPECIES but what about the rotating??? And doves good all around? Pigeons??????? Will doves drink from one of those nipple waterers???
Edited to say: sorry I missed the bob dove thing!! And yes cots are nice and easy but just not 'quail' enough for me!!!!

 

[clawstar]

What I mean by rotating is keeping cots in the rabbit hutch for let's say days 1-7 then lay ting them out in the dog run and putting the bobs in the hutch for days 8-14