Quail Questions mostly concerning pens

[pac]

Hi folks.
After a stint with chickens that ended years ago, I thought quail might be a better option for me, as I miss not having birds. But the more videos I watch and articles I read, the more my brain just doesn't understand some things.
I hope you can bear with me and guide me to a good future with quail. And I don't step on anybody's toes along the way

I'm looking for egg production and for now, the occasional meal. Meaning I don't mind culling a few roos to get my ratio where it should be, but am not actively seeking "meat birds". And as the birds age I realize this cycle will need started over.
I see a lot of youtubers that look like they are in this not only for themselves, but commercially. They've got pen upon pen in their garages and pole barns. I can't tell if they are hobbyists, doing this for profit or are simply hoarders and don't know when to stop, lol.

Is it possible to start with 30 eggs, get your flock down to (guessing) 15 or so and just maintain that number?
I was thinking one 8'x3' pen would suffice, but now and thinking I at least need one more to "grow out" birds destined for the freezer. But I would still like those birds to be comfortable, too. I've seen what looks like a lot of overcrowding and that is not what I'm about. Even if they are going to be processed for the table.

And that brings be to the pen itself.
If these birds are so cold hardy, why does it seem like the majority of folks keep them inside? Even the homesteading channels with plenty of land seem to have them in a building. Is it simply to protect their birds better? Convenience?

I would like to keep my quail outside. It just seems like it would be healthier and happier for the birds. A lot of pens/hutches I've seen built still have mesh, at least partially, on the enclosed side of their hutch. And they live in snowy climates. That's gotta be drafty. At least in my mind.
I was thinking an open side and an enclosed side with deep litter. Thoughts? Overkill?

On breeding: Can I keep everyone together (at the proper ratio) and just assume the eggs I gather will be fertilized? Is this a year round thing?
Or do I need to separate one roo with 5-6 hens to their own enclosure? Again, requiring the extra pen. Not that I am opposed to an extra pen, I just don't want to find that two years from now I have a dozen quail pens

Anyway, this post is long enough already, but I want to make sure I have all my quail in a row before I jump in and possibly become overwhelmed. When I had chickens I just kept 4-5 hens, so things were pretty simple.

 

[Mill Chick]

On quail should have at least 1 cubic ft of space but the amount of males to females should be 5-6 but if there are 12 female quail and 3 three males I would guess they would fight.
You probably could keep them outside just as long as they are have some electricity close by so that you could plug in a heat lamp or two.
@Nabiki

 

[Nabiki]

If you get 30 shipped eggs, you should expect around 15 to hatch. If you get the eggs locally, you are likely to get a higher hatch rate. 15 birds is a decent sized covey to provide about 10 eggs/day.

If you keep your birds on the ground rather than on wire, they are very cold hardy as long as they are dry and out of the wind. Small shelters sized for one or two birds work best for them. It got down to -7F this year, and my birds did fine outside. I keep them in my greenhouse, but it doesn't keep heat over night. It does do a good job of keeping them dry and out of the wind, however.

If you keep all of your birds together, they will need more space and more hiding places if you want any chance that the males won't kill each other. I keep about 12 birds in a 20 square foot pen and I have to be careful about the two males I keep in each pen. If there's fighting, the boys get culled and a new pair introduced until I get two that get along with their 10 ladies. I don't have much trouble with that, though. I don't keep bullies, so my birds are pretty calm. I have good fertility, around 90%.

Your males are less likely to breed the hens during the winter. You can stimulate this artificially the same way you keep the hens laying year 'round by providing 14-16 hours of light per day. If you do this, though, your birds will have a shorter lifespan.

Here is my setup if you'd like to see a non-battery cage style, small operation.

 

[pac]

Thanks @Nabiki

So would 3'x8' be good to start with?
But I might end up culling roosters until I get down to two?
And put in places to hide?

I've been browsing through the articles section.
Lots of info there. Some of it conflicting.
I read several sources saying not to use your old chicken coop. Quail will not understand the ramp and you'll be lucky if any use it. And they might not know enough to go inside the coop if they do. But in one housing article here there's a pic of a small chicken coop with a ramp

I guess it's case by case.
If all I had to do was put a false ceiling in my old coop and build an outside area above ground using hardware cloth things would be easier and cheaper. But I don't want to cobble something together either.

 

[Nabiki]

Quail are ground birds by nature, so while some will learn to use ramps, others won't. They will rarely to into a coop at night. They tend to settle down wherever they are when it gets dark. That's one reason you don't free range them. That's a good way to never see them again.

 

[pac]

LOL, Yeah, I read you can free range them if you only want to do it once

Good video tour. I was also thinking of trying my hand on a raised bed garden this year. You must own a block company
Do your quail stay out year round in those pens?

 

[CliftonQuail]

LOL, Yeah, I read you can free range them if you only want to do it once

Good video tour. I was also thinking of trying my hand on a raised bed garden this year. You must own a block company
Do your quail stay out year round in those pens?

To be fair, although building a raised bed out of cinder blocks might cost more than a similar sized bed made from wood, the wood will rot away and need replacing multiple times before the cinder blocks will erode.

 

[pac]

To be fair, although building a raised bed out of cinder blocks might cost more than a similar sized bed made from wood, the wood will rot away and need replacing multiple times before the cinder blocks will erode.

Correct.
It's the old, I'll huff and I'll puff thing

 

[Nabiki]

LOL, Yeah, I read you can free range them if you only want to do it once

Good video tour. I was also thinking of trying my hand on a raised bed garden this year. You must own a block company
Do your quail stay out year round in those pens?

The cinder blocks are easy to move, sturdy, and cheaper than wood.

They stay in those year round.

To be fair, although building a raised bed out of cinder blocks might cost more than a similar sized bed made from wood, the wood will rot away and need replacing multiple times before the cinder blocks will erode.

Have you seen the price of lumber these days? Enough blocks to build one of those beds cost me less than $50. Making the same size bed out of lumber would have been more like $200-300. Cheaper and lasts longer.

 

[pac]

They stay in those year round.

Thanks.

On raised beds:
I priced a 4'x8'x20" raised bed using wood and it came to $88. That's counting the long deck screws, sitting rail across the top, vertical slats for strength...
Block is within dollars, but 4" shorter.
Pretty much a wash, but I'd rather work with (and haul) wood

Plus, judging from my fire pit the block will sink. Unevenly. Your area looks to be nicely excavated and compacted. Perfect for block. Or wood

But right now I'm concentrating on quail. My outdoor pen will need solid material for part of it because I don't have a greenhouse to block the wind, rain and snow.

I am giving some thought to making a double stack. I know I'll have to separate the initial birds at some time, so I might as well have a good size second pen right there for convenience.