Quail, rollout boxes, and bottomless coup

[DaveMK]

Hello,

I’ve had hens for about 6 months now, and want to try quail too.

I’m happy with the coup design my hens currently live in, which consists of an elevated coup with a bottomless floor, above a deep litter run. I also have rollout nest boxes that work really nicely.

This system is extremely low maintenance, and needs next to no cleaning. Just a weekly raking.

Ideally, I want the same features for a quail coup/run.

Can anyone advise on the differences between quail/hen behavior and requires living conditions to help me design the perfect low maintenance quail coup please?

Thanks
Dave

 

[Nabiki]

When you say hen, I'm assuming you mean chicken hens (quail have hens too).

A couple differences between quail and chickens:
Quail are ground birds, so they are much less likely to use ramps to get into the upper level of the coop.
Quail will settle down for the night wherever they are. They lay their eggs wherever they feel like it, so they're not likely to use the nest boxes.
Quail don't roost, so they won't need accommodations for that. Give them small places to hide and they're happy little birds.

Overall, a single level coop will work better for quail than a dual level chicken coop.

 

[DaveMK]

When you say hen, I'm assuming you mean chicken hens (quail have hens too).

A couple differences between quail and chickens:
Quail are ground birds, so they are much less likely to use ramps to get into the upper level of the coop.
Quail will settle down for the night wherever they are. They lay their eggs wherever they feel like it, so they're not likely to use the nest boxes.
Quail don't roost, so they won't need accommodations for that. Give them small places to hide and they're happy little birds.

Overall, a single level coop will work better for quail than a dual level chicken coop.

Thanks for your reply and information.
Yes I meant I’ve been keeping chicken hens.

I’d still like to have a crack at getting them to lay in rollout next boxes if possible. I’m going to look into it further.

 

[Nabiki]

Thanks for your reply and information.
Yes I meant I’ve been keeping chicken hens.

I’d still like to have a crack at getting them to lay in rollout next boxes if possible. I’m going to look into it further.

Good luck getting them to lay where you want to. Another thing to note is that quail tend to lay in the afternoon/evening rather than the morning.

 

[DaveMK]

Good luck getting them to lay where you want to. Another thing to note is that quail tend to lay in the afternoon/evening rather than the morning.

Thanks for that.
I’ve heard quail prefer their feet kept dry. Is this true?
Is it possible to keep them on a deep woodchip litter bedding like some do with chickens, that is raked out and exchanged once or twice per year?

 

[Nabiki]

Thanks for that.
I’ve heard quail prefer their feet kept dry. Is this true?
Is it possible to keep them on a deep woodchip litter bedding like some do with chickens, that is raked out and exchanged once or twice per year?

They definitely want their feet dry. They can handle very cold temperatures as long as they are dry and have shelter from the wind.

Deep litter is not a bad way to go with quail. The more crowded they are, the more often it needs to be changed.

 

[DaveMK]

They definitely want their feet dry. They can handle very cold temperatures as long as they are dry and have shelter from the wind.

Deep litter is not a bad way to go with quail. The more crowded they are, the more often it needs to be changed.

Thanks again