Hello! I raise bantam chickens, and I was wondering if I could purchase a pair of California Valley Quail and keep them with my bantam chickens. They live in an enclosed run with a builiding that they are free to go in and out of. Are there diseases I should be worried about? I don't want to infect my chickens as they are like kids to me! I'd just like to ad variety to my flock by getting some quail. I had Coturnix quail and sold them as I had no space for them at the time anymore. Any thoughts? \
You should not keep quail with chickens. Some people have, but it is never advised for a few reasons. Yes, chickens do carry diseases that can kill quail, especially Coryza. The chickens may not be showing any signs of this disease, but are carriers. Unless you have your chickens tested, they could be carrying Coryza and it can kill your quail. And it is a long slow death as well. Next, chickens are much larger than quail and they have been known to kill quail, especially chicken roosters, no matter the size of the chicken. And finally, quail have different feed requirements than chickens. Quail need a high protein diet for good health and laying, somewhere between 24% and 28%. Too high for chickens. Standard layer feed for chickens is 16% which is too low for quail. If you keep male quail, the high calcium in the layer feed can destroy their kidneys. So one of these species will suffer eating the wrong feed. So in my opinion, quail need their own digs.
It could work, but it probably won't. Yes, the quail can pass serious disease of to your chickens......but so can new chickens added to the flock. The risk is not great, but think how you will feel if you loose your chickens to disease. Also the chickens, even bantams, are very likely to harm the more timid quail, or at least keep them from getting enough food and water to thrive. Why not get some fertile eggs from different bantam breeds and hatch them out under a broody hen? Then you will get different colours and sizes and more variety. I keep fancy pigeons and Fantail doves with my bantams, and they can be let out to fly free when the chickens are free ranging. It works well as the pigeons use the upper area of the pen, and the chickens on the bottom.
You're taking a risk if you do this, everything I've read says it's a bad idea. Quail don't have as much immunity as chickens do to many of the diseases. If your chickens are anything like mine, they go after anything that moves (probably includes quail, too). One of mine went after a squirrel! Also, I want to mention that you're supposed to keep quail a certain amount of feet away from chickens due to disease that can spread through the air ( coughing, sneezing, etc.). My quail are still inside my house right now, but I'm working on a hutch and I still have to decide where to put it. Anyway, good luck with your quail! I wish I could get some California quail (I'm working on it, haha )
Please read that link. I read that a while back and it convinced me that I can't keep my quail near the chickens. If you read this, you see how the op thinks it was either airborne or he was wearing the same gloves when he handled his chickens and quail. Those pictures are scary. You can do what you want, but make sure you know what can happen.
