Quick Help with new Courtinix Quail!

[bnew17]

I am getting 20 Courtinix quail in a few days. I have a 8ft x 8ft dog pen (on the ground). I was planning on getting some wheat straw to spread out. Is there anything else that I need? I have read where they do not like lofts. What is a good food to feed them? The place im getting them said they feed scratch mash? They have so much feed there it is overwhelming. The only place I have to get feed is at Tractor Supply. Thanks!

 

[Nabiki]

Do not feed them scratch! They need a high protein feed. Look for game bird crumble.

Make sure that you have your dog pen covered with 1/2" hardware cloth, both to keep the birds in and to keep predators out. Everything likes to eat quail. Give them small places to hide. They don't have to be fancy, small cardboard boxes will do.

Here is a place to start. Once you've read through the articles, feel free to ask any questions you still have.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/categories/quail.32/

 

[Kiki]

What age are the quail you will be getting?
Do you know what sex they are? She matters when it comes to what type of feed you need to buy. Do not buy scratch.
Are you aware that you cannot keep a whole bunch of males together with just a few females?

 

[coffee_and_quail]

Are they adult quail or chicks? Different feed depending.

Make sure to secure the ground around their pen, a lot of predators will dig to get in.

Give them lots of places to hide. My chicks love empty toilet paper/paper towel rolls. For bigger ones, even empty boxes will do. Also make sure to give them dirt or sand to dust bathe in.

 

[CountrifiedCoturnix]

What age are the quail you will be getting?
Do you know what sex they are? She matters when it comes to what type of feed you need to buy. Do not buy scratch.
Are you aware that you cannot keep a whole bunch of males together with just a few females?

I have a follow up to that: I hatched 8 JMFs, 2 male and 6 female. What is your preferred ration for IF males are to be housed together? What is the suggested living space for an aviary-type setup?

 

[Rollyfrog]

I want to add to the securing the bottom of the pen because of predators. My neighbours dogs dug into our yard and then killed one of our quail before I caught them. I double the recommendation on adding mesh to the bottom and even a stake to hold the pen to the ground if its light weight.

 

[Nabiki]

I have a follow up to that: I hatched 8 JMFs, 2 male and 6 female. What is your preferred ration for IF males are to be housed together? What is the suggested living space for an aviary-type setup?

If you want to keep both of those males, you should have at least 20 square feet with plenty of hiding places. Even then, they might not get along, depending on their personalities. Personally, I would eat the extra male and just keep one with your six hens. The ideal ratio is one male to 3-5 hens, but one to six works.