Quick Quail Questions...

[Gypsy07]

I really like the look of quail but I don't know anything about them.
If anyone could answer a few basic questions I'd be ever so appreciative!

1. Can they be free ranged? I've not seen anything mentioning it.

2. Could they be housed along with other birds, like 2-5 week old chicks?

3. What kind of temperatures and weather do adult quail prefer? I'm in Scotland.

4. How difficult are they to keep, compared with chickens?

I know I could go off and read up about them but I know from experience that if I did that, well, I'd just want some even more and before I know it I'll have bought hatching eggs from eBay and I really don't want to do that just yet!

So thank you for any replies.

 

[joe125]

1. Can they be free ranged? I've not seen anything mentioning it. No! They tend to "Free range" only once.

2. Could they be housed along with other birds, like 2-5 week old chicks? No! Well, I don't recommend it!

3. What kind of temperatures and weather do adult quail prefer? I'm in Scotland. 45-50 deg. F, for coturnix, optimal, they can go to either extremes!

4. How difficult are they to keep, compared with chickens? I don't have any chickens, so I can't say. I manage to keep them alive, so you should be good to go

 

[Gypsy07]

Thank you! Okay, so no free ranging. Do they really always just run off and not come back? Silly birds!

 

[mhwc56]

it's not in their nature to stick around like chickens do.
For temperatures..the low 30s temps for short length of time like a week or so as long as they are protected from the wind and drafts. High temps in the 80s as long as they have plenty of water and are kept shaded..90s for a short period of time...Too hot and they will stop laying more than likely and do a lot of panting too.

Housing them with chickens could be a real health issue b/c chickens are carriers of diseases that quail have no immunity to .ALWAYS use careful biosecurity when you are in contact with these 2 species of birds. take care of your quail BEFORE your chickens and clean EVERYTHING...etc...

Quail are not difficult to keep, they are just different to keep from chickens.