My husband and I are going to be building a coop in the next month and stocking it with a few chickens (4 to 6) and I would also like to do quail. Jumbo brown coturnix quail, now I've read (here) that they cannot be house together, but would putting the coops side by side, with the fenced in runs be a problem as far as disease? I only want to keep about 10 quail at a time and as I said 4-6 chickens (the chicken will have to hens only and probably will be Barred Rock since my nephew raises them and I can get them from him at a steal and ensure what I am getting are hens ) ANYWAY, lol, how far away from each other do they need to be for disease to NOT be an issue? Obviously I don't want sick animals, but I also have limited room. I'm sure you guys get asked about quail and chickens together all the time, and I'm sorry to "beat a dead horse", I just want to know what distance apart is safe enough. If the answer is that they cannot be kept in the same yard, I will accept that. Thanks Also if there are already thousands of articles on this, feel free to tell me that too Emily
You can keep them in the same yard. And I would definitely set up the chicken and quail area so that neither is down wind of the other. So if prevailing winds are generally north or south, then line them up so that the wind is never blowing chicken on to quail and visa versa. A good distance apart would be at least 15 to 20 feet. Make sure you don't cross contaminate the chickens to the quail. So always wash your hands after visiting your chickens before heading off to your quail. Most folks visit the quail first and then over to the chickens next. It is mainly the chicken diseases that can kill quail, however quail can carry things that might infect your chickens as well. Do not share water or feed dishes, rakes or cleaning equipment and if your quail are kept in a run or aviary to which you will walk in, keep quail shoes and chicken shoes. Something you change before dragging in chicken poop into the quail area or quail poop into the chicken area. Bio security is very important. Lots of us keep chickens and quail both. I keep my quail about 20 feet from my chickens and I have never experienced a problem.
Wonderful! I was thinking I could build the coops in an L shape. The quail being the short part of the L and the chickens being the long, with the roosting boxes back to back (but not touching) so the wire wouldn't be side by side. I have a raised garden, it's about 10x10 that they would be around. Will have to talk it over with my hubby and see what we can work out as far as distancing them more! Thanks!!!
