Somewhat New to Quail: What to use for a coop?

[Quail_r_fun]

Hi
I have had quail for a around 2 years. I had hatched 19 coturnix quail and I butchered my older layers since they weren't laying anymore. Once the 19 were of laying age I put them in an old A frame coop that rested on the ground and it had welded wire fence on the outside of the a frame. The welded wire was about 1 inch by 2 inch. By the time I went on a vacation I had 13 left. I left for my vacation and a family member took care of my farm and my quail. When I got back it was around midnight and I was very tired. Since the quail had been taken care of that morning. I went to sleep. When I went to go and check on them in the morning. And sadly there was only 2 males left. I found that there were feathers in little piles and the culprit had stuck it's paw through the fence and then pulled the stunned or dead bird through the welded wire A frame hutch. (We think that's what happened.) We later found out that the Culprit was an opossum that killed:11 quail, 2 silkie chickens, 1 black copper maran rooster and our nine year old bunny. So do any of you have any idea what would be a safer coop for quail?

 

[Fishkeeper]

Do you mean the run?
The coop is the 'chicken house' part, that the birds go into for the night. Quail don't use coops. The run is the part that they spend the day in.

What you need to do is wrap the whole thing in hardware cloth. If you cover all the gaps with quarter-inch hardware cloth, predators can't reach in. You should also put in a hardware cloth apron so nothing can burrow underneath. Chicken wire and fencing wire won't keep out predators at all, you need hardware cloth.

Sorry for your losses.

 

[Ebony Rose]

I agree with Fishkeeper, that it should be hardware cloth, half-inch. Chicken wire is great to keep chickens in, but won't keep young quail in, or predators OUT.
May be able to keep what you have but add a second perimeter surrounding the 'inner sanctum' by some two or three feet, ought to suffice. Could use that space as walkway (mulch or gravel covered) or garden area filled with plants that are safe for your animals to nibble on. This type of fortification would allow your remaining quail to maintain their sense of home because their living arrangements aren't changing. If the two remaining cocks are over 6 or 8 months, you may consider sending them to the dinner table, and starting anew with a full set of birds. My thinking on this is that you'll otherwise need to keep the cocks separate from your new quail chicks until the little ones have grown to sexual maturity. Not a problem if you have another way to house them, otherwise it's an added expense and with no hens to keep them 'entertained', the two quail left may fight. I am so sorry for your loss.