The 10th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!!!!!

[ronott1]

I read this article last night and it terrified me and almost made me not want to get quail. We have an area pretty separate from the chickens and wind and I don’t mind bio security and separate shoes or whatever but it terrified me. The part about coryza.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-issues-and-keeping-your-quail-healthy.67379/

It is very similar to raising any poultry.

Do your chickens have coryza?

 

[igorsMistress]

So many people mentioned quail so many times. She mentions them once, and I had them soon after.

Do you like them so far BC? I love hearing them talk to each other quietly early in the morning. Once in a while they sound like crickets.

 

[BullChick]

Do you like them so far BC? I love hearing them talk to each other quietly early in the morning. Once in a while they sound like crickets.

No! They won’t lay any eggs!!!

 

[Kiki]

Egg pusher! I'm thinking about it. I have a small coop that I've used as a brooder for chicks, but I mostly hatch chickens under a broody. It's just sitting empty, but the downside is there is very little light in the coop unless the door to the run is open.

I'll look at the Cage build when I have a chance.

Do they need nestboxes? Can you raise them with chicks? How long do they need heat for after hatching? (since they lay in 6 ish weeks, I'm assuming they feather in really quickly) Can they handle cold/heat well? Would they go in on their own at night, if they have a run? (that is the ONLY reason I do not have ducks, we are in critterville) I had turkeys once and they never went inside, so they got picked off and I had to give the last 2 away.

I only heat them for a weekish.
Mine were in 40F with no heat added at a week old.
They lay wherever they feel like it...not sure if they can be trained to lay in a certain spot.
I don't think you can really free range quail.
If the run was secure they may sleep out in it... I don't see any reason why they shouldn't.

 

[igorsMistress]

No! They won’t lay any eggs!!!

They'll lay eggs for you looooooong before your chicken chicks will.

 

[ShrekDawg]

It is very similar to raising any poultry.

Do your chickens have coryza?

I don’t think so but how would I know? I think it said they can be carriers and not show symptoms.

 

[ronott1]

I don’t think so but how would I know? I think it said they can be carriers and not show symptoms.

You hear that a lot!

I have sent in several hens for necropsy and coryza has never been in the report

 

[ShrekDawg]

You hear that a lot!

I have sent in several hens for necropsy and coryza has never been in the report

Well that’s good!! Maybe it is not as common as I have been lead to believe then. But I am still paranoid so would likely still keep them totally separate haha it’s pretty easy to do as I think I have the perfect spot for them. Although the only downside is when the chickens free range. They don’t really get that close but they sometimes get kind of close.

Also, on a separate note, I know they are perfectly find and tons of people do it this way and it’s perfectly humane but I kind of feel bad about just keeping them in a little wire hutch/cage their whole lives so I think I am going to make a raised hutch and put a little run underneath it to give them some ground to scratch around on and a little more room to stretch their legs. Figure that way (a little run below/attached to the hutch) is easier than building one big run.

 

[ronott1]

Well that’s good!! Maybe it is not as common as I have been lead to believe then. But I am still paranoid so would likely still keep them totally separate haha it’s pretty easy to do as I think I have the perfect spot for them. Although the only downside is when the chickens free range. They don’t really get that close but they sometimes get kind of close.

Also, on a separate note, I know they are perfectly find and tons of people do it this way and it’s perfectly humane but I kind of feel bad about just keeping them in a little wire hutch/cage their whole lives so I think I am going to make a raised hutch and put a little run underneath it to give them some ground to scratch around on and a little more room to stretch their legs. Figure that way (a little run below/attached to the hutch) is easier than building one big run.

I will be keeping them in a separate pen too. I have to build one still

 

[lomine]

I brood my quail in the barn (with heat) until they are ready to go outside. The chicken/duck coop is also in the barn so the quail are exposed to chicken dander and poop (from the chickens that jump the coop wall). The chickens can also go around the quail run, which is on the ground. Though I've had a string of bad luck with my quail, I've never had a quail get sick.

I've been thinking of ordering hatching eggs from Myshire. They have such beautiful colors.