Hi folks,
I've had chickens for several years and am contemplating adding coturnix quail, mainly for meat since I don't have the space for meat chickens. I like the idea of keeping the quail on dirt so they can scratch and exhibit more of their natural behaviors. I live in North Florida, so we only get a handful of nights below freezing per year. I have some more information and specific questions below, but any thoughts/advice is helpful!
Here are a few pictures of the space I am considering to converting into a mini aviary for a small flock. The 1st picture is an area adjacent to my chicken coop has about 15 sq. ft. of floor space and is 5'6" tall at its shortest height. This area is fully enclosed in hardware cloth (including underground) and a metal roof and I would just need to add a 4th wall with a human-sized door to separate it from the chicken pen. I would also add some live plants and other things as shelter/hides. The chickens have an ample outdoor run, this area is only really used as a spot to store their feed and water. Is 5'6" (168cm) a tall enough ceiling height to keep them from bonking their heads too hard when they flush? My understanding is that an area this size would be enough for ~8-10 coturnix (hens w/ 1 rooster), does that sound right? How difficult would it be to manage manure in a space like this?
The second picture below shows my grow-out pen, which is currently housing 4-week-old chicks. It has about 20 sq. ft. of floor space and is about 30" tall. It is also completely covered in hardware cloth, including underground. I would use this space as a grow-out for quail chicks for the several weeks between graduating the brooder and processing for meat or getting moved to the adult pen. Is 30" (76cm) too tall?
I've had chickens for several years and am contemplating adding coturnix quail, mainly for meat since I don't have the space for meat chickens. I like the idea of keeping the quail on dirt so they can scratch and exhibit more of their natural behaviors. I live in North Florida, so we only get a handful of nights below freezing per year. I have some more information and specific questions below, but any thoughts/advice is helpful!
Here are a few pictures of the space I am considering to converting into a mini aviary for a small flock. The 1st picture is an area adjacent to my chicken coop has about 15 sq. ft. of floor space and is 5'6" tall at its shortest height. This area is fully enclosed in hardware cloth (including underground) and a metal roof and I would just need to add a 4th wall with a human-sized door to separate it from the chicken pen. I would also add some live plants and other things as shelter/hides. The chickens have an ample outdoor run, this area is only really used as a spot to store their feed and water. Is 5'6" (168cm) a tall enough ceiling height to keep them from bonking their heads too hard when they flush? My understanding is that an area this size would be enough for ~8-10 coturnix (hens w/ 1 rooster), does that sound right? How difficult would it be to manage manure in a space like this?
The second picture below shows my grow-out pen, which is currently housing 4-week-old chicks. It has about 20 sq. ft. of floor space and is about 30" tall. It is also completely covered in hardware cloth, including underground. I would use this space as a grow-out for quail chicks for the several weeks between graduating the brooder and processing for meat or getting moved to the adult pen. Is 30" (76cm) too tall?
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I'm going to guess that you have feed down too, but I'm still going to mention that they have different nutritional requirements than chickens, so they're going to need their own feed.
