Thinking of getting some Coturnix Quail- have never kept Quail before

[mrwoodboat]

I have an 8' foot space between my shop and my pheasants' aviary that I am thinking of would work well for some quail cages. It is protected on 3 sides (shop, aviary and dog kennel) and I feel I could put two cages 2' wide by 6' long there.
My questions are: can I use 1/2 welded wire on the bottom? Is chicken wire suitable for the sides (the top would be metal) How tall should I make the cages- it is my understanding that Coturnix are more ground oriented) I plan on putting a box in each cage for them to get in if they want.
From what I have read here, it sounds like I could house 1 male with 3 hens in each cage, is that correct?

Thanks for any input...

 

[James the Bald]

The 1/2" welded wire would be sufficient (I recommend the 16 gauge stuff), but I can't recommend chicken wire for the sides. Hardware cloth would be sufficient.
James

 

[TwoCrows]

X2 on the chicken wire. It is not very durable and can be chewed thru by a persistent varmint.

If you are keeping them in cages, about 1 foot high is the recommended height so they can not flush up into it easily. If you want an aviary style environment, 6 to 7 feet on the ceiling would be needed.

Do not keep any less than 3 females with one male as he can mate them to death, 4 or 5 is preferred.

Good luck in your quail adventures!

 

[mrwoodboat]

I picked up my Coturnix - I ended up with 2 trios- one trio is Tuxedos and the other I forget what he called them, they are a good deal lighter in color. I have them in a brooderbox that is 30" x 48" and 24" tall to keep a watch on them for a week or so before putting them into the big pens. Such calm and docile little birds!

 

[mrwoodboat]

Both trios are housed in a pen that is 24" x 48" x 24" sitting on my back screened in porch. Everyone seems to be getting along ok or at least I have not noticed any friction yet. My plan is to separate the trios into two different enclosures but it has been so cold, I feel better with them on the porch for now.
My question is this- how will I know when breeding season is approaching? Do the males start calling or strutting? I am sure I will have them in the big pens before that comes about. The guy I got them from kept them in large groups with multiple males but since this is 2 males and 4 females, I imagine there would be problems when breeding season comes around...