To quail or not to quail?

[hooplehead]

I am sitting here looking at a cage with two small coturnix quail. I have no idea about what I should do with them. They are about 5 weeks old - a male and a female.

They do make some really cool noises and I am enjoying watching them. If I build a little quail tractor would that be OK for them to live in? Are their housing needs similar to chickens? I know they will need special food.

Anyone got some good references I can go to for more information?

 

[Boyd]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=102281

Here's Niki's Sticky!!! Lots of great info here. Don't worry, us quail people are very enabling... er I mean helpful

 

[citalk2much]

Haha Boyd is funny us quail folks would NEVER enable others LOL

 

[Boyd]

read her tag line haha

 

[citalk2much]

 

[hooplehead]

I got these guys home and have them in a small cage up on some sawhorses. The cage has about 4 square feet of floor area and I have made them a nice little sandbox to enjoy. I was rewarded with an egg this morning. It is the CUTEST thing ever!

The quail are so friendly. They come right over and talk to me when I go to check on them. I think they need a tractor so they can scratch on the ground. Do any of you have quail tractors? Are there pics somewhere so I could get some ideas????

 

[Boyd]

I don't tractor mine

 

[citalk2much]

There is a thread on it darn let r look for it

 

[Mrs MIA]

I don't usually tractor mine, either, but only because I don't have time to be fussing with it. They're quite happy with a large pan of sand to dust in.

They do love fresh greens, small grapes/fruit chunks... one time when I was weeding I pulled up a big clump of grass with the dirt still on it, so I put that in the cage and let them have at it... fiesta!!!

 

[monarc23]

welcome to the world of coturnix quailies!

you can tractor them BUT if you do and you plan to ever eat the excess quail you will need to worm them because they will harbor worms.

Also, you will need to move them a lot so that they aren't tramping around in their own poo as theypoo a lot (well no more than a chicken does....).


They LOVE to dust bathe and will make trenches (yes that lil quial can make a huge trench) so make sure they cannot trench under and leave the tractor.


Cats and dogs a like will find them very appealing and many have lost their quails in tractors due to this.

domestic coturnix quail are healthier off the ground away from their own fecal matter... though as long as youkeep them on fresh green grass and they don't escape, get killed or get too wormy (and skinny and sickly) you'll be fine!

You just gotta follow some precautions