Would this work for a Quail pen?

[ChickieBooBoo]

I want to get a few Coturnix Quail for the winter, just a pair or a trio is fine. What size of houseing do you need for 2-3 of them? I have a smaller cage, the floor is about 1.5ft x 1.5ft and its about 2ft high. Its wire all the way around, about 1/2in x 1in, so like little rectangles, is that ok? They would be in a heated coop.

ooh and I just remembered to ask. My chickens have not been around Quail in their entire life, if I suddenly put the Quail pen near the coop will the chickens are Quail get sick? Do they need to be completely seperate?

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

does anybody know?

 

[mhwc56]

Coturnix... 1 male to 3-5 females. Less than that ratio isn't a good idea at all. From what i understand it can lead to fatalities. all females together without a male around is okay when you have just 2-3 but not if it's m/f. mixture

space requirements ....1 sq. ft. for each bird. Other people apparently have given their birds less space each but i can't imagine it being healthy or kind for that matter. Also, you want low roof space b/c quail "boink" . When startled they fly straight UP and hit their heads on the top of the cage . if you don't give them much space( i keep mine in cages that are 12 inches/ 30 cm tall) then they don't usually get enough momentum up to cause serious head injuries when they do "boink" .

There should be NO other poultry near quail as quail GET and can die from what other poultry can be carriers of . Some people keep them together but most people on here frown heavily on that idea b/c of health issues mentioned.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I've kept quail in pairs and trio, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It is recommended to have at least 3 females per male, but you can try it and see how they do. That size cage should be fine, they are supposed to have about 1 sq. ft. per bird.
If your chickens are sick it will kill the quail, and many times the only way to find out if they are sick is by introducing quail. I wouldn't put the quail too close to where the chickens are, but that's just me.

You do realize they probably won't lay during the winter, right? Normal laying season is from about March/April through October/November. Sometimes you can give them supplemental lighting to make them lay, but that doesn't necessarily mean the eggs will be fertile.

 

[Mrs MIA]

I put 3-4 birds in a 24" square cage. But yeah, they probably won't lay in the winter much unless they're indoors, warm, and extended light (timer) like the chickens. Our temps have been slowly but steadily dropping... this morning his 14°F, and the 2 month olds that were in a wire cage outside did fine but weren't laying. Moved them inside to a 4'x4' pen with shavings, and relatively warmer temps, and now they're starting to lay.

You can keep coturnix in any hutch/cage, though, and you can hang it on a wall in the chicken coop (a friend did that) or keep them in the garage.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

Quote:
Ya, I'm not really expecting them to lay or anything. But I am hoping to get some more for breeding in the spring so I want to learn a bit about keeping them before that.

@Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain, I was thinking of somehow mounting it on the wall of the chicken coop. The coop will be heated to about 5-10 degrees C and have extra lighting.

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
Ya, I'm not really expecting them to lay or anything. But I am hoping to get some more for breeding in the spring so I want to learn a bit about keeping them before that.

@Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain, I was thinking of somehow mounting it on the wall of the chicken coop. The coop will be heated to about 5-10 degrees C and have extra lighting.

GAMEBIRDS SHOULD NOT BE IN CONTACT WITH POULTRY, EVEN CASUAL CONTACT. CHECK OUT THIS STRING, READ IT CAREFULLY THIS WAS CAUSED FROM CHICKENS BEING UNDER THE WIRE CAGE THE QUAIL WERE IN... https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=250361

 

[PortugalBreeder]

Quote:
You need about a square feet per quail.
You can check out mine here for a design idea https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=407931