Taller coops with higher ceilings may help decrease injuries from startling, and I’ve even considered padding the ceilings of my own coop. Provide some off-wire locations as well, such as a nesting box with pine shavings, so that the quail can rest their feet. (Unless otherwise noted, all photos by author.). A few security measures will keep your quail calmer and safer. She enjoys finding ways that her animals and garden can benefit each other for a more sustainable urban homestead. Keep your pen in a dry, draft-free, and secure location. You’ll also get pest control, fertiliser and compost making services, not to mention hours of Quail TV! Unfortunately, it’ll usually fly straight into the ceiling of the coop, resulting in a serious head injury at best, and broken neck at worst. Most commercial coops are designed to rest open-bottomed on the ground, which can be suitable for quail keeping. This will leave 4-6 inches (after the ground settles) above the bottom of the coop wire, making it much harder for predators to access the coop. I have even read that a person raised Coturnix in a makeshift coffee table in their New York apartment, and when company came over, they just put a tablecloth over it! Chicken’s housing is wasted on quail. With proper care, hens should lay 200 eggs in their first year of lay. Place your coop in a low-traffic area, away from vehicular, animal, and people traffic. A wire-floored, elevated coop also provides adequate drainage and a clean environment, as the droppings readily fall through. Dig a 6-inch deep trench around the coop and bury the pavers. While your quail would be perfectly willing to free-range, if you let the small, quick birds out of the pen, they’ll disappear into undergrowth, and you’ll never find them again. favorite this post Jan 9 roosters and quail $0 (inl > La Sierra Acres - Riverside) pic hide this posting restore restore this posting. Gardening with Chickens – Part 2 – The Setup, Making a Chicken Coop into a Chicken Home, Community Creativity – Using Tyvek in the Coop, Small-Flock Cornish Cross Processing Made Easy, How To Keep Your Chickens Safe This Winter, 5 Ways to Cool your Chicken Coop this Summer, Farm Fresh Eggs: 7 Things to Tell Your Customers. You can put wheels on the coop or handles on each end to help move the coop and clean underneath. Courtnix Japanese Quail $10 (psp > Thermal) pic hide this posting restore restore this posting. A ground coop arguably provides the environment closest to a quail’s natural habitat, but there are a few factors to consider for the safety and health of the birds. Housing and Equipment for Quail Farming Quail birds are frequently housed in rooms similar to garages. Coturnix chicks will need to be moved to a grow-out cage by three weeks old. Build Your Own Low-Maintenance Food and Water System, Small-Flock Cornish Cross Processing Made Easy, How To Keep Your Chickens Safe This Winter, 5 Ways to Cool your Chicken Coop this Summer, Farm Fresh Eggs: 7 Things to Tell Your Customers. All birds can be brooded in a similar pen, but after the birds reach 6 weeks of age, different housing is … Since it’s waterproof, it doesn’t become saturated with moisture and ammonia, and is easy to rinse off. Avoid cedar shavings as they are not generally recommended for birds. Quail don’t mind calm, quiet visits, but if small children or pets are running by, they’ll likely startle. Alexandra Douglas was born in Chicago, Illinois. They won’t roost in trees, but rather find shelter in thickets and bushes, and scratch about in forest detritus for insect snacks. Life expectancy is only 2 to 2½ years. The male weighs between 8-10 oz and the females weigh between 10-12oz. You can add more birds per square foot as you feel comfortable. I put a heat lamp in the nesting box during the winter to give them a place to warm up, and to keep at least one waterer thawed. If you raise more than one species of bird, make sure to house your Coturnix at least 50 feet from other species, such as chickens, turkeys, or ducks, to avoid cross contamination. We have had a several species of hawk (ranging from the small Cooper’s hawk to the much larger Red-Tailed hawk) visit our backyard and eye our quail. You’ll need access to all corners of the coop for ease of cleaning, and also because quail will lay their eggs anywhere. We breed, hatch, raise and sell flight conditioned game birds of various breeds. It’s also more comfortable for your quail long term. See more ideas about quail coop, chickens backyard, quail. $0. You can also bury 1/2-inch-square hardware cloth around the bottom of the coop, fastening it to the coop with staples or wood trim for added security. We've had Coturnix Quails (also known as Japanese Quails), for a month now, and I can truly say they are pretty fun little birds. If the birds have not been subjected to genetic selection for bodyweight, t…