The Quail Necessities

Everyone has their own way of setting up "house" for quail, we are happy to share what works for us personally and what is outlined as "NECESSARY GUIDELINES" to abide by basic animal welfare starting from hatch.

Be sure to check with your municipal / city guidelines for keeping quail. They are not viewed the same as chickens or other fowl. Different restrictions will likely apply and in some cases permits or licensed to keep them may be required. You don’t want to skip this part of your research and end up having to give them up or have them seized down the road needlessly.

Of course how you keep and raise quail will be dependant on a few things;

• the breed of quail you select
• the quails end purpose (meat, egg production or companion animal)
• volume demand if raising as a food source
• your municipal/city restrictions
• health / sanitation guidelines

One those factors are considered your coop structure and location can be determined. For instance, Button quail are kept as pets and not raised for food purposes. They are small and fragile and require suitable enclosures that are indoors as they do not tolerate extreme temperatures and are sensitive to drafts. Due to their small size they are lightly birds and in general do not enjoy a lot of handling. They are best to be observed - think of them like beautiful fish in a tank. On the other hand full size (and jumbo) breeds like the domesticated  coturnix, northern bobs, scaled, mountain and calis are all used to outdoor living. When kept in a domestic setting it is vital to provide adequate shelter from the elements, plenty of hides, predator proof enclosed spaces to nest and sleep and enough square footage to avoid over crowding or fighting over resources. Not all quail are able to tolerate Canadian winters well so it would be advisable to have a coop with access to a heat source and proper ventilation - although they themselves emit heat and huddle in ”quail piles” to maintain their body temperatures.

Feed in another topic that is dependant on type, purpose and can be tailored to seasons as well as if you have a hens only group to ensure they are getting suitable protein levels, vitamins/minerals, calcium and other natural dietary sources for anti fungals, anti oxidants, water and fibre. In general, quail excel on a higher protein diet and always welcome treats like meal worms, grubs, crickets, berries and leafy greens/weeds that they would naturally find and forage for it in the wild.

Ratios of male/female, there isn’t a perfect balance as some will depend on the temperament of the birds themselves. But a basic ratio plans to start with would be:

• 1 male  : 4 female for button quails and coturnix
• 1 male : 1-3 female for bob whites (the male may end up pairing with one hen)
• 1 male : 1 female for scaled quail and calis
• 1 male : 4-8 females is often seen in mountain quail coveys
• You can keep an all female group of any quail type, one female will likely be the dominate one and exhibit Rooster like traits with calls and ensuring pecking order is maintained
• You can keep a bachelor pad of roosters (small number) however temperament will be a factor to ensure all are ok, if they can see/access females there WILL be fighting with multiple roosters

Generally speaking different types of quails have varied temperaments and needs, they do not often cohabitate well. Like everything there are always exceptions - we have experience this first hand. But in your are planning to raise more than one type of quail plan on separate dwelling spaces. This would also apply to those planning to “breed true” within a species like the coturnix where there are colour lines and genetic line that produce blue eggs. While they can all live together you cannot guarantee they are “pure” if multiple types are kept together as they will not restrict breeding themselves to a set type.

The amount of space you can commit to the birds will determine how large of a covey you can house, with each bird requiring at minimum 1 sq ft of space, however most will abide by the wellness and welfare guide and use a 2 sq ft per bird guide. When you are looking at your coops square footage don’t forget to take into consideration food and water sources and the space they take up along with hides. Especially when working off the 1 sq ft per bird space, this would be unobstructed space where they can freely move.

Quail are not like chickens in the way of happily wandering around and making their way back to their coops, quail are much more nervous and have a higher flight instinct based on domestication at this point. They cannot “free range” in the same sense as chickens, turkeys or other livestock. They do require a fully enclosed set up, however you can main in the “free range” experience by providing a larger space, indoor/outdoor enclosures and various areas within their space to perform their normal behaviours like foraging, dust bathing etc.

Once you‘ve got your yourself set up, well now the fun begins! You get to enjoy your hard work and research efforts by welcoming your first quail to their new home. Watch them explore, see their personalities and listen to the different coos and calls… and if you have hens keep on the look out for eggs!