The Quail Necessities - Getting Started
What do you need to know?
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 license to keep 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.
Selecting the right breed
Of course how you keep and raise the 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
- space and time you have available to commit to them
That will help decide the right type of quail to consider further. Once that is determined be sure you have the required time, space and permits to take the next steps in setting up your quail coop / aviary or enclosure.
Preparing their home
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.
Several factors are considered for your coop structure and location. 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, wild types such as 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.
Be sure the right set up is in place before starting down the path of keeping them - they grow quickly and their needs change as they do!
How many will you keep?
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.
Don't forget about Ratios of male/female! There isn’t a perfect balance as some will depend on the temperament of the birds themselves, however 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
Determine the space you have available, the above ratio guidelines and what you end goals are - those will be key to decide the number of quail you can or need to keep. It is important to note quail are COVEY birds and do not like to live alone. You need to keep at minimum a pair together but in most cases a covert size of 3+ is ideal (unless working with mated pairings)
Can you raise more than one breed?
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. The size and weight difference of the quail species is also an important factor to consider as injury chances increase even without malicious intent from the birds.
If you are planning to raise more than one type of quail, plan on separate dwelling spaces for best success and happy birds. 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.
A little different than chicken...
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 mimic 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.
What's next?
You've done your research, determined the right type of quail and set up their coop... what's next? The next big decision is are you starting from eggs that you will hatch yourself? Will you purchase unsexed or sexed chicks? Are adult birds a safer bet to start out? You may need to sleep on this or do a bit more research to know what's involved and if you are prepared for the incubation or baby chick stages.