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Housing and Care

Housing

Because of their small size, quail don't need much room. As a general rule, it's two adults per square foot. For example, 30 breeders can be kept in a 3x5' pen (3x5=15 square feet, multiplied by two). They can fly, so regardless of what you keep them in a lid is needed once they are two weeks old. The small pens also mean you can become more creative with where they live, making up doll house like constructions with miniature chairs to perch on, small "beds" to lay their eggs in, and a tub to take sand/dirt baths. If this is a family operation then encourage your kids to get involved with ideas.

Some cage designs are built or hanged at a slope, causing the eggs to all slide into a single corner or into an adjoining tray, making collecting them easier and reducing the number of eggs that are kicked around and stepped on by a dozen scampering feet.

Regardless of the type of pen chosen, make sure you use half inch or smaller wire for the sides to keep younger quail from escaping. A wire floor also makes clean up easier, allowing you to dump the nitrogen-rich droppings into a compost heap for your garden. For quail chicks, hardware wire that is a quarter inch in diameter will allow the droppings to fall through without getting any legs caught. For adult quail, half inch wire for the floor is fine.

Since quail are ground birds, perches won't be used often by them. If you would like to provide them with something to play in, pile up a few dead branches in a corner of the cage. Make sure the branches are far enough apart to see inside. Some hens may try to lay eggs inside a concealed area like this.

Dust Baths

To keep from being plagued by parasites, Milk jugs are the perfect size for quail to get into for dust baths and for laying eggs. Dust baths