Our oldest has been wanting chickens for the longest time and we fully intended to construct a chicken coop this summer (along with my dream she shed, but I have let go of that for now). I had 29 Pinterest pins in my ‘Chicken Coop’ board. However, we were getting a little behind on deciding on how to construct it and we were missing ‘Chick Days’ at Tractor Supply. Come April, my brother mentioned trying quail with the boys. He was looking to add quail to his menagerie of chickens and ducks. It would give them an idea of what it takes to raise birds and they didn’t take up much space.
Quail have less of a footprint than chickens. They can be kept in a smaller coop (they love to huddle together when sleeping). You can easily keep 5 quail in a rabbit hutch and 3ft-4ft run. They don’t eat as much (but they can be messy). They are great starter birds for kids. You can keep a ‘rooster’ and not annoy your neighbors. The quail rooster call is a bit Jurassic Park- ish, but endearing. I look forward to hearing it on Spring mornings and throughout the warmer months.
Where to start
To start- figure out how much you want to spend on a coop. You could construct a smaller version of a chicken coop but they really don’t need a lot of space. You could also use an inexpensive chicken coop or use a rabbit hutch. I stalked Facebook Marketplace, LetGo and OfferUp for weeks looking for a rabbit hutch. It took awhile because it seemed like people were either raising rabbits or getting into quail. Every time I would message someone about their rabbit hutch listing, it would be pending pick up.
Two weeks ago, I happened to check Facebook Marketplace and happened to see one that was FREE. It did need some rehab but we are not strangers to a DIY and it was free! My brother and I went to go pick it up since my husband was unavailable that evening, plus he said if I wasn’t going to take it, he would.
Once you have a structure or before you start building a coop, decide where you want to place it. We thought about placing it under a pine tree in our backyard but in the dead of winter, our son most likely wouldn’t want to venture out there. My brother suggested under the overhang of our deck and slightly under the deck stairs. This option would keep them somewhat shaded during the summer, offer some shelter from our crazy winds and keep them close at hand in the winter time.
The Rehab
Our hutch needed a new wall and two new legs and shingles put back on the roof. No big deal. Luckily, my husband has a construction background and is very handy around the house. That is half the reason I can do a lot of DIY projects. I have plans to put a metal roof on it. We had the metal from a job my husband did and was waiting for the She Shed. I have since let go of that idea/dream for now. We repainted using Almond Cream Valspar Medallion Satin Exterior paint. This is color matched from Behr’s Almond Cream. It’s my favorite white for indoor furniture. It’s an antique white shade. I was a bit concerned when I went out in the sunlight and it pulled yellow. Once it was on the wood and painted it looked classic chicken coop white, which is what I was going for. I am happy with it.
Run Run Runaway
We cut a hole in the back of the hutch and added a run. The run is basically a frame with legs and hardware cloth sides, top and bottom. We created a tall door in the center of one of the sides to easily access and clean out the run if needed. After the run was complete and before my husband put the hardware cloth on. We sanded down the wood with our Festool electric orbital sander with the shop vac attachment to minimize dust. We used 80 grit, then 120 then 150.
Habitat, Habitat. You have to have a habitat to carry on…
We created a habitat for them to play around in the run. We trimmed off some pine branches on our property and propped them up in the corner to create some shade and a place for them to kind of hide. We added pinecones as well. You can add an incline to a platform. I have included some pictures of my brother’s coop as well. Inside the hutch we put a long feeder box (my brother made his).
You want to make sure you don’t give them too much of an opening because they are messy eaters. We also a sandbox (a dollar store plastic shoebox or dishpan will do). This is key. They need to dust bathe just like chickens to keep parasites and help their feathers not become matted. You can use sand, non treated fine sawdust or woodash (that was not from a fire started by lighter fluid or starter bricks).
We got them a gallon size waterer and bought starter/grower feed. I have read that they can have berries and some herbs like basil which is actually good for them. So they can have some chicken scraps like chickens. Just make sure to do some research before giving them any of your food.
We plan to add a motion censored light down near our coop in case we need to check them when it’s dark (particulary in the winter when it gets dark earlier in the northern hemisphere) and to deter any wildlife predators which shouldn’t be too often because we have a fenced in yard so they need to be pretty brazen.
Add the flock
We added four females and one male Coturnix (or four hens and one rooster). It is best not to have two males as they may fight (i.e. vying for alpha status). The quail rooster call is not annoying like a chicken rooster’s. However, like my neighbor said (whose kids once raised quail) it’s a bit like Jurassic Park! It surely won’t annoy your neighbors though. I love birds so I think it’s pretty cool.
Egg production
Quail egg production is a lot like chicken production when it comes to light. They need at least 12 hours of sunlight. If not then their egg production can start to wane. Each female quail should lay 1 egg a day. One thing to remember 3 quail eggs= 1 chicken egg. So you need three females to equal getting a chicken egg a day. They are tiny but cute eggs. Just like chickens, each kind of quail have different colors or patterns. Our Coturnix lay pale colored eggs with blackish brown specks or splotches. Their eggs can have a blue tinge to them which I think is cool because I love a robin’s egg blue.
Benefits for humans
Quail eggs are very beneficial to our health. Here is a great website who sells them if you don’t have a breeder near you and they have great information about the vitamins and nutrients that they give us. I think I actually prefer quail eggs to chicken eggs. They seem richer in flavor to me. I have yet to hard boil them but I definitely want to try it soon.
Compost bin
As you can see, our coop is positioned over or stone landscaping under and to the side of our deck. We stuck an old door that we recently replaced right under it for now. It fit perfectly to catch the droppings and the sand from the dust baths.
My brother also suggested digging the stones out and forming a frame for a compost bin. PERFECT! I sold my compost bin earlier this year because it was hard to rotate and I wanted a bin that I could spin and get to ‘cook’. I’m glad I didn’t buy one yet. As you can imagine their droppings are great for fertilizer and now I have a place to throw my kitchen and garden scraps!
We plan to add to our flock after my brother hatched some other breeds of Coturnix quail. I’d love to get a couple pretty, white Texas A&M’s.
Do you raise quail? If not, are you interested now? Let me know if you have any questions!
Have a great weekend!
