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What type of bird is best for my apartment patio?

Josh Noland

Posts: 28

Location: Southern California

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posted 11 years ago

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Hey guys looking for some pointers on what type of bird would be best if any for my small patio? I miss having chickens (Had a small flock at my last place of employment) and would really enjoy having fresh eggs again. My patio is about 6ft x 12ft and on ground level. I already have a 2ft wide x 4ft long x 2ft tall coop. They would have to be pretty quiet, I was thinking quail but not sure. Please advise.

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Meryt Helmer

Posts: 395

Location: west marin, bay area california. sandy loam, well drained, acidic soil and lots of shade

posted 11 years ago

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I have never really had quails (sort of did as a teenager but that was too long ago to remember anything) but quails are what comes to mind but only if the climate outside will work for them in the winter. it seems like in some parts of southern California they would be ok outside in winter. they would need to be in a pen or something to be safe. quail eggs are really nice

Su Ba

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Location: Big Island, Hawaii (2300' elevation, 60" avg. annual rainfall, temp range 55-80 degrees F)

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posted 11 years ago

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I saw a small chicken coop here in Hawaii that housed two standard sized chickens. It was 4x4x6. That is, 6 foot high. It had three levels with openings in the floor plus dowels of the mid levels so that the hens could hop up and down. The hens seemed content enough. Making the coop vertical with multi levels gives the hens more square foot of living space and the opportunity to get away from one another.

It's never too late to start! I retired to homestead on the slopes of Mauna Loa, an active volcano. I relate snippets of my endeavor on my blog : www.kaufarmer.blogspot.com

Josh Noland

Posts: 28

Location: Southern California

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posted 11 years ago

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Thank you for the replies. I'm pretty sure any bird would be ok outside during the winter in this part of so cal, so that is not a problem but I am not sure if the apartment complex would allow birds (I'd rather not ask for fear of rejection) I would want something less obvious then a 6ft tall cage but I like the idea of stacking the square footage... Anyone else care to chime in???

Clean Food, Preparedness, and Self-sufficiency is what I'm all about. Check out my latest blog post and subscribe if you like what you see: BeyondSustainable.org

Meryt Helmer

Posts: 395

Location: west marin, bay area california. sandy loam, well drained, acidic soil and lots of shade

posted 11 years ago

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well what I know about quails is they are pretty quiet and would not be very noticeable but also after eating quail eggs last night I looked into their nutrition and they seem so healthy and amazing I am pondering getting quails before I get ducks or chickens now. the eggs I had came from the farmers market here and where pretty fresh and local and very very tasty. I think you could also easily grow fodder for them but getting them to consider it food could be tricky.

Josh Noland

Posts: 28

Location: Southern California

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posted 11 years ago

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Thank you Meryt I will look into the quail further.

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