Skip to main content
SLU publication database (SLUpub)

Abstract

The Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) is an increasingly popular species in poultry production. Concern about poultry welfare, including quail, has resulted in a stronger focus for farms to transition to cage-free housing as highlighted by the 2020 European Citizens' Initiative 'End the Cage Age'. Knowledge about how to design cagefree housing to accommodate Japanese quail's behavioral and physiological needs is scarce, and there are currently no standardized regulations regarding this type of housing for quail in the EU. Based on available literature, we review current information on the specific needs and requirements of quail to facilitate the transition to cage-free systems. Overall, the literature shows that Japanese quail spend most of their time on the ground, often pecking, scratching, or hiding under cover, that they will lay eggs in nests if these are provided and appropriately designed, and that they dustbathe if given substrate to do so. However, information about optimal group size, stocking density, nest design, and appropriate litter substrates have not been sufficiently well researched in non-cage systems, and neither has the design of cage-free housing when large groups of quail are housed together. Additionally, guidelines regarding successful management of the reportedly high level of agonistic behavior performed by male quail housed in groups is missing, as well as instructions on the ideal sex ratio in large breeding flocks. In addition to controlled experimental studies to fill specific knowledge gaps in these areas, we suggest precision livestock farming technologies such as real-time image analysis and modelling using artificial intelligence to gather this information on farms and/or in research studies. We also suggest using genomic selection to tackle the high levels of agonistic behavior reported in male Japanese quail by identifying the genetic architecture underlying this trait to facilitate faster selection against it. While phasing out caged housing for Japanese quail has been suggested to ensure better animal welfare, this review highlights that more information and research are needed to guarantee that this transition doesn't introduce new welfare and general managing problems in quail. We suggest that knowledge and experience about this transition from other poultry species, especially laying hens, can be used to facilitate the transition.

Keywords

Japanese quail; cage-free housing; poultry production; animal welfare

Published in

Poultry Science
2025, volume: 104, number: 8, article number: 105263
Publisher: ELSEVIER

SLU Authors

UKÄ Subject classification

Animal and Dairy Science

Publication identifier

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2025.105263

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/142181