Anyone have quails? Can I have them loose in the garden?

[UterusUterusGhali]

Hello.
I have a pretty small back garden and would like some birds. Thing is I don't want an aviary. I'd love to have the things scuttling about the place.

Is this doable if I clip their wings? The garden is pretty secure.
I have a wee nesting box thingy for them to sleep in.

I've never seen foxes here as it's a small new build development in the countryside. The foxes tend to stick to the woods & outskirts of the village.

Your thoughts?

Don't have quail. They are irritatingly stupid and show neither love nor loyalty. Or even recognition! They will escape no matter how secure your garden. They require a surprising amount of care and attention and will drown if the thought of water crosses their tiny minds.

Ducks are lovely if you don't mind having all your plants eaten. Perfectly feasible in a small area with a pond. They're fun and friendly and entertaining.

I guess you've already dismissed chickens?

Oh -and if you have birds the foxes will soon find out....

Oh. Ok.

I don't want my plants eaten. And I want to be able to eat them when they get annoying.

Will Guinea Pigs eat my garden? (I won't eat them, honest!)

My friend had 'free-range' guinea pigs for years and they were fine, although obviously you will need a secure fence as they will fit through small holes. The bonus is they don't dig like rabbits and they can't reach up to nibble plants so they just graze the lawn really. You will need somewhere secure to put them at dusk though or they will be eaten and they need a warm dry house as they don't cope well with damp. Are you sure you want to faff around trying to catch them every night? If you want guinea pigs much simpler to have a run I think!

I have to say we had ducks for years in a small garden (2 khaki campbells) and they didn't really eat the plants, I suppose it depends what sort of plants you have. They did do a great job of disposing of slugs, snails and woodlice, so much so that the neighbours used to come and ask to borrow them! The worst damage was to the lawn, they can ruin that in a short space of time in wet weather unless you have somewhere with a hard surface to put them. They don't do it on purpose but their webbed feet will turn wet grass to mud. They were great pets, real fun characters and prolific layers too.

We got quails two weeks ago, we keep them in a rabbit hutch. They started laying a few days ago. I'm glad I let dp and the children convince me to get them.
I would worry i'd never find them again if I'd let them loose in the garden. They are so small.

A couple of Muscovy ducks don't quack, don't need a pond but will need sufficient fresh water to be able to wash themselves esp eyes (they have no tear glands) and they lay good eggs. They 'snuffle' plants to find insects etc but they don't wreck them. They do poo everywhere however.

Like all poultry they will attract rats if you leave food lying about or don't collect eggs regularly.