Seeking advice on building quail incubators and quail pens in SoCal

Eva76

In the Brooder
Mar 29, 2016
20
0
24
Hello, i was wondering if someone could offer advice on quail pens and incubators....i know some made their own incubators, some bough them, my husband is quite handy and so am i and it would be a great project for kids too...

We would like to build a separate quail pen and chicken pen and also incubators. Advice is much appreciated, thank you.

Eva

SoCal, Riverside County
 
Heyo! Coming at you from Los Angeles.

Cages/pens are pretty easy depending on what specifics you want. My setup basically uses 1/4" hardware cloth bent into a 2'x2'x12" cube and held together with hogrings (J clips work better but I had hogrings on hand). I also built a pretty basic frame from furring strips so it stays off the ground.
My other pen is a bit more elaborate and uses 2x4's, 2x2 and furring strips to create panels to staple the hardware cloth on. Overall, I like the basic setup a lot more. All you need is some hogrings with pliers (or j clips with pliers), some hardware cloth, and some snips to cut it. Easy peasy lemon squeazy.

Either way, I highly recommend using the 1/4", at least on the bottom. Not only is it friendlier on the quail's feet but its harder for opossums, raccoons, and rats from reaching in and catching an easy meal. Lost a quail right off the bat from this mistake.


I just finished putting together a DIY incubator that I have yet to actually put to use. I've tested it and it holds its temp and humidity perfectly though. Just waiting on my boys to get romantic so to speak.
I got the styrofoam box for free from the seafood department at Costco (Their salmon is shipped in it.) I use a 60 watt bulb in a repurposed lamp socket for the heat source and a pc case fan (modded onto a 12v adapter... super easy) to keep the air circulated. The thermostat I ended up choosing was the Willhi temperature controller. The link is below.

Anyways, this has been my experience so far. Don't forget to set up a light source on a timer so they get 14-16 hours of light to trigger egg laying and amorous males!

I'm a beginner myself but I hope some of this is of use!


Link to thermostat: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V4TJR00/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
Edit... I meant 1/2"x1/2" hardware cloth. 1/4" is too small to let droppings through but any larger than 1/2" is enough to allow things to snag tiny feet and other quail appendages.
 

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