New Quail Cage

I saw a video on Youtube on a quail cage design I liked so I made on similar. I just added the auto water system and have the auto feeder done but not installed. The eggs roll out onto a catch area. The finished cage works well and thought I would share the results. I posted more about it on my blog here , but will upload some pics here too so you don't have to surf. If I can't find the guys video on youtube I might make another one and add some build pics for those that want additional details.

The cage is 8' long and 30" tall. It has 3 doors and is set up so it can be partitioned off into 2-3 sections a breeder pair or males for grow out can be separated.

Joe Prepper said:

I saw a video on Youtube on a quail cage design I liked so I made on similar. I just added the auto water system and have the auto feeder done but not installed. The eggs roll out onto a catch area. The finished cage works well and thought I would share the results. I posted more about it on my blog here , but will upload some pics here too so you don't have to surf. If I can't find the guys video on youtube I might make another one and add some build pics for those that want additional details.

The cage is 8' long and 30" tall. It has 3 doors and is set up so it can be partitioned off into 2-3 sections a breeder pair or males for grow out can be separated.







I think filling the feeder would be a pain.

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I think filling the feeder would be a pain.

That's the waterer, I believe.

DoubletakeFarm said:

That's the waterer, I believe.

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Thanks for clarify. I currently use a temporary milk container with 1" refill hole on top. It need clean or replace every 3-5 days. I found nipple water system work best. It keeps the water and require little to no maintenance. I am using vertical nipple water system for chickens in the last few years and it's great. I have seen the horizon nipple, but not sure how well it works.

DoubletakeFarm said:

That's the waterer, I believe.

Click to expand...

It is... you can see the float valve in pic 2 on the side. The pvc drops from 3" where the float valve is(for easy accessibility) to 2" and around the corner down the long side with watering holes. It is attached to a 6 gallon container that is filled off a 250g rainwater barrel.

I just wanted to update how the cage has worked out with a few tips if you are considering this cage style. First of all...I get alot of emailed questions about this post and wanted to ad some of the answers here. Still feel free to email me if you have any questions or suggestions. I really believe this to be a great cage design.

One question I get alot of is about the height of the cage....does it allow the birds to fly and hurt themselves.I have not had any issues with this...though I am growing Texas A&M and not the standard bob white which are much more "flighty" IMO.

Another is the watering system. What I did was use a simple float valve for aquariums in a cut out chamber of PVC pipe attached to the small side of the cage. I dropped down to a smaller size and used a "L" to round the cornerand went about 1/2 way down the cage. This allowed me room to section off a part of the cage for special breeder trios and still have them using the same water system. After placing it I marked where the cage wall h0les were going to be so the quail could stick thier head through and reach the pipe and cut a few holes on angle so they could reach the water. I left the end cap unglued so I can take it off and spray out the whole system when I need to. I can pull the pipe and completely bleach it.

The system is gravity fed through a removable 1/4 hose gate connection that I can tap into my rabbit water system or use a stand alone 5 gallon water bucket.

If using outdoors, I suggest adding skids to the bottom of the cage using synthetic decking boards. Take them out past the cage and drill a few holes. These can be used to drive spikes through to hold the cage stable. Now you can move the light cage around the yard...fertilizing needed areas by popping out stakes...drag to new spot and drive stakes in . Also good for windy locations. I put a piece of synthetic corrugated roofing on mine and it has lasted over a year.

Since the top opens completely you can add boxes for harsh winters and use the front access doors for most access. If you plan to process you quail or move/sell them you can add a box to the cage. Let the quail go in and close it up. Ready for travel....no chasing around.

If outside....Net traps for snakes set all around the cage is the only effective way I know of to keep the eggs and birds safe with an open cage design. I have one chicken snake issue as my quail cage an chicken cage was close together and too much for the snake to resist. Forced relocation of a stubborn rat snake was in order.

Joe Prepper

Your birds appear to be coturnix. Breeder pairs or trios are not really recommended. That is way too few females for the males and they will over breed the females. A better ratio would be 5-6 females to males, or even 7 or 8. Trust me they will all be much happier and there will be less bloodshed and stress.

Also, the 1x2 wire that lets the birds put their heads out also lets predators grab birds through the wire...or simply bite their heads off when they put them so willingly through the wire. You can put a wire guard over the areas that they have to use to eat or drink so they can do so safely, but then there is the rest of the cage too...

Just sayin'

I have never experience any negatives issues with a male and two females, but we only keep them that way for a week or less....usually collecting a dozen eggs that we want from specific male/female combination. So there is no confusion, we separate females from males for 4+ weeks then chose small trios to selective breed. Usually the chosen make is in with the females for a few days and is banded and placed back with the original group. I night be doing it wrong and getting lucky though, as I am no expert....

If used outside, the wire size could let predator hands in like coons and possums. This could be avoided with a layer of hardware cloth along the bottom 12 inches of the cage and a wire cover over the waterer, although with the wide and deep cage design, and the high narrow egg collection (ledge) it makes a difficult reach for small armed creatures. Also, My quail tend to "perch" on the center bar in the middle of the cage which is raised to aid in the egg rolling into the catchment. This may also unintentionally put them out of some harms way. If I had high predator traffic I would add a few insulators to the legs and add a electric hotwire...

We have had possum, coon and snakes all in this area where the cage is and so far have not lost a bird to predators. They are crafty though

Sill said:

Also, the 1x2 wire that lets the birds put their heads out also lets predators grab birds through the wire...or simply bite their heads off when they put them so willingly through the wire. You can put a wire guard over the areas that they have to use to eat or drink so they can do so safely, but then there is the rest of the cage too...

Just sayin'

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Thats good to know Sill.
I personally have never experience any negatives issues with a male and two females, but we only keep them that way for a week or less....usually collecting a dozen eggs that we want from specific male/female combination. So there is no confusion, we separate females from males for 4+ weeks then chose small trios to selective breed. Usually the chosen make is in with the females for a few days and is banded and placed back with the original group. I night be doing it wrong and getting lucky though, as I am no expert....

If used outside, the wire size could let predator hands in like coons and possums. This could be avoided with a layer of hardware cloth along the bottom 12 inches of the cage and a wire cover over the waterer, although with the wide and deep cage design, and the high narrow egg collection (ledge) it makes a difficult reach for small armed creatures. Also, My quail tend to "perch" on the center bar in the middle of the cage which is raised to aid in the egg rolling into the catchment. This may also unintentionally put them out of some harms way. If I had high predator traffic I would add a few insulators to the legs and add a electric hotwire...

We have had possum, coon and snakes all in this area where the cage is and so far have not lost a bird to predators. They are crafty though