After officially owning coturnix quail for a year and in our fourth generation of birds, I really wanted a large, group housing option that gave the birds more room and a more natural feel, as well as the ability to do deep litter management for the bedding, but not being a handyman or having thousands of extra dollars to sink into the project, to say nothing of not actually owning our house, I wasn't sure it would ever be more than a foggy hope. Then I ran across someone's brilliant idea on the quail forum about using these pop-up mosquito tents to possibly house quail, genius! But would it work? Google didn't have any answers so trial and error is the only option, and for $40 it seems like a pretty cheap experiment if it works! So here goes something!
Step 1: The package, notice golf ball for size reference:
Step 2: Out of the bag, no instructions!
Step 3: let it unfold.
4: interesting...
5: Fully extended with cardboard covering the bottom (otherwise just netting!).
6: in position with bricks to hold down cardboard, give it some weight, and to use as platform for waterers, etc.
7: Horse bedding pellets for half of bedding.
8: some leaves, started compost, and wood ashes to begin the composting.
9: mix well and added more bricks, feed and waterers ready.
10: Ready for birds!
11: Wide view
12: Add birds!
13: All set!
Initial observations: so for the first five hours, so far so good! Long term? Birds love it, did have to remove one overly amorous male but everybody else was behaving nicely. Easy to set up, roomy, but will need to be kept inside a rodent, predator, and weather proof building for obvious reasons, but my garage does the job. I'm excited! I'll update this article with any developments.
Update 2 weeks later:
I’m very impressed with the durability of the mesh, can’t even cut it with a new scalpel! The zippers on the other hand are a pain, you have to unzip the whole thing for access and maintenance and one of the four (2 each side) has already broken. You have to duck to get in unless you are 5. The bedding and birds also love sneaking out the now open bottom. I’m also on hands and knees trying to find eggs or reach feeders, not fun in your middle years! So I cut a giant alternative door in the narrow side…
I ‘hemmed’ the cut sides with duct tape then took an old flannel baby blanket and cut long narrow strips, folded the in half and did a quick hem on the sewing machine. I then did a quick basting stitch by hand securing the flaps to each side of the door. I had some adhesive Velcro strips to hold it closed (definitely need a couple more but it works for now!) and moved feeders and waterers closer to the door. I got rid of some of the sticks and brush that the birds ignored or walked on as well as added a stool for anyone who wants to zen out with the birds. The birds don’t turn the bedding well so I need to fluff it up daily but this is also a good time to find eggs! I also left the bottom intact so no more escape artists or bedding spills. Overall I’m still really impressed and the birds love it. I’m also transitioning to larger capacity feed and water containers which means I only need to top things off twice a week instead of every other day. And yes, you must have predator and weather protection provided by some other enclosing structure!
3 months in update: have yet to change the bedding, have added some dry yard waste and birds spill a bit of feed (grrr), have noticed litter isn’t composting so have started adding water as it never rains in my garage and apparently my waterers don’t leak much. The card board on the bottom gets stirred up on the corners sometimes and is starting to break down, might try waterproof feed sacks next time or recommend a solid bottomed net (mine is netting on the floor). I fixed one little tear in the back corner, birds pulled out stitches three times! Use single stitches and knot each one, use white thread, place water container in front of repair until birds forget there is something interesting to peck at! Overall I’m very happy with this thing and the birds are too! I can now leave them for several days without needing more water or feed, no more messy water bottles or soggy bedding. Eggs can be a hunt to find but the bedding needs to be stirred anyway. It has cut my bedding cost by two thirds. Flock management is a bit harder (figuring out parentage of chicks, determining which birds is laying weird eggs) as it is a large group rather than individual pens but that’s due to group housing rather than the net itself. Overall a cool option for housing quail.
Step 1: The package, notice golf ball for size reference:
Step 2: Out of the bag, no instructions!
Step 3: let it unfold.
4: interesting...
5: Fully extended with cardboard covering the bottom (otherwise just netting!).
6: in position with bricks to hold down cardboard, give it some weight, and to use as platform for waterers, etc.
7: Horse bedding pellets for half of bedding.
8: some leaves, started compost, and wood ashes to begin the composting.
9: mix well and added more bricks, feed and waterers ready.
10: Ready for birds!
11: Wide view
12: Add birds!
13: All set!
Initial observations: so for the first five hours, so far so good! Long term? Birds love it, did have to remove one overly amorous male but everybody else was behaving nicely. Easy to set up, roomy, but will need to be kept inside a rodent, predator, and weather proof building for obvious reasons, but my garage does the job. I'm excited! I'll update this article with any developments.
Update 2 weeks later:
I’m very impressed with the durability of the mesh, can’t even cut it with a new scalpel! The zippers on the other hand are a pain, you have to unzip the whole thing for access and maintenance and one of the four (2 each side) has already broken. You have to duck to get in unless you are 5. The bedding and birds also love sneaking out the now open bottom. I’m also on hands and knees trying to find eggs or reach feeders, not fun in your middle years! So I cut a giant alternative door in the narrow side…
I ‘hemmed’ the cut sides with duct tape then took an old flannel baby blanket and cut long narrow strips, folded the in half and did a quick hem on the sewing machine. I then did a quick basting stitch by hand securing the flaps to each side of the door. I had some adhesive Velcro strips to hold it closed (definitely need a couple more but it works for now!) and moved feeders and waterers closer to the door. I got rid of some of the sticks and brush that the birds ignored or walked on as well as added a stool for anyone who wants to zen out with the birds. The birds don’t turn the bedding well so I need to fluff it up daily but this is also a good time to find eggs! I also left the bottom intact so no more escape artists or bedding spills. Overall I’m still really impressed and the birds love it. I’m also transitioning to larger capacity feed and water containers which means I only need to top things off twice a week instead of every other day. And yes, you must have predator and weather protection provided by some other enclosing structure!
3 months in update: have yet to change the bedding, have added some dry yard waste and birds spill a bit of feed (grrr), have noticed litter isn’t composting so have started adding water as it never rains in my garage and apparently my waterers don’t leak much. The card board on the bottom gets stirred up on the corners sometimes and is starting to break down, might try waterproof feed sacks next time or recommend a solid bottomed net (mine is netting on the floor). I fixed one little tear in the back corner, birds pulled out stitches three times! Use single stitches and knot each one, use white thread, place water container in front of repair until birds forget there is something interesting to peck at! Overall I’m very happy with this thing and the birds are too! I can now leave them for several days without needing more water or feed, no more messy water bottles or soggy bedding. Eggs can be a hunt to find but the bedding needs to be stirred anyway. It has cut my bedding cost by two thirds. Flock management is a bit harder (figuring out parentage of chicks, determining which birds is laying weird eggs) as it is a large group rather than individual pens but that’s due to group housing rather than the net itself. Overall a cool option for housing quail.
