The quail have managed better than the chickens in the heat and just keep laying! Lots of yummy eggs! I haven't tried the meat yet, but got some in the freezer and a few more to process probably this weekend.
They must have pans of water to cool off in when it's over 100, misters if its over 110 for their well being if they are in wire or if the aviary is particularly hot. Use terracotta pans as they keep the water cooler than anything else. Good for chickens too. Below is one of my A width: 350px; height: 197px">
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Aviaries can be successful for quail here, give them some plant matter to scratch, nest, or hide in. You can buy a roll of sod and use that for some or all of the floor and just replace it when they kill all the grass. The grass will help keep them cool in summer.
The roof must be high enough that if they spook they can correct their trajectory before they break their neck or skull, 6 feet high or so. Small cages need to be short so they can't get enough speed for the same reason, so 12 inches or less.
Give them places to hide so they can feel secure when they need it and for the hens to lay in if they want (though they often just lay them where ever they happened to be). Boxes, baskets, pots laid on their sides, potted plants, or bunches of greenery clipped to the sides of the aviary can all work to give them places to hide as well as get away from each other if they feel like it.
Doves are OK to share an aviary with quail. I've housed some of mine with a diamond dove and a ring neck dove. They all got along though the doves spooked a bit at first until they learned the quail were not going to eat them.
Let me know if you have any other questions. You can also visit the
quail threads here at BYC for lots of info on quail.
to everyone that I have missed over the last few weeks.
