Button quail - all wire cage ?

[Plain_View_Farm]

Frieza??
Are you in an area where you can let yours outside year round?

David

 

[monarc23]

yes I am curious about that too, about letting them on the ground year round. Here in PA, the quail would be frozen in feet upon feet of snow, not to mention freeze to death very easily out here in the woods on the top of the mountain. In the summer months sure I could let them roam the ground in the flight pen but i haven't fixed it up yet. I still personally do not think that wire pens are cruel, I personally think they are more sanitary and here in the US, we as hobby breeders are not forced to keep them off wire. If it does someday become a rule, then sure I will accomidate them but not right now my birds are fine and healthy how they are

away from coccidosis, snakes and other things that are readily available on the ground. Also my dog gets my culls, and quails on the ground are more prone to worms and not sure if those parasites can then make my dog sick but id' rather not risk it... also the fact that every now and then we eat the culls as well... it's just not practical for me and MANY others here in the US where we have the choice.

 

[citalk2much]

As a personal choice I do not keep my buttons on wire. I worry about their feet getting in the holes
I do keep my jumbos on wire and I find it works great

 

[citalk2much]

Quote:
Don't fall off that pedestal it maybe painful.

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
yeah they'd need some tiny small wire spacing

I had that for my white button roo i had in with my coturnix (who i rehomed he's now with his own kind indoors YAY)!

I loved the little guy but he needed to be cared for better and now he's getting that with rinniths care ( a byc member here)

 

[Chickiechick]

Wow ..... seems like my question got some discussions going

I've gone ahead and made a 'test' cage with vinyl coated 1/2" wire for the flooring. Added a few buttons . So far no feet slipping through.
I'll monitor them closely and share my findings in the future .

 

[shelleyd2008]

I have some of mine on 1'4" wire that is mostly covered with shelf liner. One of my males in this pen has injured his leg somehow, almost like he has twisted his ankle? Buttons on wire is not good, even 1/4" wire can cause their toes to get stuck. There is a picture online somewhere about a cage that has a pull-out solid bottom that the quail stay on. When you pull the tray out there is a guard that falls down to prevent them from escaping. Might be worth looking into.
In my other pen, the buttons have a solid floor covered in sawdust. I took some of my pellet bedding and wet it to make it break down, then allowed it to dry out. I have no problems with poo sticking to their toes.

 

[Chickiechick]

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Awesome.
If you come across the photo again please let me know where to view it .
I'm looking for something less traumatic to the buttons for cleaning time. I've no issues with a solid floor but I HATE how flighty they are and how hard they repeatedly 'boink'. So I thought, wire floor + sliding tray = less spooking of buttons and so less boinking.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Where do you have them at? Mine almost never boink, even when I'm cleaning their cage. They'll run all over their cage like crazy birds, but they don't boink. And I use a small dustpan to clean it out, and most times have 1 or 2 buttons in the dust pan that I have to boot out before I can bring it out of the cage!
Make sure to keep them somewhere with high traffic, so they get used to you being around. Eventually they'll calm down.

 

[maran magpie]

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Freiza is right I think im going to lay out carpet in my quail pens and rub their feet every day.