Can I see your aviary/ground pen?

[GemW]

We currently have 13 quail. We are new to all poultry and quail peaked our interest when we were researching our chickens. We Built a stacked pen with 2 separate pens. The top pen is full of our first hatch and we gathered enough hatching eggs to do another hatch and that group is down below.

From our first hatch we have 5 females and 1 male. They are wonderful egg layers and my kids absolutely looooooove their eggs. They'll go through 2 dozen in 1 sitting. However, I do not love the pens. It doesn't look awesome for them and while they don't seem to mind, I don't love it. Also, I have been having near constant behavior problems the past few weeks. It's gotten to the point where I am constantly monitoring them and then kicking myself for not separating X Y or Z sooner and finding blood all over my cage. It's not just one, they are just rotating through being the bully and the bullied. I'd have to butcher pretty much all of them. Now that my chickens are starting to lay, I am really questioning how much I want to do this. My husband has told me already he doesn't really want to keep them.

I was thinking, that maybe, they're all acting up because it's a pen and there's nothing really exciting about it. And it's hot so maybe they're irritable too. So irritable and bored. So, maybe as a last ditch effort, I could try an aviary or ground pen and see if that settles them. Makes them happier and makes me happier about their enclosures.

The thing that was attractive about the quail was the small amount of space required. I don't want something taking up as much space as the chicken coop. It will also need to be a somewhat easy. My husband is very handy, but I'm gonna have to keep it simple to get him to build me something else LOL. It would be ideal if it would be out of supplies I could get for free like pallets or something. Again, we've already build one enclosure for them. This might be a tough sell. But I think I want to try to make them happier and see if they can all live in peace in a happy, comfortable place.

Would I need an actual coop or would a few upside down crates and flower pots around suffice? We can have rough winters.

 

[Point52Acres]

I had the same issue, except with 40 bobwhites. Ultimately I decided on buying a pre built chicken run. 8’x16’ long and 9’ high. I do not regret the money one bit, and this is something a handy person could easily buy. As for hides, quail will literally sleep anywhere EXCEPT where you want them to.

I love stuff around every now and again, but there’s roosts for them to fly up to, sand baths and different types of hides. It’s easy enough to clean and the buckets make food and water very low maintenance

 

[Debbie292d]

I can only speak for my farmer neighbor across the road who shows me her quail. She keeps them in a large cage up on top of a table. It's in the milkhouse room of her barn. I asked her about this exact same thing as I was considering it. She said they are happy being confined but can't live with her chickens as the chickens (Brahmas) would kill them. There was nothing in her cage, but a water bottle, food tray, and a dustpan, and the bottom was covered in pine shavings. She said she does sprouts for them sometimes. That's it. It sounds so easy, but yet, I don't think she's had your issues of bullies. If it's like chickens, we pull the bully out.

What if you just tried two cages/pens to give them a little more room?

 

[007Sean]

A ground pen would definitely help! You can't have too much space when raising quail.
An actual 'sheltered' area is highly recommended, not necessarily a coop but protection from the elements and predators.
Here's a couple of pics of my pens (enclosures). I typically run 25 to 30 birds per 180 to 320 sq. ft. of pens.

 

[Point52Acres]

A ground pen would definitely help! You can't have too much space when raising quail.
An actual 'sheltered' area is highly recommended, not necessarily a coop but protection from the elements and predators.
Here's a couple of pics of my pens (enclosures). I typically run 25 to 30 birds per 180 to 320 sq. ft. of pens.
View attachment 3616624
View attachment 3616625

Have you ever had any issues with predators getting in through that chicken wire? My dream is to have runs like that with different species of Gamebirds!

 

[007Sean]

Have you ever had any issues with predators getting in through that chicken wire? My dream is to have runs like that with different species of Gamebirds!

When I first built them I didn't have any issues with predators but within the last couple of years, Yes, that's why I have gone back over the bottom 3 feet with 1" x 1/2" welded wire.
It's not necessarily the chicken wire, it is the fact that a raccoon can reach right though the 1" mesh of the chicken wire and pull a bird through the wire, in pieces.

 

[Point52Acres]

When I first built them I didn't have any issues with predators but within the last couple of years, Yes, that's why I have gone back over the bottom 3 feet with 1" x 1/2" welded wire.
It's not necessarily the chicken wire, it is the fact that a raccoon can reach right though the 1" mesh of the chicken wire and pull a bird through the wire, in pieces.

I’ve read about them doing this! I’ve always used welded wire just to be safe, also I’m glad I buried some wire in my pen when I had chukars because I learned quickly they have a tendency to dig as well!

Why can’t they understand it’s best for them to stay inside the cage lol

 

[GemW]

In our chicken coop we have hardware cloth on the bottom and chicken wire on the top and haven't had any issues. Our neighbors say they have lost some to predators but it seems only at night. Ours go in the coop at night and we have an auto door so it hasn't been an issues at all. The neighbors have an open coop, so I assume that's where the problems are

Do you think a 6 x 4 would be enough to stop the fighting? For 13 birds I know that is technically should be more than enough, but I think part of the problem with my current space is I should have deleted the space their waterer and food containers take up.

I think maybe I can take the post off of my current pens and get some free pallet 2 x 4 and we can just construct similar to our chicken run. Then the only cost would be for the hardware cloth and chicken wire. Maybe 1 sheet of metal roofing.

 

[Point52Acres]

In our chicken coop we have hardware cloth on the bottom and chicken wire on the top and haven't had any issues. Our neighbors say they have lost some to predators but it seems only at night. Ours go in the coop at night and we have an auto door so it hasn't been an issues at all. The neighbors have an open coop, so I assume that's where the problems are

Do you think a 6 x 4 would be enough to stop the fighting? For 13 birds I know that is technically should be more than enough, but I think part of the problem with my current space is I should have deleted the space their waterer and food containers take up.

I think maybe I can take the post off of my current pens and get some free pallet 2 x 4 and we can just construct similar to our chicken run. Then the only cost would be for the hardware cloth and chicken wire. Maybe 1 sheet of metal roofing.

It won't stop them from fighting, mine still scrap from time to time, but the space will allow them to get away from one another and not pinned down in a corner.

Adding food and water on both ends of the pen and multiple hides seemed to help to.
You'll spend at least $40 per roll of wire and I get my metal roofing from home depot for about $20 a sheet. It adds up quick, but spending the money and doing things right the first time leads to less headaches in the future and a better experience in my opinion!

 

[GemW]

I had the same issue, except with 40 bobwhites. Ultimately I decided on buying a pre built chicken run. 8’x16’ long and 9’ high. I do not regret the money one bit, and this is something a handy person could easily buy. As for hides, quail will literally sleep anywhere EXCEPT where you want them to.

I love stuff around every now and again, but there’s roosts for them to fly up to, sand baths and different types of hides. It’s easy enough to clean and the buckets make food and water very low maintenance

With our winters I will definately need something for the wind and snow I think.