Ground vs. Elevated

[diggerduck]

I am sure it is out there somewhere, yet my feeble self cannot find it. In everyones opinion, what is better, ground or on wire? I was about to build a ground pen but noticed a majority of people on here have their quail off the ground. Thanks for any help. Steve

 

[Riffecreek]

It's depending on your area and the type of ground you have. Also in some situations, it's the type of quail and what you wish to use them for. Some can get away with ground pens in well drained, sandy soil. I use wire because of my soil conditions and disease problems caused by that.

I think most will tell you wire because it's much easier to tame diseases and predators in such pens. Not to mention the ease of cleaning.. Hope this helped!

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
X2... VERY TRUE

 

[aprophet]

I live very near to the marshes of SE VA I have mine on wire the ditches that drain my land come in and go out with the tide

 

[MobyQuail]

Quote:
well said!

 

[joe125]

I don't have well drained sandy soil, so I vote for elevated wire.

If you really think about it...one is the same no matter where you are....or did I miss that logic?

Sorry for the edit, but I'm not talking about button quail....EVER!

 

[jespere]

I don't mean to change the question, I think this is very relevant to the OP ... but ... correct me if I am wrong.

Right now, for all of the above reasons I am using elevated on wire. I am thinking about keep elevated but making it lower - maybe 4 inches above the ground? So they can get the little weed flowers and grasses they love to nibble for part of the day.

Is it the contact and dusting with the dirt that significantly increases disease or is it the plant contact?

For instance, with a tractor on wheels and a few inches above the ground - regardless of predators - would you still have the disease/parasite issues? I'm thinking about building my little flock a tractor for part of the day - as in, only when I'm outside with them. I'm afraid they will have the disease problems ground raised quail may have even though it would only be a few hours a day.

EDIT: for spelling.

 

[diggerduck]

Forgive me for not providing enough detail. They are Texas A&M, I live in Southern IL with well drained soil. I have never used chemicals on the ground and it has been used as a organic garden for the last two years. The person that gave me the quail had them in a large ground pen with about 100 other birds. They seem to not like the wire cage I have them in at the moment ( half inch wire on floor ) and do anything in their power to avoid walking on it. I have built a larger cage that will be buried 6 inches deep and a concrete footer to prevent digging vermin. the cage is 6 foot by 2 foot and 2 foot tall with a 1'x1'x3' box and a seperate roof above the entire cage. Thanks for your thoughts. Steve

 

[JJMR794]

WHY AM I LAUGHING???

and do anything in their power to avoid walking on it.

HERE'S THE FUNNY PART... LET IT SINK IN FOR A MINUTE THEN YOU'LL GET IT... AND ITS TRUE


THEY'RE AFFRAID OF FALLING

I SWEAR TO GOD. I AM NOT KIDDING 1 BIT SO HELP ME! THEY ARE USED TO BEING ON A SOLID SURFACE AND NOW ARE UP ABOVE TERRA FIRMA ELEVATED ON WIRE THEY CAN SEE THROUGH AND ARE TERRIFIED OF FALLING. (HILLARIOUS WHEN YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT FOR A MINUTE... FULLY WINGED AND FEATHERED BIRD PETRIFIED OF FALLING... I MEAN REALLY ITS LIKE A FISH THATS AFFRAID OF DROWNING

)

GOOD NEWS IS THEY WILL ACCLIMATE TO IT WITHIN A WEEK OR 2...

BAD NEWS--- THE IDEA OF CONCRETE FLOOR IN YOUR GROUND PEN? YEAH... MUCH BAD JUJU WAITING HERE. THEY WILL DEVELOPE THE WORST CASE OF BUMBLE FOOT IN THE HISTORY OF AVAIN-KIND! ITS NICE BECAUSE OF THE PREDATOR PROTECTION IT PROVIDES AND CLEANING CAN BE AS EASY AS A GARDEN HOSE OR EVEN A SPLASH OF BLEACH... BUT IT WILL CAUSE MAJOR FOOT/ LEG ISSUES AS WELL AS TRAUMATIC INJURIES ANYTIME A BIRD FLIES ACROSS THE PEN AND LANDS A LIL ROUGH. + CONCRETE NO MATTER HOW SMOOTH YOU MAKE IT, IS A POROUS SUBSTRATE... IT WILL HARBOR MICROORGANISMS PROFUSELY AND WOULD REQUIRE VERY VERY FREQUENT SANITIZING WHICH WOULD MEAN LOTSA BLEACH JUGS. IN THE WINTERTIME IN S ILLINOIS IT MAY WELL GET THE ANIMALS COLD ENOUGH TO KILL THEM AS ITS TEMPERATURE TRANSMITTAL PROPERTIES ARE EXTREME, THIS WOULD ALSO INTERFERE WITH SANITIZATION EFFORTS​

 

[Riffecreek]

Quote:
I think this would be a bad idea... First off, happy quail don't like changes.. switching pens daily would be stressful to the birds to say the least..
Another point that is over looked by many including me a couple years ago, when you build pens close to the ground that isn't movable, this is a VERY bad no no... They are very hard to clean under them causing the droppings to build up. When all this gets wet, you have one heck of a breeding ground for every kind of disease and parasite only a few inches below the birds!! I had to jack up the pens and use concrete blocks to raise them so they were easier to clean and keep sanitized.. not a job I want to do anytime soon!!