Happy quail cages designs?

[laseterlass]

People consider wire healthier because the birds are not standing in feces. BUT. They are mentally healthier on the ground. It just requires more work. To protect them from rodents lay wire under about 2a inches of sand.

 

[Chick Charm]

Wire keeps them off their own poo AND OTHER BIRDS POO TOO.

Just a more sanitary way to live. In addition 1/2 hardware cloth keeps out all the predators if built right. No problems with snakes and rats or ants.

I am not opposed to keeping quail on the ground but have found it easier to keep em disease free and cleaner. Just seems to make more sense to me. And wire does incur a hardship on their feet. So if you keep on wire give em a sand box or platform to get a break.

Happy pen building.

 

[Ellaluvsbirds]

Nice cages I want to build something similar.

 

[iamkingtim01]

This is what I started with before I became an addict



It wasn't long until I was on a building frenzy











I go in there and change things from time to time simply for my own aesthetic pleasure. The Quail seem to love it, and the 4 doves are getting along fine in there it seems.

 

[Quailsong]

It looks beautiful, but a bit flimsy on the sides for larger predators like dogs or bears. From the look of your driveway, your land isn't totally enclosed. I'd be a bit concerned about that is all.

 

[chiqita]

Just remember if you are keeping all the boys you might have problems unless they can really get away from each other. Quail will, kill each other in the wrong sex ratios. I have had batcholor cages for extra boys, but sometimes they still fight and hurt each other.

I have heard with a huge aviaries they are OK however. So if you want them all Lots and lots of space!

 

[epmchickens]

I made my own cage a couple of weekends ago as I needed extras. I'm not a woodworker and I didn't find it difficult. Finished cage - 3ft x 4ft x 1ft high Above cage partitioned for introducing new birds - each side it 2ft x 3ft I used thin strips of wood and plywood triangles at the corners. You make 3 frames the size you want them - my next cage will be 4ft x 4ft to match my bigger ones - and brace each corner with ply. One of them is a bit smaller and fits inside whichever frame will be on the top. Attach uprights to base, attach top frame to uprights, cover it all in mesh and then put a couple of hinges on for the top panel (which rests on the ply inside the top frame and fits down flush to the top). You'll see that I've used plastic garden netting instead of wire mesh. I chose this because it is easier to cut and the birds won't hurt their heads if they headbonk. I also put a strip of wood in the middle of the base. I was going to build a whole extra frame for a partition but I ran out of time so I use it to anchor a wire partition when I have to introduce or separate birds, and I remove the wire when I have a group in it. All my other cages are a similar design and I find they work really well. I move them around the lawn about once a week. Cheers B

I love that you used soft netting rather than hardware cloth!!! Any predator problems? I'm going to be building a larger pen for mine and i'd like to know I only have 5 now but I will have a LOT more soon!

 

[chrishw]

Humm, I use raised bed gardens and this might be a awesome way to keep some birds over winter! Who needs fertilizer? A few 4ftx4ft cages and a handful of feed!

 

[qlicer49]

These cages are beautiful I just started not to long ago and I'm already an addict I'll certainly be doing this for a long time

 

[Weirdness555]

We keep ours in a walk in aviary, with an "airlock", which will come on any prefab aviaries, and can easily be built yourself, basically you put an extra frame and mesh around the panel with the door in it and put another door on that, so you can open the outer door, walk in, shut it, open inner door, easy as pie. Definitely essential, we've had many quail go straight out of the inner door into airlock because they don't like to be under my feet when I walk in (for obvious reasons) and without the airlock we'd have just lost them.

Lots of people keep them on wire, but with all my animals I like to emulate wild conditions as much as possible, and does anyone build wire platforms for wild quail so that they don't have to step in poo? No. In my opinion (and only my opinion) no animal cares about walking in poo. You can keep them on mud and let the poo compost in, which is what we do, and because they're outside in the open air we don't have any problems with smell. On top of this we just scrape off the top layer every now and again, which exposes bugs for them and removes any built up poo, which by then is nearly garden ready. So far we've had no disease problems, or predator problems, however in the UK we only have foxes, cats and red kites to deal with, none of which are really bothered about our quail (we're in a rural area with no shortage or rabbits and wild quail and pheasants for prey)

We have a small hut in the aviary which they can get into out of the weather, not that they use it, and a few small (dead) grass plants in pots which they like to hide around. Also we have a couple of tunnels and a big flat dish of sand which is overused for dust bathing.

Overall I think our quail are pretty happy, and we get 5 eggs per day from our 5 hens