how to integrate quail into elevated bed garden enclosure

[heyteegee]

I am planning an elevated bed enclosed garden, sort of a cross between this:
https://www.gardeners.com/buy/olt-cedar-raised-bed-8x8-w-deer-fence/8595875.html
But with these:
https://www.gardeners.com/buy/self-watering-elevated-cedar-planter-box-2x8/8610955.html

Do you think I can design a hutch for quail beneath one (enclosed against rodents like an aviary) then let them out within the larger enclosure while I work in the garden? Are they hard to catch to put back in the hutch? Will that stress them? If so, can I enclose the entire structure with aviary wire &let them roam (mine will be 16x20) or will they fly up on the elevated planters and eat my entire garden? Just working out the kinks in the design, but have never kept birds...trying to integrate them in a permaculture type way...
Thanks in advance for any input or ideas or flaws...

 

[Nabiki]

They will absolutely eat your garden. They aren't that hard to catch, but constantly letting them out and catching them will be stressful for them.

I put my quail pens on retired garden beds and let them destroy the leftover plants. They enjoy it, they eat any bugs they find, and they spend the fall/winter fertilizing my bed. Just make sure to remove them a month or more before you plant so the quail poop doesn't burn your plants.

 

[vall]

I think having them loose on the ground would work fine. Quail don't fly but there is a small risk one will flush and land on your elevated plants, even with clipped wings, and munch on some greens.

 

[Nabiki]

I think having them loose on the ground would work fine. Quail don't fly but there is a small risk one will flush and land on your elevated plants, even with clipped wings, and munch on some greens.

Quail may not like to fly, but they can and do. For the temptation of fresh greens, they will.

 

[vall]

Hm, I had quail in my greenhouse one winter and never found any damage to the plants. My assumption is they'll feed the quail some greens/vegetable scraps/old plants on the ground, so maybe they will be content with that.

 

[Nabiki]

Hm, I had quail in my greenhouse one winter and never found any damage to the plants. My assumption is they'll feed the quail some greens/vegetable scraps/old plants on the ground, so maybe they will be content with that.

I guess it depends on the quail. The fat ones are less likely to fly, but some of mine have been very motivated. I had one fly from the ground, cross about 40' and go over a 10' sound wall. I had another one fly completely over my house.

 

[vall]

I guess it depends on the quail. The fat ones are less likely to fly, but some of mine have been very motivated. I had one fly from the ground, cross about 40' and go over a 10' sound wall. I had another one fly completely over my house.

Wow! I've never had anything like that happen. My jumbos might be able to get 5 feet off the ground. The quail that got taken by a hawk probably covered 20' on its last flight, but it was downhill. And my aviary has a hospital/introduction cage inside about 3' high, in a year I've only found one that landed on top of it.

 

[Nabiki]

Wow! I've never had anything like that happen. My jumbos might be able to get 5 feet off the ground. The quail that got taken by a hawk probably covered 20' on its last flight, but it was downhill. And my aviary has a hospital/introduction cage inside about 3' high, in a year I've only found one that landed on top of it.

That makes sense. Jumbos are a bit heavy for flight. My bigger birds don't fly nearly as well as the younger, lighter ones.

 

[heyteegee]

Thank you all...maybe I will then only let them out while I'm in the enclosure and giving them what I thin, weed, & prune as I tend the garden.