More "Natural" Quail Coop

[Friskybinx]

I'm looking at building a quail coop and I really want to make it more natural looking with branches and whatnot on the inside. I'd love to see everyone's quail coops that might be more on the natural/earthy side. Please share pictures!

 

[eddie_van_quailen]

I had 2 hollow-ish logs in my aviary for a while, but ended up trading one out for a thinner branch tunnel that provided a better bulk-to-shelter ratio. I did leave one big log that stays propped up on its own and provides a lot of cover, and I layered sticks and large strips of bark over the top to make a sort of "roof" for it. The log itself is bulky, but it has like 3 little "caves" that the birds seem to like to lay their eggs in, so it stays for now. I also got some grass rabbit houses seen in the 3rd pic, that provide a closed-in area (I find eggs in these, too). The grass houses will be difficult to keep clean, though, so I won't be replacing them once we get the nest box built. (The pearl in particular likes to perch on top of the grass houses and poo on them all day )

 

[le_bwah]

I know Coturnix appreciate low cover like grasses and shrubs. I've also found taller cover (e.g. chunk of hollow log, big flake of bark off a dead tree, well-placed cardboard boxes even) help break up line of sight during the hen's yearly hormonal chase-chase, and give them ways to feel safe from neighborhood predators and each other.

Here's my setup for Coturnix:

The green netting is separating my broody from everyone else, more for their sake than hers.

And here's what I'm planting soon to replace those yellowed muhly I forgot to water...

No matter what you build, as long as you're giving them "furniture" that provides low cover and breaks up line of sight without taking up too much floorspace, you're going to have more active and naturally-behaving quail.

 

[The Birb King]

Im gonna build a small aviary/coop run for my button quail since right now they just live in 1/3 of the Serama coop and dont have access to outside. I was planning to make mine about 5 feet long by 3 feet high and 3 feet wide. It will be a triangle shape and have a door on the end. I hope to also put some plants and rocks in there to make it more natural. Im sure it wont take long to make, but I have not had time to get started on it yet.

 

[eddie_van_quailen]

I will have some more inspiration for you in about a week! We're halfway done with our aviary (much inspiration taken from @le_bwah's). It will be 4' wide, 8' long, and 8' tall (only because we're using stud lumber and didn't want to trim them, 6' would have been tall enough). It will be on the ground with a wood chip mulch floor, a sand bath area with rock border, some (dispensable) quail-safe plants, logs, branches, and a couple enclosed boxes for sheltering from wind. I planned to make a thread once we're finished, although I suppose I could just start posting the process now... perhaps I will do that.

 

[le_bwah]

What is the tall grass called muhly grass? I want to put some plants in my coops that the chickens and quail WONT eat. I have tried ferns and pine branches so far. The pine branches work fine for the quail, not so much the chickens.

I picked muhly grass to start with because it doesn't have that "bias" where it's smooth one way and barbed the other—figured this would prevent issues if the quail ate it. Turns out they only see it as cover and nesting material.

The only thing that ever killed a muhly in my aviary was me by forgetting to water it lol. Never tried it with chickens, where I assume the "planted run" question has a different answer.

 

[sleepycat]

mine is sorta natural. i have it cluttered with a lot of pots for hides as well as ferns. i dont have as many branches because they just take up space but large pieces of bark would be good as a little natural hide

 

[igorsMistress]

I don’t think I have pics anymore, but my quail lived in a fully enclosed garden. FWIW chicken wire isn’t small enough so you’ll want hardware cloth. It needs to be either super tall so they don’t fly up and hit their heads, or only about a foot tall so they don’t fly up and hit their heads. My garden is over six feet tall.

They had branches and tons of plants to hide under. They typically slept under low growing plants and egg hunting was a pain. Anything chickens will eat quail will too for most part for be careful about toxicity. Rosemary is something my quail didn’t eat, and lavender. You can plant in ground or put in pots. Pots will keep them from eating anything that doesn’t hang over the edges.

 

[The Birb King]

FWIW chicken wire isn’t small enough so you’ll want hardware cloth.

Yea chicken wire is pretty big especially for button quail. They can stick their heads through it, it is not as predator proof, and the babies can fit right through it.

 

[igorsMistress]

Im gonna build a small aviary/coop run for my button quail since right now they just live in 1/3 of the Serama coop and dont have access to outside. I was planning to make mine about 5 feet long by 3 feet high and 3 feet wide. It will be a triangle shape and have a door on the end. I hope to also put some plants and rocks in there to make it more natural. Im sure it wont take long to make, but I have not had time to get started on it yet.

Would love to see pics when you get it done!