Need help for quail housing?!

[Akshayk]

Hi, im new to this site and I want to know what quail eat, the different species etc.

The cage I want to build will be 9-10 feet long, 4 feet high and 4 feet wide

However what type of wood should i use?

Should i create a frame out of 2x4s, then cover the sides with MDF boards while i put some type of tarp on the roof and leave the front covered with mesh and make a door?

Or should I make a box out of sheet wood such as MDF and just add mesh to the front, make a door and add tarp for the roof?

Where can I get cheap wood from? We hardly have any skips where I live so I need to buy it online or from a shop

How thick should the wood be?

Will 60mmx20mm be fine all round the cage if I use the frame idea?

If i do the sheet board idea will 18mm thickness be fine?

What substrate because some say wood shavings others say straw?

How many quail can I fit in my cage?

How often do quail lay eggs?

What food do they need? do i need oyster shell?
and What species are there?

 

[ruthless]

Start by going here ( the quail sticky) and reading thru the given threads for the information you need.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=282488


And this very helpful thread on quail pens in included in that list.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=280575

 

[Akshayk]

Thanks for the links!

& what do you think about using varnished wooden sheets and joing them together ?

 

[sixshooter60]

Unless you have really long arms building a pen 4 ft deep is too much.its hard to reach the back of the pen to collect eggs and such. of course its your pen so build it how you want but 2 ft is what i think is the best depth.. 2 ft high is the normal and you can build it as long as you want.. for cots it takes 1 sq ft per bird to be comfortable..

 

[Akshayk]

Thanks for the advice

so ill be changing the depth to 3 feet and height to 2 feet I thought they would of liked a large amount of space and in your opinion for the flooring of the cage should I wire or wood?

 

[TheRealTimShady]

1/2" hardware cloth floor, don't mess around with this if you put 1/4" thinking it will be safer....forget that, poo get stuck like MAD on 1/4"

i wouldn't use any sort of varnished material, thats just me, to much "stuff" in it. You can paint it tho




anyway, quail stickies are where it is at, TONS of info in there, practically everything you need to know

 

[chickbird]

I Think The 2ft Or No More Than 30 Inches Wide Is A Good Width, It Is Easier To Reach Into And Just Works Out Better, The 24 Inch Height Is Plenty Tall Enough As It Is Better That The Quail Not Try To Fly Or They Will Knock Themselves Out. You Can Build Your Frame Out Of Split 2x4's And Cover With Hardware Cloth Or Have A Solid Back And Sides And The Wire And Doors On The Front. Quail That Are Mature Will Lay Everyday If Lighting Is Right And They Are Not Stressed And Are Fed A High Quality Gamebird Starter. If You Plan To Put Your Cage Outside , I Think You Need A Fixed Top, Not A Tarp. Gqf.com Has Some Really Good Information On Cages And Quail Raising, Just Search The Site. If You Have Hot Summers, You Can Have The Solid Wood Back And Sides So That They Are Removable By Using Screws And Then Solid For The Winter IF YOUR CAGE IS 2FT WIDE AND 8 FT. LONG, IT WILL HOLD 16 QUAIL.

 

[Akshayk]

Thank you so much!

because im going to house the quail outside what type of roof do i need, a wooden roof? Also for the sides and bottom of the cage what type of wood shuld i use and do i have to varnish the wood?

 

[7L Farm]

Here's one I built. My pens are kept under a barn that protects them from the weather.