New to having Quail as pets, here's the coop I built...

[Raelf]

Hello folks!

My partner recently obtained 6 quail from a friend. and frankly, I know nothing about them.
As we had an aging, but sturdy, screen house in our back yard, I decided the birds needed a real home, not cages... a month later, and several hundred dollars in mistakes, here's the coop:



Vents, a skylight, nesting dividers, platforms, and roosts were added later.


Here's a broader shot of the enclosure within the screen house:



The overall floor space is about 6x6.

I have a question or two (more like 100...)...

The birds don't stay in the coop. Ever. They nestle into the shavings and sit on the floor UNDER the coop. (I'll post a completed picture of the coop, ramp, and birds shortly...) I've tried putting them in the coop, added a small feeder and waterer up there, closed them in or leave the door open... and still they all end up on the floor in the dark. I don't get it.

Another question: Heat

I added a panel heater under the enclosed portion of the coop. It's designed to heat a cool office space under your desk. I left it facing outward, rather than overheat the underside of the enclosed part of the coop.



We are just now dropping into frost overnight... (I'm in the Richmond, VA area) I need to build a screen cover for it, as I don't want the birds to get too close, it gets pretty hot. the question is: How often, how much heat, and at what temp range would I turn this bad boy on? Will colder weather entice them to seek an enclosed space?

I'll post some more completed photos further into the thread... any advice is welcome!

 

[Raelf]

Here's a link to the build out in the coop design forum:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/quail-coop-inside-the-screen-house

 

[USAmma]

wow!! Looks so nice! I could envision some cockatiels or parakeets flying around in there, too. They are often kept together in aviaries with the quail at the bottom, flying birds on top.

I was told by a breeder (and I'm new to this myself) that anything over about 1 foot hight and under 6 feet high needs to have padding on the inside of the roof. Quail will often pop up and become airborne and either scalp themselves on the ceiling or break their necks. I have mine indoors in an 18 inch high container right now (babies) and several have already hit the ceiling. I have used cheap foam mattress pads to line the roof of their container and the outdoor coop they will be moving to soon.

 

[Raelf]

Thanks for the kind words and the advice! I have a framed hardware cloth ceiling in there at just over 7'. With the roof of the coop over 6', they don't have space to really burst from there. I intentionally left it loose and bouncy, my guys have all burst up into it once or twice from the floor without injury. These quail are pretty mellow, even with the corgis staring them down and barking... the birds could care less.

I'll look into how a foam pad might work in there...

 

[marksouth]

Here's one of my coops Raelf

 

[marksouth]

Here's the other being guarded by deputy dog, told you you'd LYAO!

 

[marksouth]

Thats my red wiggler worm bed in the background, my sissy birds are scared of them so the worms have become pets as well, LOL...

 

[Raelf]

Very nice! Much more fancy than my plain coop... I only made a modest nod to anything decorative with the beadboard on the front... and yours is probably a lot more functional. my birds live on the ground. I guess I was expecting that all birds prefer high places... not these quail!

 

[Raelf]

I like the charm. The plan is to give the unused screen house some life and purpose... maybe in spring I can find some time to paint and some more proper furnishing in there.

Bravo on the coops, they're a pleasure to look at!

 

[marksouth]

Haha, I did a modest nod and then a couple of somersaults to anything decorative. I have way too much time on my hands. Thanks man.