Quail Aviary 2.0

[igorsMistress]

Had to cull a roo this morning. He was too aggressive toward the rest of the birds (hens included) and was over-mating the only girl who would tolerate him. Not a bad bird—he was just doing what males do. From now on, I'll keep it simple: one boy or none at all.

View attachment 1726065
RIP, Tex.

That's too bad, I'm bummed for you! There will be peace now I hope.

 

[le_bwah]

If he was aggressive towards the girls as well, that probably means he was just an aggressive bird. The trouble probably wasn't the number of roos, just this particular roo.

That seems accurate. The other male was the aggressor last season, but he never aimed for the eyes—this one was determined to blind my "good" roo. He would also tidbit treats only to eat them when the hens got close .

That's too bad, I'm bummed for you! There will be peace now I hope.

The peace has already set in. Less crowing, no scurrying hens, no mating tug-of-war—it may just be coincidence, but I found the first eggs in days just a moment ago. I dislike this part of keeping quail, but I'm glad I did it.

On a happier note, I got some plants in the ground today!

Those three are Pink Muhly Grass, with a little trial clump of Thyme (may need a cage or pot if it becomes a "favorite"). Also got some cute garden art on sale—the mushroom caps sway in the wind!

Another cluster of three—a variety of blue fescue which should grow over two feet across. I'm letting them eat those sad violets. I'll put various potted herbs in their place, which can be rotated out to give the plants a chance to recover from the pecking.

Trying to get this adorable "mini mint" to spread. So far, the quail haven't shown much interest. I've also got some moss I intend to propagate over the log.

There were tons of coleus at the hardware store, of all places. Settled on the one with the hottest pink. Those two Creeping Jenny will eventually drape over the sides and create a little "curtain." Wondering now if it'll be too heavy for the stand...for now it's out of the aviary until the Jennys start creeping.

Another coleus with some moss, an oregano (which will need to get much bigger before subjecting it to the birds), several more mosses and a spare Creeping Jenny. I'd love a few more herbs to throw into rotation and a couple grasses that take well to being potted. The goal is to let them peck at the edible plants without killing them altogether.

It still looks fairly barren in there, and it will until the grasses take off. Even then, I'll be adding some grass huts and smaller logs/bark. The quail only really leave the old aviary during their non-resting hours, but their time in the "garden room" is spent scratching, digging, and generally being more active than usual.

 

[el dorado quail]

How cool! Hope you can get some fun colors—really helps with telling birds apart, too.

My initial designs included a nest box until I read all the posts asking why quail never used them . In my experience, it seems that aviary-raised quail have favorite "nest" spots, and usually lay in the early morning or late evening. I've seen all seven hens lay in one nest before—it's not a waste to build them nest boxes, but you're right to temper your expectations.

Got a bit of ornamental strawberry I was thinking of transplanting, but this talk of plant murder has me rethinking—the violets are taking a hit, too.

Just gotta get rapid growing stuff...I'm thinking of seeding clover and maybe water cress through the whole thing for nice nutritious ground cover. I'm sure I'll be doing a LOT of experimentation

 

[le_bwah]

Just gotta get rapid growing stuff...I'm thinking of seeding clover and maybe water cress through the whole thing for nice nutritious ground cover. I'm sure I'll be doing a LOT of experimentation

My neighbor has a xeriscaped lawn with nice patches of black clover—I know she'd be willing to part with a few shovel-fulls. All of what I've planted is safe for the birds to eat, and I'm just hoping they won't want to. Experimentation is great fun!

Saw these critters earlier today at a greenhouse. Hard to resist bringing home a metal flock to keep my flesh-and-blood quail company. I need to ask my brother if he's up to making me something similar—we could certainly do it for cheaper.

 

[el dorado quail]

My neighbor has a xeriscaped lawn with nice patches of black clover—I know she'd be willing to part with a few shovel-fulls. All of what I've planted is safe for the birds to eat, and I'm just hoping they won't want to. Experimentation is great fun!

View attachment 1726675
Saw these critters earlier today at a greenhouse. Hard to resist bringing home a metal flock to keep my flesh-and-blood quail company. I need to ask my brother if he's up to making me something similar—we could certainly do it for cheaper.

Those are too cute. I'd love to be able to do cool metalwork stuff. Maybe one day I'll take some courses...

Btw how did the paint on the HWC go? Or did you not get to do it yet?

 

[le_bwah]

Those are too cute. I'd love to be able to do cool metalwork stuff. Maybe one day I'll take some courses...

Btw how did the paint on the HWC go? Or did you not get to do it yet?

Painting hardware cloth is today's project. I'm gonna do some test pieces and stress them out over a few days before committing to put it on the main structure. If it peels or bubbles badly after a bit of "rain" and some light bending, I'll figure out something else.

Need to muck out the old aviary litter before I do anything to the new one, anyway—all that dust will need washing + I doubt my ability not to put a shovel blade straight through a panel out of haste .

 

[Fishkeeper]

If that's real mint, it should spread well.

I think you might have trouble with the dirt in there, though. It doesn't look very fertile at all. The quail will fix that pretty soon, but for now, I'd suggest you scatter leaf litter and/or hay over the top of things to begin to add some nutrients and to protect the soil from being washed away. I'd also suggest putting some of the old litter from the first aviary in there.

Are you planning to go with deep litter in this one? If I were you, I think I would. You'll be easier on the plants with not bothering them too much, and it's kinda like how a forest floor works.

 

[le_bwah]

If that's real mint, it should spread well.

I think you might have trouble with the dirt in there, though. It doesn't look very fertile at all. The quail will fix that pretty soon, but for now, I'd suggest you scatter leaf litter and/or hay over the top of things to begin to add some nutrients and to protect the soil from being washed away. I'd also suggest putting some of the old litter from the first aviary in there.

Are you planning to go with deep litter in this one? If I were you, I think I would. You'll be easier on the plants with not bothering them too much, and it's kinda like how a forest floor works.

It's Mentha requienii, also called Corsican Mint. It seemed to be spreading just fine in the greenhouse, spilling right over into other displays.

This topsoil is pretty loamy by itself—I'm putting mulch on it today or tomorrow to help with soil/water loss and prevent muddy feet. Counting on the birds/earthworms to do the extra "fertilizing," but I've got some potting mix/compost to fold in if it becomes a problem.

I still need to learn more about how deep litter works and what works best in my climate—that's why I'll only be doing it in the "old" aviary for now. This year's mix will be more dirt and leaves/grass/wood/bark, less shavings and straw.

 

[le_bwah]

Got the old aviary mucked out—took much longer than expected on account of the volume and the weather.

Spread fresh topsoil and organic wood mulch over the bare clay base, inoculated with a bucket of the richest litter from last year.

This is what the old deep litter looked like when I dug beneath the dry top layer—smells like good dirt. Grass, wood chips and leaves "disappeared" the fastest for the amount I put in, so this year's litter will be composed of mostly those items. Straw broke down the slowest.

The quail were shut into their new aviary during bedding removal. They've taken to the new grass quickly—it will be great once the plants grow together. I'll put mulch on the bare dirt, mostly to control the water level and give them someplace dry to stand during the next week of rain.

They're also more comfortable around the log. Counted 4 in there during the heaviest part of today's downpour.

Tomorrow is hardware cloth day. Then I still need to spread more mulch and fix up some of the planters.

 

[el dorado quail]

Got the old aviary mucked out—took much longer than expected on account of the volume and the weather.

View attachment 1727656
Spread fresh topsoil and organic wood mulch over the bare clay base, inoculated with a bucket of the richest litter from last year.

View attachment 1727657
This is what the old deep litter looked like when I dug beneath the dry top layer—smells like good dirt. Grass, wood chips and leaves "disappeared" the fastest for the amount I put in, so this year's litter will be composed of mostly those items. Straw broke down the slowest.

View attachment 1727667
The quail were shut into their new aviary during bedding removal. They've taken to the new grass quickly—it will be great once the plants grow together. I'll put mulch on the bare dirt, mostly to control the water level and give them someplace dry to stand during the next week of rain.

View attachment 1727672
They're also more comfortable around the log. Counted 4 in there during the heaviest part of today's downpour.

Tomorrow is hardware cloth day. Then I still need to spread more mulch and fix up some of the planters.

Make sure you compost that deep litter stuff looks like primo nitrogen content for a compost pile

I bought a few baby plants today despite having nowhere to put them presently: a low growing manzanita and a coffeeberry bush. Have to do some research on the coffee guy to make sure the fruit it bears won't hurt the quails. Also found out there are "invasive" ca native strawberries that thrive under heavy canopies. Gonna lurk around more native plant society gatherings for further research