Quail Aviary 2.0

[le_bwah]

Thanks!


I was just wondering if the open roof/rain was making it a smelly mess in there.


Layer pellets?

Do you offer oyster shell on the side?

It was a mess until I got the bark and grass down. Any smell disappears as soon as I turn the bedding under.

Can't remember the brand of feed—tossed the last empty bag—but it was marketed for game birds as a grower (I think?). Took the quail a day to figure out how to eat them, but they chowed down happily after that.

I offer crushed oyster shell and grit in piles on stoneware saucers—the birds tend to kick through it, but it's working so far.

 

[le_bwah]

It's been raining about every other day for 2 weeks straight, unusual for my area—the exposed part of the run is holding up surprisingly well. I'll put down fresh bark and clippings after I rake it out in a few weeks. I suspect the flock has worms—they're losing weight and have gone off lay. All that icky bedding will need to be out of there after I treat them .

There are 27 eggs in lockdown on my bookshelf—sometime in the next few days, I hope to have 27 new quail zooming around their brooder. With any luck, I'll be able to get the worm/illness situation sorted out before I need to put them outside.

Also, I think I've figured out why my rooster was being so aggressive to the girls: he's gone monogamous! Out of seven hens, there's only one he will mate, and he spends all of his time now either guarding her or showing her to the food. He's such a good mate, I'd hate to cull him, but I don't see a fair way of separating the two from the rest of the flock. Plus, he's starting to over mate her. I've got my shears handy, just in case...

 

[le_bwah]

Overall, delighted to have built the aviary. It currently houses 16 Coturnix hens very comfortably. The quail spend their days bathing in the holes they've dug, napping in the shade, and foraging for ants and other invertebrates. I need to put down more bark chips, which I've found break down best in this setup, but the substrate is so far more than capable of dealing with the amount of poop these birds throw at it.

The ornamental grasses are filling in nicely, enough that the girls have taken to laying and nesting under them exclusively.

I think they feel quite safe there, as that's where most of them scurry to whenever I enter the aviary.

A few of them are also given to brooding over their shared clutch. It's a pity I don't have any males in my flock currently—I'd love to let the girls raise some chicks of their own.

Lady, Maple, and Whitethroat take turns sitting whatever eggs happen to be in this particular nest. The eggs are always warm when I check them—I think I might need to let my girls "visit" a roo from a local flock in the spring ...

 

[Kiki]

Overall, delighted to have built the aviary. It currently houses 16 Coturnix hens very comfortably. The quail spend their days bathing in the holes they've dug, napping in the shade, and foraging for ants and other invertebrates. I need to put down more bark chips, which I've found break down best in this setup, but the substrate is so far more than capable of dealing with the amount of poop these birds throw at it.

The ornamental grasses are filling in nicely, enough that the girls have taken to laying and nesting under them exclusively.

View attachment 1905428
I think they feel quite safe there, as that's where most of them scurry to whenever I enter the aviary.

View attachment 1905431
A few of them are also given to brooding over their shared clutch. It's a pity I don't have any males in my flock currently—I'd love to let the girls raise some chicks of their own.

Lady, Maple, and Whitethroat take turns sitting whatever eggs happen to be in this particular nest. The eggs are always warm when I check them—I think I might need to let my girls "visit" a roo from a local flock in the spring ...

 

[Fishkeeper]

That's so precious! They must feel safe in there if they've gone broody.
The blue eggs are gorgeous.

Do you use bark chips that are specifically intended as some kind of mulch, or is it just the kind you can get from tree-clearing companies, where it's basically entire trees that have gone through a wood chipper?

 

[le_bwah]

That's so precious! They must feel safe in there if they've gone broody.
The blue eggs are gorgeous.

Do you use bark chips that are specifically intended as some kind of mulch, or is it just the kind you can get from tree-clearing companies, where it's basically entire trees that have gone through a wood chipper?

The blue are my favorite too. Still haven't figured out who's laying what.

I get my bark from a local organic garden supplier—it's marketed as landscaping mulch, but it's mostly bark. It breaks down quickly with infrequent turning over, even quicker with more water and turning. Not as splintery as the other stuff I've tried, and not as strong-smelling. Once it's decomposed a bit, the birds go nuts over bathing in it.

 

[el dorado quail]

Did you hatch celadon eggs?

 

[le_bwah]

Did you hatch celadon eggs?

None of the eggs I set were celadon, but at least one of my hens lays blue eggs—no idea what this says about their genetics. It was a nice surprise, finding the first.

How is your quail adventure going? I remember you were going to set a full celadon batch.

 

[el dorado quail]

None of the eggs I set were celadon, but at least one of my hens lays blue eggs—no idea what this says about their genetics. It was a nice surprise, finding the first.

How is your quail adventure going? I remember you were going to set a full celadon batch.

You hit the jackpot of natural recessive trait!
Ehhh...200 eggs later and i have 45 ce birds. Maybe 48. I haven't counted in a while

 

[le_bwah]

It's been freakishly dry in my region, but we've had a little snow lately. The aviary's tolerated it great—no clue how it will hold up to heavier weather.

The "garden side" remains partly unprotected from the elements, but the quail are smart and stick to cover.

They REALLY like their Christmas tree boughs. The roofed section stays pretty dry—I haven't had a problem with wet birds yet. It's just under freezing out and they're puffed but active. 15 Coturnix hens, by my estimation enjoying their winter.

Only thing I'm not digging is the prospect of mucking the whole thing out in a couple months .