I have a few questions for anyone raising quail in an aviary or walk-in ground pen (I do not understand the difference). I live in zone 7b, coastal Virginia. Our location has a fairly significant amount of predator pressure. I plan to build an 8' x 4' aviary, shed roof 6' to 8' high. Using 1/2" hardware cloth.
1. Is it better to have a solid roofing material like corrugated metal to provide shade and protect against rain or a clear/translucent roofing material like a corrugated PVC to allow more light in, but would I need to cover with shade cloth in mid-summer?
2. Is a buried 24" hardware cloth skirt sufficient to deter burrowing predators, or should I bury hardware cloth under 6 - 8" of mulch/soil under the entire aviary?
3. If my solid roof is 6' high on one side and 8' high on the other, do I still need netting under the roof to prevent bonked heads, or is the height alone enough?
4. For the occasional need to separate quail, did you build a separate aviary, or do you use a pen, dog crate? It seems that a dog crate or small cage would need to come inside to be protected from elements and predators??
I would like to build the aviary this fall with plans to hatch out in the spring. Any advice you could share would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
1. Is it better to have a solid roofing material like corrugated metal to provide shade and protect against rain or a clear/translucent roofing material like a corrugated PVC to allow more light in, but would I need to cover with shade cloth in mid-summer?
2. Is a buried 24" hardware cloth skirt sufficient to deter burrowing predators, or should I bury hardware cloth under 6 - 8" of mulch/soil under the entire aviary?
3. If my solid roof is 6' high on one side and 8' high on the other, do I still need netting under the roof to prevent bonked heads, or is the height alone enough?
4. For the occasional need to separate quail, did you build a separate aviary, or do you use a pen, dog crate? It seems that a dog crate or small cage would need to come inside to be protected from elements and predators??
I would like to build the aviary this fall with plans to hatch out in the spring. Any advice you could share would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
