Quail aviary

[DoubletakeFarm]

For those of you that keep quail in an aviary or pen (as opposed to small cages), what is the size of your pen? How many quail do you keep in it? What are the pros and cons and what problems do you have? Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[tlstal]

My avairys are each 10'x10' have 2 the roof is 5'walls 9'in the center netted with camo netting so far no cons they seem happier them my breeders that are in smaller raised cages

 

[Redoliveberry]

The bigger the better


This one is 3m long and 1m wide.
It has deep layer of forest mulch, and some vegetation. I am trying to replicate their natural habitat as much as I can.
There are two "caves" made of plant pots and a sand bath.
The little house on the right is attached to the pen, but the birds don't use it. Waste of time.
The only problem with this pen: it is too high. When quail gets startled it flies straight up, and when it gains enough momentum it can hurt itself on the roof. There are 8 birds in this pen at the moment. I believe it is good for about 20.


This pen is smaller and lower. 2m long, 90cm wide and 40cm high.
Again, should not have bothered with the little house...
deep mulch, some plants, sand pit and some nesting boxes (the round one is made from a gourd).
15 young quails in this one, but some will probably go after sexing.

 

[DoubletakeFarm]

Great, these are the kind of things I need to know, what works and what doesn't. Keep it coming!

I don't have any quail yet but what I did is wall off a corner of my barn with plywood, hardware cloth and a screen door. It isn't quite done and I'm already seeing problems with it. 1. it's too darn dark. I'm going to have to put some kind of light on a timer. 2. I'm worried about them bonking their heads. It's about 6 ft high, but the roof is plywood, is this going to be a problem?

 

[Kylesquails]

i had mine in 6ft high aviry, they wont bonk there heads that high.

 

[TwoCrows]

I lost a female Bob last summer to bonking her head on the 6 foot ceiling. To really protect from bonking in an aviary, it needs to be well over 12 feet high. If a quail becomes super charged and has the power, they can shoot up 15 or more feet.

It is not always feasable to build an aviary with a 15 foot ceiling. My aviaries are only 6 foot high. But you take your chances. In all the years, she is the only one that has ever bonked and broke her neck.