Quail, ground, aviary, idea.

[freddiethedog]

Greetings all,
I am probably going to start quail this spring (Wisconsin) and I want to raise them in the most natural way as possible so going to build an aviary for them. I have an idea to try and maximize my yard space and was wondering about building my aviary to enclose/include my raspberry plantings. I can't imagine the birds would hurt the plants and they might like the dropped fruits. The space in total would be about 10' x 20' with two rows of raspberries taking up about half of that.

So, goofy idea or something that might work. I'm thinking starting with 25 birds so is the space ok for that number?

 

[mixedUPturk]

a very fun endeavor im sure they wont disappoint! I love the naturalist ground aviary's for quail it makes for very happy birds. Unfortunately the birds would tear up the plants at the very least trying to bath near the roots. However if you raised the plants off the ground even just in big pots, you could fix that. I dont think raspberries would be toxic but you better look that up just to be double sure. Most of the domesticated coturnix wont lay in a nest box so it will make for a daily easter egg hunt, but theyd love having lots of low things to play in. Theyre a ground dwelling species insticts only let them fly if they "flush" toward the ceiling which they can do to the degree of breaking their fragile necks so depending on your plans ypu may need a net to break the impact. 10x 20 for 25 quail would be a jungle often they can Happily be kept in areas as small as 1 sq ft per bird and your allowing for 10 and a half

 

[AltonaAcres]

what about a tractor run?

 

[BaJa]

Try bobwhite quail in a ground aviary.
If it's natural enough and you only keep a few, they will probably raise their own chicks.
Mine did for years in a row, and that wasn't the same pair every time. One pair got loose and a few weeks later they were walking through the yard with 7 chicks behind them.

 

[ldrchickens]

I am actually working on the same thing. I love the idea of a natural setting for the quail. I am hoping they will be much happier!

 

[igorsMistress]

I keep my birds in an aviary with plants. If you put some bricks around the base of the plants to keep the quail from the root zone they'll be fine. The space is plenty big enough for that many quail.

I hope you post pics!

 

[Kaya1]

I just built an aviary for my birds too. One thing I just learned is that they don't like open spaces. Sounds like you have a beautiful place for them.

 

[igorsMistress]

I just built an aviary for my birds too. One thing I just learned is that they don't like open spaces. Sounds like you have a beautiful place for them.

It's true, they don't like the open much at all. I try to provide various options for cover. Some are natural, some not and some are a mixture. It's a work in progress.

Do you have pics of your aviary? It's nice to get ideas from other people on things to try!

 

[Kaya1]

I'm adding 3 more Rubbermaids with grass in them, since they hate the open area.

 

[freddiethedog]

Thank you for all the feedback! Great tip on protecting the core rows of raspberries and I will make sure they are ok for quail before I build the aviary. I do plan on making it a quail wonderland so lots of brush and I want to plant tall grasses in areas so they can futz around in there and possibly forage seeds from grasses and any tasty critters. I will for sure post pics when it is finished and I appreciate any pics of your aviaries too.

I am planning on coturnix because I will be doing eggs and meat with the birds and from what I've read they provide the most meat. My goal will be to keep the best birds for breeding stock and seasonally adjust my flock numbers with fewer birds overwintering. I may build a raised cage system for inside a garden shed for winter simply because this is wisconsin and keeping water fluid will be easier with heated waterers, but even with that I want the cages to be humane and keep my birds happy.

I do have a questing about the flight issue, I plan on encasing the roof in 2x4 welded wire, but was thinking of a finer mesh net, like deer fencing, that would drape down inside under the wire roof. My thought is this fine plastic netting will keep the birds from slamming into the roof and in this case, obviously keep them in. What do aviary folks use to keep the birds from breaking their necks if they launch?

The sides of the pen will be quail worthy wire mesh, 1/2 in or 1inch welded wire, skirted to prevent digging critters.