Quail pen

[bmt123]

So I have been looking at the quail pen thread for a while and noticed the majority of the birds were kept on wire. Is there a reason for this? I was wanting to keep mine similar to my chickens. Which is an elevated coop with a run underneath. Is this an ok way to keep quail in this kind of setup. I'm planning on keeping couternix if that matters.

 

[COsteveo]

The wire is mostly used because the droppings fall through and are then easier to clean up. It also provides good protection from predators.

Quail are ground-dwelling birds and don't roost like chickens. Some have said theirs will use a ramp and elevated coop, others have said theirs won't go near one. They'll do just fine on the ground, but there are a lot of critters out there that would consider them to be tasty morsels, so keep them secure.

 

[Quail Jailer]

I keep my birds on wire because they cant scratch up parasite and vermin laden insects and what not.

If you keep your birds on dirt you'll need to worm them.

 

[DanAndQuails]

For such little birds, quail sure can make a mess! I do think that is the reason why people keep them on wire--easier to clean. I don't keep mine on wire, because I didn't want their feet to get hurt, but if the spaces between the wire are not too big, and you make sure the wire is not rough or rusted, then they should be fine. Pine shavings tend to be a good bedding if you decide against keeping them on wire---it is fairly inexpensive and pretty easy to clean up.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

I've kept quail in ground pens when I was short on cage space. It rains a lot where I'm at and unless it's a huge pen it quickly turns into a foul smelling, unhealthy poop soup that never dries out and if it does the birds develop brick hard, buckshot size turdballs on their toes. I can keep many more cleaner, healthier birds in a smaller space by using wire bottom cages.

 

[bmt123]

Thanks for all of the great advice. What if I were to da type quail tractor would that solve the mud problem.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

Yeah, tractor would be good. They would always have a fresh area to enjoy. You might have the parasite problem to deal with, depending on your climate.