"Quaviary" Build

[eddie_van_quailen]

It's taken me a while to come back and update this thread with pics, but the roof has been on for a couple weeks now! So far so good. We elected not to do a pitched roof for a couple of reasons, the main reason being lack of time.

Spoiler: maybe TMI

my mom had surgery for breast cancer recently, and helping her has taken up a lot of our time and energy with travel etc. Not to mention general feelings of stress/depression putting a damper on most projects...

We don't get any snow here, and rainfall is usually minimal, so we'll just keep the roof clean and see how it goes this winter. It will keep the birds dry, and there's a foot of overhang on all sides, so I think it should provide decent protection from the little bit of weather we do get here. We're well aware that it may mean a revision down the line to create a pitched roof if the flat roof proves problematic.

 

[eddie_van_quailen]

The plants are probably nearing the peak of their summer growth

The thunbergia vine should be evergreen in our zone, and it's by far been my favorite. The quail love eating the flowers, and the vines that have grown into the aviary provide a great place for them to hide. It's a twining vine and it's been such a gentle grower, it's not causing any stress or damage to the structure whatsoever. Just shade, forage, and gorgeous flowers (which hummingbirds and butterflies also love).

If the passionfruit gets too aggressive I will cut it back to the soil this winter (the pictures in my last post were taken a couple weeks ago, and it's already nearing the roof). I'm keeping a close eye on this one, because it's been an extremely fast grower and I don't want it getting out of control (and I know it can). Once it fills that wall it's growing on, it will be pruned and kept contained to that panel only. I'm not allowing any vines to grow on the roof, to prevent rats & mice from nesting up there.

The grapes are deciduous, and since they're a California native variety famous for their fall color I can't wait to watch them turn red I have been dutifully keeping the suckers off the hardware cloth and only allowing it to grow on the lattice, so that the woody canes don't damage the structure. The other two vines have been gentle, but this one has the potential to do real structural damage so that's why it has a lattice.

I'm still not allowing any of the vines to grow between wood connections or in cracks/crevices, and we're leaving certain walls completely vine-free for sunlight and airflow purposes. Yes, this means I go out every day or every other day and spend 20-40 minutes literally weaving the vines where I want them And if the hardware cloth starts to look stressed anywhere, I'll pull them out. But over the summer it was really nice having the extra shade the vines provided, coupled with the shade cloth on the roof while they were still filling in. Now, with the solid roof and the more mature vines, next summer will be a breeze (literally). And I'm hoping this winter the evergreen vines will provide some extra shelter from wind, since I'm not expecting these dummies to hide in their huts during storms

 

[eddie_van_quailen]

As for the behavioral issues we've been having...

I've had limited success with the various episodes of isolation and reintroduction. Pearl and Jenny (the falb and pearl fees from SWGB) still seem to be the centers of the issues.

The routine goes:
1. Isolate aggressive quail for 7-14 days (whoever is being aggressive at that time, always either Pearl or Jenny)
2. Reintroduce (at night, after rearranging aviary)
3. Everything is fine for 2-3 weeks
4. Aggression starts again seemingly out of nowhere (always directed from and towards the same quail: Jenny attacks Eddie, and/or Pearl attacks Jenny).
5. Rinse and repeat

I've decided that as long as no one is bleeding/dying, I'm washing my hands of it... I don't know what else to do besides cull everyone and start over, so they're just gonna have to figure it out. They've got 7 hidey huts, logs & plants as line-of-sight breaks, 20% protein gamebird layer, calcium grit, a sand bath, bark & dirt to dig in, and I can't think of anything else to try. Maybe in an aviary setting there's just a certain amount of aggression that has to be accepted. Maybe having a camera in there isn't helpful for my anxiety about it. Maybe it's a seasonal/hormonal thing, since I have videos from June of all 5 of them in the sand bath cuddling and bathing together. I don't know. At any rate, I haven't had much time/energy to dedicate to it and no one has been grievously injured/killed so I'm just letting them figure it out.

 

[eddie_van_quailen]

omg, it's been so long since I've updated!

All the ladies are still doing well. I've had some major life events over the past few months (illness in the family, then I got married!, etc.) and haven't been spending much time online... BUT all is well, and things are chugging along in the "quaviary"!

The aggression issues vanished after molting finished (shocking, I know) but it was a looong molt Maybe since it was their first one? I don't know much about molting but I didn't expect it to last 2+ months, so we will see how this next one goes!

I've iterated upon the feeding & watering stations a few times, transitioning from cup to nipple waterers and from Tupperware to PVC feeders, both for hygiene and maintenance reasons. The new stations work sooo much better, I will take some good photos when I get a chance!

We're planning to hatch some eggs next month, and I cannot wait! I think we've officially decided on some black and celadon eggs from Thieving Otter Farms this time. We're shooting for a flock size of ~10-15, as these 5 just did not lay enough eggs for my husband last summer They were pets first and foremost, but since then he (and our dog) have developed quite the appetite for quail eggs! And every time someone finds out we have quail they ask for eggs... they're so hard to give away when we only get 5 a day

Next time I have my phone out in the yard I will also take a photo of the vines growing up the sides of the walls, the passionfruit vine is HUGE but we are keeping it controlled. The grapes lost all their leaves, as expected over winter, which was perfect as it let more light in. The black-eyed Susan vine is still going strong and never died back completely over our mild California winter.

The roof held strong over the winter, even through a few big storms with 55mph+ wind gusts. And having a flat roof didn't seem to be too much of an issue, even with our heavier-than-usual rainfall for this area. I am definitely glad we had the siding and the vines for extra protection, though, a roof doesn't provide much shelter against sideways rain! We did end up attaching some plastic sheeting to the walls during some of the really stormy weeks, so things didn't get too soggy... I think we may design some detachable greenhouse paneling for the walls for especially stormy weather in the future.

Will take some good photos of the updated setups and matured plants when I have some free time. Hope everyone else is doing well, and I will for sure be updating when we get our eggs!

 

[Nabiki]

I look forward to seeing your updates. Congratulations on your wedding too!

 

[eddie_van_quailen]

I look forward to seeing your updates. Congratulations on your wedding too!

Thank you! I've been watching your YouTube updates even in my absence here You've been busy!

 

[Nabiki]

Thank you! I've been watching your YouTube updates even in my absence here You've been busy!

Spring is on its way, and I need to be ready! I have calico fee eggs in the incubator now, my birds have started laying, and I have sprouts that will be ready to go into the garden when the weather gets a bit better.

 

[calicocows]

congrats on getting married!!
i find it funny that 5 eggs a day isn't enough for you, i was getting one egg a day last year and i kept running out of cartons... now my other hen is finally laying and i don't know what to do with all these eggs!

 

[eddie_van_quailen]

Spring is on its way, and I need to be ready! I have calico fee eggs in the incubator now, my birds have started laying, and I have sprouts that will be ready to go into the garden when the weather gets a bit better.

Your birds started laying already?? I'm so jealous! Mine petered out in August/September and still haven't started yet! I don't supplement light though. I did have one strange week in January when just one bird was laying an egg every day, then it stopped! So weird.

congrats on getting married!!
i find it funny that 5 eggs a day isn't enough for you, i was getting one egg a day last year and i kept running out of cartons... now my other hen is finally laying and i don't know what to do with all these eggs!

My husband eats a lot!

 

[Nabiki]

Your birds started laying already?? I'm so jealous! Mine petered out in August/September and still haven't started yet! I don't supplement light though. I did have one strange week in January when just one bird was laying an egg every day, then it stopped! So weird.


My husband eats a lot!

I got 17 eggs yesterday. I got 1 egg a day all winter, then last week I got 3-5 per day, now they're ramping up. At max production I will probably be getting about 30-40 eggs per day.

I have two hatching egg orders coming up, so I'll need the production.