raising free range questions

[bustedchicks]

When I first moved in 6 years ago my 1 acre had a large flock of quail living peacefully in my yard. well at least I think they were quail my memory is a bit foggy. I think they had the Doyles on their head like a peacock. maybe not though I could have memories merged. anyway there was a rather large flock of small birds living blissfully peacefull. then I got cats. chomp chomp. haven't seen the flock since. I see a few of them around my neighbors yard which I think he traps in a small box with the string and stick method. Occasionally I will see them err what's left of them on my carpet.

so if I build them a super awesome (the quail) coop home thing, let them proliferate and get a large flock going will I be able to free range these birds or do I have to keep them in an aviary?

Does the aviary have to be fully closed from predators ie cats, coons. if they are 2 different units aviary and coop I can lock them in the coop and aviary them during day.

The idea is to raise them for cat food and to have some wild birds around besides black birds. honk honk.

thanks and sorry for broken smartphone english.

 

[WaterfowlWierdo]

No you cannot free range quail. I would recommend coturnix quail for cat food, they are the quickest to grow and are god producers of meat and eggs. Your aviary needs to be very secure, they are quite susceptible to predation.

 

[cotekim]

I was letting my 5 Coturnix quail "free range" in the basement and in the garage quite safely. Outside I have kind of a quail "tractor" I put them in to let them pick in the grass & stuff. However, one day I let them peck around in the garage with the door open and one just flew away. I tried to catch her, but she just kept flying further & further over neighbors fences until I couldn't track her anymore. She could run through the holes in chain link fences and fly every time I came near her. I left food & water & access to a cage for her for 2 days. She never came back. I've read that sometimes they do. I'm assuming she either got eaten by a neighbor's dog or decided she liked the "wild" life. That's my long way of saying, "No, you can't really free range quail." They are much more skittish birds than chickens and they will just fly away. Also, if you build a coop, keep in mind that quail are ground birds. They do not want to roost off the ground. They prefer hidey spaces on the ground. And I would say as far as security goes, YES, every side, top and bottom of the aviary and coop will need to be cat, dog, hawk, fox and rat proof.

 

[bustedchicks]

awesome responses. thanks a lot for clearing up my vision of quail. I have a lot better picture of the "whole picture" now!

I have enough scrap around and a decent amount of commercial fishing net to make a bit of area for them. my neighbor has a batting cages that they don't use anymore I might have to acquire.
I'm not a fan of pet birds because I hate how they get raised in cages. I prefer to have them wild but if they have to get cages I would want the biggest area possible.

as far as securing the floor how do you do that? I read that you extend the netting out a couple feet? is it inward or outward of the fence perimeter. I don't see how that would work because I would just lift it and go under if I were a predator. then again I'm human and maybe I'm thinking the critters are smarter then they really are.

 

[cotekim]

I agree! That's kind of why I lost that one bird. I was thinking, "I want them to be able to fly! And be free! In nature!" But it turns out that if they have too much freedom they just run away and don't come back And other critters will eat them

A word about if you are building a cage for them - if you are expecting there to be little babies in the cage you will have to make sure that the holes in your netting are small enough that 1) a raccoon or cat's paw can't reach in and grab them and also, 2) that the babies won't escape. I cannot emphasize enough how tiny they are when they are born. They can easily fit through netting or fencing if it's not small enough. Here's a picture with my boyfriend's hand to give you an idea of the scale:



However, I have found that a barrier on the ground about 6" high around the bottom of the cage is enough for them not to be able to walk out of the cage. The rest can be netted or whatever unless you think snakes might be an issue. The safest bet is to use 1/2" wire mesh. Good luck with your project! These birds are a lot of fun!

 

[bustedchicks]

I cAn picture my cats now. (paw in cage) "you said they were for me!"