Raising quail

[SilkiesForEver]

I have some questions.

I've never had quail. In fact I've actually never seen one in person. But I've seen pictures of how people raise them, and it kind of strikes me as odd. All of the photos I've seen have been setups like this,


So my questions are:

Why are quail raised in wire cages? -
Shouldn't they be out in grass and dirt like chickens? Especially since they are raised for meat and eggs?

If there is a reason for wire cages, why are they so small/short?
If these are dumb questions I apologize, but thanks for taking a look.

 

[WaterfowlWierdo]

The reason for the cages being so short is that quail tend to fly straight up when startled. this can seriously injure a bird if momentum is gathered on a tall roof

Quail escape very easily and dont come back once gone

It is somewhat common to raise quail on grass/dirt but its usually done with short cages as well

 

[silver-quail]

I raise my quail on grass grave dirt here's a pic of one of my pens

 

[silver-quail]

 

[silver-quail]

It works well and I havnt had any fly and die

 

[TwoCrows]

I raise and keep my quail in large outdoor aviaries. You don't have to keep them in cages. It is all up to you as to how you keep them.

 

[1000yearoldeggs]

I'm planning a moveable run for mine, if I can get some more wire. The only thing is, I don't know if I can put them outside any time soon. It's cold outside and I'm not sure how to acclimate them when they get older. They are 2-3? weeks old now.

 

[TwoCrows]

I'm planning a moveable run for mine, if I can get some more wire. The only thing is, I don't know if I can put them outside any time soon. It's cold outside and I'm not sure how to acclimate them when they get older. They are 2-3? weeks old now.

Keep brooding them, lowering the temp by 5 degrees each week till you get them down as low as possible in the house. When you put them outside, offer up a heat lamp at night only, some distance away from them. Close enough that they can get a small bit of heat, but not enough to over heat. Some will use it, some won't. After 2 weeks, take the heat away.

Within a month or so, they should all be acclimated as best they can for their ages and are ready for winter.

 

[1000yearoldeggs]

Thanks! That sounds like the best way to do it.

 

[iluvmyquail]

1. I think they are usually raised in wire flooring because they poop A LOT, and not only is it healthier for the birds to have clean feet and clean flooring, but it is also makes cleanup so much easier.

2. We live in a hoa controlled private neighborhood, although we have spacious lots, only cats and dogs and small gardens are allowed, no chickens... I think, like many other people, we are able to keep quail as a sort of replacement for chickens because we can keep them in cages instead of having a big chicken yard for them. Also with chickens you don't have to cover the top of the cage you can just fence in an area, but with quail you would have to provide really good cover from all sides which makes it harder to keep them on the ground.

If you are worried about quail being bored in a wire cage then do like us and put cardboard boxes with dirt in them into the cage which the quail love to scratch around and sleep in, and change the boxes out periodically, the quail seem happy with this setup.