Show me your quail pens!!!

[Peep-Chicken]

Definitely make sure your coops are tall enough. I have my quails in the garage in a shorter cage than normal. One got scared while I was gone and she hurt her head. She is luckily okay. Clipped her wings. Think a coyote that came by the door startled her.

 

[Irajoe]

Here's what we use...I've modified it since this picture to include a protective hardware cloth floor a couple of inches underneath the original floor to ward off predators. We have a couple of these...works great for about 20 quail.

 

[18angovem]

Does anybody have water features in their quail pens? My aviary has a big pond in the middle, probably about 1000 gallons, and all of my quail kept drowning in it. Was this just my problem or is it universal? Thanks in advance

 

[DK newbie]

We are talking adult birds here, right? It's not an issue I've heard of with adults, but I can't recall anyone having water features larger than an exo terra fountain either.. How many birds did you have and how many drowned? And how quickly? I'd actually considered an aviary with a water feature at some point in the future, but if that means I can't keep quail in there, I'll probably ditch that idea..

 

[Binki]

Does anybody have water features in their quail pens? My aviary has a big pond in the middle, probably about 1000 gallons, and all of my quail kept drowning in it. Was this just my problem or is it universal? Thanks in advance

Perhaps the problem is the shore slope of the pond? Most ponds I've seen have drop offs instead of a sloped shore, how is yours?

If it has a gradual slope to the shore and birds are still drowning in it, staking some bird netting around it might work for those that are flying into it.

Oh maybe those garden borders would be a deterrent - here's a pic of one that you could find at the dollar store, obviously get a pattern a quail can't fit through

 

[18angovem]

We are talking adult birds here, right? It's not an issue I've heard of with adults, but I can't recall anyone having water features larger than an exo terra fountain either.. How many birds did you have and how many drowned? And how quickly? I'd actually considered an aviary with a water feature at some point in the future, but if that means I can't keep quail in there, I'll probably ditch that idea..

Yes, it was adult birds. I had 16 and all but three had drowned in less than a month. The aviary is not little either, it is over 36 feet long and 15 ft wide, so it wasn't like they couldn't have gone away from the pond.

 

[18angovem]

Perhaps the problem is the shore slope of the pond? Most ponds I've seen have drop offs instead of a sloped shore, how is yours?

If it has a gradual slope to the shore and birds are still drowning in it, staking some bird netting around it might work for those that are flying into it.

Oh maybe those garden borders would be a deterrent - here's a pic of one that you could find at the dollar store, obviously get a pattern a quail can't fit through

Well, my pond does have a sloped edge, and i even put ramps and little floating houses so in case the birds went in they could get out easily. But, the birds didnt even try. It was one of the most pathetic things i have ever seen, the birds would all be flying or running from one side of the aviary to the other, and when they hit the water they would just kinda flop on their side and slowly sink, never even making an attempt to save themselves. It was the weirdest thing. The three that survived the pond where the only three that would even try to get out of the water. I would think the garden border might work, but the birds kept flying into the pond as well, so it wouldn't solve that problem... I have ducks and pigeons in the aviary now, no quail. But, quail would be a nice addition to the aviary. But i just dont want another mass drowning. Lol.

 

[DK newbie]

Wow. That's a lot of drowned birds, very quickly. I'd think they had some kind of instinct telling them not to run straight into the water - it's not like Japan is a desert, there actually is water there. But maybe the quail just live in areas without large bodies of water? Or maybe that is one instinct they forgot to bring along during all their years of domestication..

 

[eHuman]

I place 2 of these 14" planter saucers in each aviary (in addition to waterers) for them to wade in, clean their feet. I water the plants with them at the end of the day.

 

[Binki]

Well, my pond does have a sloped edge, and i even put ramps and little floating houses so in case the birds went in they could get out easily. But, the birds didnt even try. It was one of the most pathetic things i have ever seen, the birds would all be flying or running from one side of the aviary to the other, and when they hit the water they would just kinda flop on their side and slowly sink, never even making an attempt to save themselves. It was the weirdest thing. The three that survived the pond where the only three that would even try to get out of the water. I would think the garden border might work, but the birds kept flying into the pond as well, so it wouldn't solve that problem... I have ducks and pigeons in the aviary now, no quail. But, quail would be a nice addition to the aviary. But i just dont want another mass drowning. Lol.

Awww what poor stupid things!! xD well you definitely don't want that happening again... If they're also flying into it then just the short wall won't protect them, I would suggest partitioning them in a corner where the pond isn't so you don't have any more deaths :O

I place 2 of these 14" planter saucers in each aviary (in addition to waterers) for them to wade in, clean their feet. I water the plants with them at the end of the day.

What a great idea!! I'm going to try this in my little aviary this year