Wha plants and grasses are in the natural bobwhite quail habitat?

[yoshi-quail]

Hello,

I am new to bobwhites and I have a new aviary for them to live in. I am looking for some grasses and plants to put in there that they will like and I was wondering if you had any suggestions?


Thanks

 

[TwoCrows]

If you can get any Bermuda grass, they love that stuff. Alfalfa is also great for them and high in protein. They are fond of legumes like peas and beans, oat grass, wheat grass, canary grass, etc...

Go to your local nursery and you can get potted grasses. Buy a few to try out on your quail to see which ones they like. Once the quail have eaten the grass down to the nub, remove the pot and allow the grass to regrow. You can return the pot of grass once it has recovered.

Quail love grasses. Right now I am growing clover in pots in the greenhouse. They go ga ga over clover. I don't let them chew this down as it is too easy to pull out by the roots. So I cut the tops of the clover off and it regrows.

Good luck!

 

[yoshi-quail]

Thank you for your answer. I will go down to the garden centre at the weekend and get some of the above grasses. I've trying to make there aviary as natural as possible as apparently a quail in a happy habitat is a happy quail. Do you know if the grass is hardy enough to be outside during an English winter? The quails have heat lamps in half of the aviary but the part where the grass will be is open to the elements so if I just kept any snow off would it ok?

Thanks again

 

[TwoCrows]

Most grasses can survive any elements. Many of the grasses I suggested grow in our high north and do survive sub zero temps. If kept in pots, however, the freezing would probably kill them. But if you planted them in the aviary, they would have a better chance of survival as long as you kept them watered. If they get too eaten down, you might have to cover them so the roots do not get destroyed.

I keep my birds in aviaries too and also try to keep them as natural as possible. They all seem to thrive on it.