Which is better, dirt aviary or raised run?

[Riffecreek]

Quote:
They do get diseases in the wild! That's mother natures way of controlling over crowding. When they get over populated, diseases run through them like wild fires killing the majority of them. The ones left get to repopulate the countryside until another outbreak occurs. When we raise them in captivity, we are over crowding them and if one thing goes wrong, that wild fire will run through your pens in a very timely manner.

We are stretching mother nature's way in every aspect when we raise them in pens. we control predators, the food supply, cleanliness of the water, populations, and most importantly, we try in every way to control diseases. One wrong turn and mother nature will unleash her fury on the quail we vow to protect when we accept the responsibility to care for our little feathered flock.

edit to say:
This is just my opinion and may be wrong... as I have been known to be.

 

[tweetyflights]

K thanks guys. lol Mine should be fine (though still susceptible) because i rake out once a week and it's one quail in 20+ sq. feet

. and again thanks for your help

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
Because in the wild, they are on the move constantly. No sitting the same dirt 24-7. The issue with them being in a ground pen is the same ground is the table and toilet, day after day, for long periods of time. Bill

EXACTLY!

 

[diggerduck]

I asked this same question a week ago and was met with just about the same answers. I have dug a six inch deep pit in my new pen and have a boat load of sand on hand. I have about 3 square feet per bird and plan on changing the sand out on a regular basis. I am not trying to turn money on this or keep hundreds of birds, just another hobby for my son and me, and I have no problem with bleaching the sand and changing it regularly. So I guess I will continue to be in the minority on the raised vs. ground debate.

 

[elevan]

Does anyone raise them in a "chicken" tractor type of environment?

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
LONG TOPIC... HAS A STRING OF ITS OWN THAT COVERS A LOT OF GROUND... HERE YA GO

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=338835

 

[Wifezilla]

It's all about your aims and goals. Bird health is going to be the prime consideration, but you can raise healthy birds on the ground as well as on wire. I use deep litter. Getting ready for the big spring clean out right now. Should take me about 1/2 hour. Rake out old litter, add a layer of sweet PDZ and DE, add straw and a layer of pine bedding. No biggie.

BUT, my birds are more like pets with benefits. I am not a high volume commercial producer. I only have 9 quail as of yesterday.

I still have one wire cage and a hutch inside the run. Sometime you need to separate the Little Monster....errr...Little Darlings. And of course it helps to have a quiet place for a broody

(Sorry, couldn't resist! LOL)

One of the reasons I am not dealing with sick quail is population density. I have a LOT of room for a few quail. I could technically have 25+ quail in the space they have. I don't plan on going beyond a dozen. If you have a lot of quail with a little room, wire would be a smart way to go.

As for plants, you can have them in the pen but you have to be creative. I am going to be trying the "salad bar" method used by some of the chicken owners. You make it so the roots and base of the plants are protected, but the birds can graze on what sticks outside of whatever protective wire you put around the plants. I do that in the duck pen and did it around the pond a few years ago. Anything outside of the poultry wire was fair game.

in the wild, they are on the move constantly. No sitting the same dirt 24-7. The issue with them being in a ground pen is the same ground is the table and toilet, day after day, for long periods of time.

Exactly. It's like the difference between feed lot cattle and pastured cattle.​

 

[tweetyflights]

Quote:
Exactly. It's like the difference between feed lot cattle and pastured cattle.

I was thinking of leaving it grass until there is no grass left, then putting in the sand. Yes same for mine though they have a wire hutch to go into but also a ground run. Btw, I'm gonna have to try that "salad bar" (

) idea. lol

 

[SED]

Do you use 1/2" hardware cloth for raised floor or 1/4" hardware cloth or something completely different? Thanks!

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
1/2 INCH... 1/4 INCH THE POOP STICKS TOO