Thing to consider for your enclosure:
--Add toys or things to give mental stimulation for the birds. --If outside, add solar lights. This attracts insects to their enclosure, which gives the quail entertainment and an easy, interactive meal. --Consider supplemental heating if you live somewhere cold, this is especially needed if your waterer freezes. --If you are growing your flock for eggs, consider an 'on-the-wire' system that has an egg collection tray. This is more sanitary for the eggs you are collecting and makes egg collection a less disturbing event for your flock, since you don't have to startle the birds by reaching in for the eggs. --Consider side mounted treat trays, which can be used to provide a stationary place for the birds to access cuttle bone or an area that distributes treats, like fruit/vegetable material from your kitchen or meal worms from your meal worm farm. |
There are many different types of housing to choose from for your quail, and there are "pluses and minuses" with each type of housing. This section will help you to decide which type of housing is right for you and your quail. There are generally four types of housing choices that people use for housing their quail, 1) indoor cage, 2) outdoor cage, 3) outdoor tractor and 4) outdoor stationary coop housing. These four styles are shown with photos at the bottom of this page.
First, a look at housing quail "on the wire," which is a common method for rearing quail. This involves having a mesh type of bottom on an enclosure to allow quail waste to pass through. This is similar to how rabbits are raised. There are benefits and draw backs to using an 'on the wire' set up OR an outdoor set up. The outdoor set up allows the quail to forage and supplement their diet with greens and insects. This is good for your pocketbook and the birds by letting them pick and choose from their environment to meet some of their dietary needs. This outside rearing also mimics their natural environment better. However, letting the quail come into contact with the ground will exposure them to worms and diseases, especially through other wild avian species passing through the area attracted to fallen feed in your enclosure. (Though a low likelihood, H1N1 is an example of a disease that can bird jump). Your outdoor flock will need to be de-wormed regularly and perhaps tested for illnesses if large die offs become a problem. Additionally, outside raised quail have a greater chance of meeting an untimely end by a predator or even the neighbors dog. They are on the bottom of the food chain, and also may have higher stress levels from harassment of these predator species. Furthermore, the outdoors may be less comfortable depending on how extreme the weather is where you are located. These are all considerations to think about when making a decision for how you want to raise your quail and educating those that may stridently disagree with using any form of 'on the wire' system foer rearing quail. Some benefits of the wire system is that it is more sanitary than rearing quail on the ground. This keeps the quail from being exposed to worms and their own waste (less coccidiosis issues, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccidiosis, feet problems and accidental waste consumption). It also is better for birds since they will be exposed to less medications; no need to de-worm on a schedule. This makes for cleaner meat and eggs, and healthier, less medicated birds. All this being said, if you grow your flocks on the wire, it is believed by some that the wire is hard on the quails feet. You can mediate some of this concern by purchasing PVC coated mesh wire, which makes a softer surface for the birds to walk on, prevents the metal from rust and therefore, lasts longer than non coated wire. Additionally, you should install and provide areas in the enclosure that are non-wire bottomed. Let the birds pick where they want to be. In this way, you can compromise and get the best of both worlds for your birds. |
Some DIY enclosure ideas
indoor
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outdoor
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outdoor
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Outdoor stationary coopS
Hoop houses make great economical choices for DIY outdoor quail enclosures.
They are also easy to weather proof with a tarp.
This is a less fancy example, but still another great DIY outdoor coop option for quail.
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