Building my quail house!

[Sky5678]

Hello! I will be raising Coturnix quail for the first time this summer, and I'm currently planning out their house. I created this thread to post updates, and get insight from the community. I've never done woodworking, so if any experienced builders could give me some feedback on my sketch attached, it would make my day.

The main features I wanted my build to have is the ability to give the quails a more natural environment through raising them on a deep litter system with plants, but also being portable and being able to store it under my deck during the winter months. I might add wheels to the quail house's legs but I'm unsure about what size. I'm also trying to find a transparent material that can be used outdoors to act as the roof.

I'm on vacation now but when I get home I'll try to make a 3D model if I have the time to. For now, I'm working on improving my original sketch.

 

[el dorado quail]

So what is the bottom material going to be made of that you're going to put plants/deep litter in? Clear/transparent roofing material could be old windows, corrugated plastic, but you'll want to be careful not to cook them. Your design reminds me of a cold frame but for quail.
As far as "woodworking" goes you're not doing any carving so don't be too intimidated. Youtube is amazing to learn how to use tools if you've never used them.

My aviary (planning to build in a week or 2) is going to have 80% HWC 20% solid roof to let rain permeate but have a covered section to provide shelter from rain/snow. I'm also going to plant some shrubs and make some little stick cabins/teepees out of apple scions from spring pruning.

 

[le_bwah]

Yay! So glad you want to raise them (and raise them this way)! For 3D modeling, look into Google SketchUp if you haven't already—there's a free version that's plenty powerful. Also, Suntuf makes good plastic roofing panels in a variety of colors and opacities.

My only carpentry experience is in building my own aviaries, but I'd like to share some thoughts on that initial sketch regardless:

• 5 ft is deep for something that short. I'm assuming the doors will open from the top? Unless it's outside your budget, you might sketch up some designs with taller walls (3-4 ft)—then you could reach in through side-opening doors easily and the birds would have room to hop and flutter without hitting their heads (also could grow taller plants!).
• Automatic feeders/waterers are GREAT as long as you can guarantee they stay clean enough. I'm curious what your design is for those (I've been looking to make my own for a while now).
• There are quite a few quail in that sketch—how many do you want to keep? More than 10-15 in that space will require frequent cleaning/turning of bedding.
• Deep litter is a great way to go, but it requires a minimum depth (6-8 inches, if I remember correctly) and contact with soil (i.e. the ground). Without those, it tends not to break down and is really more of a "deep bedding"— this works, too, but you have to maintain it a bit differently and wouldn't be as plantable.
• Any reason it can't just be built on the ground? Moving something that large will be cumbersome, even with wheels—might be better to find a spot in the yard it can be set up permanently/semi-permanently, even if you have to change its size or shape.

Really happy you want to raise quail on a kinder substrate, and if you do wind up doing it on a raised platform I'll be excited to see how that turns out. Keep us updated!

 

[DK newbie]

I agree that the size is not very mobile. And collecting eggs is likely to be an issue. You can comfortably reach about 2ft into a cage if you have a decently large door, in this case you'd need to be able to reach in from both sides and even then you'd have to lean above the cage. And beware of quail jumping/flying out with those huge doors (assuming the doors are the 3 sections on top of the cage). Also, it you're going to do plants, you'll need a cage floor that can handle water. That's probably expensive.
I'd either go a little smaller - like a couple of pens that are 2 x 6 ft - or go for something aviary like instead, where you can walk around with the birds when collecting eggs. Perhaps an aviary for the summer and a pen under the deck for the winter? (and for brooding chicks, separating roos, keeping sick birds and so on for the rest of the year).

 

[le_bwah]

I agree that the size is not very mobile. And collecting eggs is likely to be an issue. You can comfortably reach about 2ft into a cage if you have a decently large door, in this case you'd need to be able to reach in from both sides and even then you'd have to lean above the cage. And beware of quail jumping/flying out with those huge doors (assuming the doors are the 3 sections on top of the cage). Also, it you're going to do plants, you'll need a cage floor that can handle water. That's probably expensive.
I'd either go a little smaller - like a couple of pens that are 2 x 6 ft - or go for something aviary like instead, where you can walk around with the birds when collecting eggs. Perhaps an aviary for the summer and a pen under the deck for the winter? (and for brooding chicks, separating roos, keeping sick birds and so on for the rest of the year).

OP seems stuck between two different design philosophies—raised hutches and ground pens. It might serve you better, @Sky5678 , to lean in one direction over the other, rather than merge the two.

A hutch might be filled with sand (think raised sandbox) and dry natural cover—no dampness, but enriched birds. People also do deep bedding or normal bedding (the clean-out-every-few-days kind) in hutches.

A ground pen is much more viable when you can walk inside to clean, do maintenance, inspect birds and collect eggs. But if a full-height ground pen is out of your price range, maybe look into one you could access by bending at the waist. All I really know is I have loved being able to walk in with my birds.

I'd be happy to help with cost-cutting and the design process—I've got lots of ideas and some experience modeling them.

 

[Fishkeeper]

Question: when you say you want to store it in the winter months, do you mean you don't plan to have any birds then? Maybe you could make a stand-up pen that has bolts holding it together, so it can be taken apart for storage.

 

[Sky5678]

So what is the bottom material going to be made of that you're going to put plants/deep litter in? Clear/transparent roofing material could be old windows, corrugated plastic, but you'll want to be careful not to cook them. Your design reminds me of a cold frame but for quail.
As far as "woodworking" goes you're not doing any carving so don't be too intimidated. Youtube is amazing to learn how to use tools if you've never used them.

My aviary (planning to build in a week or 2) is going to have 80% HWC 20% solid roof to let rain permeate but have a covered section to provide shelter from rain/snow. I'm also going to plant some shrubs and make some little stick cabins/teepees out of apple scions from spring pruning.

Bottom material would be wood, but I’m not sure how it would hold up with all the moisture. I did think about staining it or covering with a exterior paint.

Yay! So glad you want to raise them (and raise them this way)! For 3D modeling, look into Google SketchUp if you haven't already—there's a free version that's plenty powerful. Also, Suntuf makes good plastic roofing panels in a variety of colors and opacities.

My only carpentry experience is in building my own aviaries, but I'd like to share some thoughts on that initial sketch regardless:

• 5 ft is deep for something that short. I'm assuming the doors will open from the top? Unless it's outside your budget, you might sketch up some designs with taller walls (3-4 ft)—then you could reach in through side-opening doors easily and the birds would have room to hop and flutter without hitting their heads (also could grow taller plants!).
• Automatic feeders/waterers are GREAT as long as you can guarantee they stay clean enough. I'm curious what your design is for those (I've been looking to make my own for a while now).
• There are quite a few quail in that sketch—how many do you want to keep? More than 10-15 in that space will require frequent cleaning/turning of bedding.
• Deep litter is a great way to go, but it requires a minimum depth (6-8 inches, if I remember correctly) and contact with soil (i.e. the ground). Without those, it tends not to break down and is really more of a "deep bedding"— this works, too, but you have to maintain it a bit differently and wouldn't be as plantable.
• Any reason it can't just be built on the ground? Moving something that large will be cumbersome, even with wheels—might be better to find a spot in the yard it can be set up permanently/semi-permanently, even if you have to change its size or shape.

Really happy you want to raise quail on a kinder substrate, and if you do wind up doing it on a raised platform I'll be excited to see how that turns out. Keep us updated!

I did research into Suntuf but the groves in their roofing seems kind of confusing. I really would want a larger house that comes in contact with the ground for them, but my family really likes their yard (unless I can convince them otherwise lol) and where I live, it snows a lot, and even if the quails can handle the cold, I’m not so sure about the wind or how wet my yard gets when the snow melts. Can I have soil from my garden inside of the enclosure? For the feeder and waterer, they’re not definite designs, I just found something like them online. They will probably be gravity powered, with the food/water source flowing inside. Water would be supplied through chicken nipples, and food would be PVC pipe with holes. Not entirely sure if it will work, I need to test several methods to see what’s best. I might go with rabbit water bottles instead as I heard they’re really good at keeping the quails, and the bedding dry.

I agree that the size is not very mobile. And collecting eggs is likely to be an issue. You can comfortably reach about 2ft into a cage if you have a decently large door, in this case you'd need to be able to reach in from both sides and even then you'd have to lean above the cage. And beware of quail jumping/flying out with those huge doors (assuming the doors are the 3 sections on top of the cage). Also, it you're going to do plants, you'll need a cage floor that can handle water. That's probably expensive.
I'd either go a little smaller - like a couple of pens that are 2 x 6 ft - or go for something aviary like instead, where you can walk around with the birds when collecting eggs. Perhaps an aviary for the summer and a pen under the deck for the winter? (and for brooding chicks, separating roos, keeping sick birds and so on for the rest of the year).

The small pen idea sounds really interesting! My deck is built so that either a large 5x10 can fit under, or several small things can go under, there’s a beam that prevents anything bigger than the 5x10. I’m also looking to keep quail for different purposes, mainly egg production but also breeding colors and meat so it also could be an organization method. @le_bwah mentioned before that keeping that many quails in my sketch will require me to turn the bedding very frequently, but I think if I go this route with several small pens I can keep the same number of quails but provide them with a lot more space, and make it easier for me to maintain them.

The aviary sounds good too, as long as I can somehow keep the grass alive. Perhaps moving the aviary around every few weeks and waiting for the grass to regrow with the compost from deep litter could work (my soil is really bad for growing plants)

OP seems stuck between two different design philosophies—raised hutches and ground pens. It might serve you better, @Sky5678 , to lean in one direction over the other, rather than merge the two.

A hutch might be filled with sand (think raised sandbox) and dry natural cover—no dampness, but enriched birds. People also do deep bedding or normal bedding (the clean-out-every-few-days kind) in hutches.

A ground pen is much more viable when you can walk inside to clean, do maintenance, inspect birds and collect eggs. But if a full-height ground pen is out of your price range, maybe look into one you could access by bending at the waist. All I really know is I have loved being able to walk in with my birds.

I'd be happy to help with cost-cutting and the design process—I've got lots of ideas and some experience modeling them.

I would love to hear your ideas! I’m in need of inspiration

 

[Sky5678]

Question: when you say you want to store it in the winter months, do you mean you don't plan to have any birds then? Maybe you could make a stand-up pen that has bolts holding it together, so it can be taken apart for storage.

I mean by slide it under the deck so the birds stay dry and warm

 

[el dorado quail]

I agree that you should look into making a ground-contact enclosure/aviary. A wood bottom has the potatoes to rot, become a hiding ground for parasites, and possibly make reallll nasty smells. If your family likes their yard see if you could incorporate an aviary into landscaped elements. Also putting the quail under a deck wouldn't necessarily work, they need light and then you'd potentially have to crawl in there with them? Plus I know my deck gets very wet and drippy underneath...

 

[le_bwah]

I tweaked my old walk-in design to fit your 5x10 footprint for visualization purposes—you could show it to your family so they have a better idea of what something that wide looks like when you make it human-tall.

A major draw for my family was the possibility of using the aviary for chickens/ducks or wild quail when I'm out of the picture. They thought it was too big at first, now they call it "functional yard art" . Really hoping your family sees the beauty in happy quail and lets you pick out a spot in the yard.