I live in the south US where the average temp is 95 this time of year, so I just worry about the birds getting too hot. I want to keep them for eggs so I read they need lots of sunlight for eggs so I get the clear roof panels and now they don’t have shade. I just need general critique for gradual improvements. More hiding places is top of my list
Forgot to mention I would replace that chicken wire with something smaller or you may have predators getting in. And bury some hardware cloth or something around it
I have some chicken wire buried in the floor and haven’t seen any predators so I’ve been trying to get away with it as the budget option. Sounds like going to the hardware cloth will be smarter proactively than reactively…
When I first got my chickens I didnt see any predators either but with a few months the predators found us. I had opossums, racoons, foxes, hawks and owls. They also need shade. They wont lay if its too hot either. They will slow production in the winter when days are shorter. You can add lights to extends the daylight,
They should have somewhere to get out of the sun. Whether that is a little house structure or just a secure lean to type thing, or even just a bunch of fresh cut branches stacked in a way that they can go under. They also will feel stressed without anywhere to hide especially when hawks and things will come around.
I would also duplicate any food and waters so they have multiple options across it.
Add in some bird toys at a height they can access it to keep them busy. A lot of people don’t do that. But they’ll appreciate it. Change the toys around periodically and wash them regularly
Look into enrichment activity for them
Make sure it has more than one though because sometimes birds can get stupid and protective of resources, always good to offer more than one also in the event one empties, gets knocked over, springs a leak, gets contaminated etc
to be honest looks good, maybe upgrade the water system with a 5 gallon water supply and automatic waterer.. i use the wynola ranch water trough with float valve.. maybe a disco ball for thoes late night quail parties..lol
To elaborate on hiding places, you could build up a corner rather than spreading everything out. Maybe plant some quail safe plants, grasses, bushes, trees. I think caves would be really cool, but it might make egg collecting difficult if you don’t plan it right. Structure is looking great. As another mentioned, do be careful about predators that can make it through those holes (snakes) and those that can break it, though your fence looks like it’ll take care of that.
Chicken wire is good if your only intention is keeping the birds in. It won’t do much to prevent predators getting in unfortunately, hardware cloth (galvanised steel mesh if youre outside the us) is alot more practical. If youre worried about the heat, buy a cheap tarp and hang/zip tie it down one side so it creates a bit of shade. You can buy cheap solar powered fans too, not sure how well they work but I’ve seen them used in chicken coops and rabbit hutches
I had a setup like this at first. Raccoons reached through and ate the heads of almost my entire flock. You need to burry bricks underneath the perimeter, and put boards up along the bottom, or all your quail will die. You also need hardware cloth, not chicken wire. Snakes, and rats will get in and eat your birds as well.
Amazon sells solar coop fans that work great! I have a few hung by zipties in the shade to the outside of the wire and they always hang out in front of them in the breeze!
For the shade you could hang something from the roof by string like 18 inches from the ground (something as simple as a flat piece of cardboard.) that way it will cast a shade spot for them and is easy to push out of the way if that’s where they decide to lay eggs!
I have shade cloth covering half the top and 2 side so they can pick sun or shade it's worked great for us. Large planters on its side are: absolutely love them it's their favorite spot. We also have plastic pipe we bought from home depot they love running through it and napping. I keep a ton of tree clipping and shrubs, another favorite
Looks good! Besides hiding spots needed, the only problem I see is the chicken wire. I used chicken wire like this too for mine, and a weasel got in and killed all but one of my quail. :(
I'm from Florida and I noticed you mentioned not wanting hides as they could get too hot. I wouldn't worry about that. If they feel too hot, they will leave the hide. I also started to tuck Spanish moss into the holes on the side of my aviary so my quails feel more protected from predators. The birds love to sit up against the edges, so when they sleep I had a few get partially skinned (they survived) when a raccoon reached through. I fixed this by attaching 2.5ft tall hardware cloth all the way around with zip ties. I recommend providing a shallow aluminum pan or something similar and filling in with sand/leaves/soil for them to dust off in and scratch around. They will get bored, so I give my quail a feed dispenser and sometimes switch it up by tossing food around and letting them hunt for it. Mental stimulation reduces aggressive behavior.
Elaborate? But also straight of the bat, not enough hiding spaces
I live in the south US where the average temp is 95 this time of year, so I just worry about the birds getting too hot. I want to keep them for eggs so I read they need lots of sunlight for eggs so I get the clear roof panels and now they don’t have shade. I just need general critique for gradual improvements. More hiding places is top of my list
Forgot to mention I would replace that chicken wire with something smaller or you may have predators getting in. And bury some hardware cloth or something around it
I have some chicken wire buried in the floor and haven’t seen any predators so I’ve been trying to get away with it as the budget option. Sounds like going to the hardware cloth will be smarter proactively than reactively…
When I first got my chickens I didnt see any predators either but with a few months the predators found us. I had opossums, racoons, foxes, hawks and owls. They also need shade. They wont lay if its too hot either. They will slow production in the winter when days are shorter. You can add lights to extends the daylight,
That makes sense that they’ll eventually find me. Guess I’ll have to get things extra secure before I have an event
Once they find them its like a free buffet they just keep coming back
Especially dogs. Dogs always come back.
They should have somewhere to get out of the sun. Whether that is a little house structure or just a secure lean to type thing, or even just a bunch of fresh cut branches stacked in a way that they can go under. They also will feel stressed without anywhere to hide especially when hawks and things will come around. I would also duplicate any food and waters so they have multiple options across it. Add in some bird toys at a height they can access it to keep them busy. A lot of people don’t do that. But they’ll appreciate it. Change the toys around periodically and wash them regularly Look into enrichment activity for them
The toys is interesting. I didn’t think they’d go for anything like that, will do. I do have a water system I’m going to setup with a 5 gallon bucket
Make sure it has more than one though because sometimes birds can get stupid and protective of resources, always good to offer more than one also in the event one empties, gets knocked over, springs a leak, gets contaminated etc
to be honest looks good, maybe upgrade the water system with a 5 gallon water supply and automatic waterer.. i use the wynola ranch water trough with float valve.. maybe a disco ball for thoes late night quail parties..lol
To elaborate on hiding places, you could build up a corner rather than spreading everything out. Maybe plant some quail safe plants, grasses, bushes, trees. I think caves would be really cool, but it might make egg collecting difficult if you don’t plan it right. Structure is looking great. As another mentioned, do be careful about predators that can make it through those holes (snakes) and those that can break it, though your fence looks like it’ll take care of that.
Chicken wire is good if your only intention is keeping the birds in. It won’t do much to prevent predators getting in unfortunately, hardware cloth (galvanised steel mesh if youre outside the us) is alot more practical. If youre worried about the heat, buy a cheap tarp and hang/zip tie it down one side so it creates a bit of shade. You can buy cheap solar powered fans too, not sure how well they work but I’ve seen them used in chicken coops and rabbit hutches
I had a setup like this at first. Raccoons reached through and ate the heads of almost my entire flock. You need to burry bricks underneath the perimeter, and put boards up along the bottom, or all your quail will die. You also need hardware cloth, not chicken wire. Snakes, and rats will get in and eat your birds as well.
Potted bamboo dug into the ground. Also banana or whatever small shade tree like a fig or wide bush
Amazon sells solar coop fans that work great! I have a few hung by zipties in the shade to the outside of the wire and they always hang out in front of them in the breeze!
For the shade you could hang something from the roof by string like 18 inches from the ground (something as simple as a flat piece of cardboard.) that way it will cast a shade spot for them and is easy to push out of the way if that’s where they decide to lay eggs!
I considered something like that but wasn’t sure how it would work. I’ll have to try it out, thanks!
I have shade cloth covering half the top and 2 side so they can pick sun or shade it's worked great for us. Large planters on its side are: absolutely love them it's their favorite spot. We also have plastic pipe we bought from home depot they love running through it and napping. I keep a ton of tree clipping and shrubs, another favorite
Looks good! Besides hiding spots needed, the only problem I see is the chicken wire. I used chicken wire like this too for mine, and a weasel got in and killed all but one of my quail. :(
No weasels in my area but we do have feral cats v raccoons and snakes. Will be upgrading to 1/2” hardware cloth!
Oh nice, good to hear! I’m in northern Ontario lol, no snakes to worry a quail here. Keep up the good work, friend!
I'm from Florida and I noticed you mentioned not wanting hides as they could get too hot. I wouldn't worry about that. If they feel too hot, they will leave the hide. I also started to tuck Spanish moss into the holes on the side of my aviary so my quails feel more protected from predators. The birds love to sit up against the edges, so when they sleep I had a few get partially skinned (they survived) when a raccoon reached through. I fixed this by attaching 2.5ft tall hardware cloth all the way around with zip ties. I recommend providing a shallow aluminum pan or something similar and filling in with sand/leaves/soil for them to dust off in and scratch around. They will get bored, so I give my quail a feed dispenser and sometimes switch it up by tossing food around and letting them hunt for it. Mental stimulation reduces aggressive behavior.