How I built my quail cages

A quick tutorial on how I built my rack system in my garage for my quail. Complete with drawers to catch the poop, outside mounted feeders and automated water cups.

[@andrejacobs1196]

Man. watched a lot of videos to check the basic setup and finally come across someone that explains what they did WHILE pointing the camera at what they are talking about. easy, effective, and practical. thanks.

[@UrbanAviary]

Thanks for the kind words my friend.

[@kmonnier]

Quail are so beautiful and fun to care for. I like your setup and appreciate the info on what you would improve.

[@manazmohamed7804]

I had the same idea. Just want to see some more tips. I found your tips are valubale and learn some more. I apprciate what you have explained. Thanks alot

[@johnsingleton7548]

I just started building mine I got a lot of design ideas from this video. thanks

[@rayacosta5070]

i am new to the raising quail and this video help me a lot thank you very much i am following you from hardeeville sc

[@emjayws]

Thank you for a great, easily understood video. It will help us a great deal. Much appreciated!

[@treeoflove3320]

Nice man !! that's really a heads up for my Project,,, nice ideas being implemented by you !! really appreciate in sharing your experience:)

[@eltee9547]

I'm glad I discovered your channel. I'm about about to start raising quail and from what I've seen so far, you seem to have a lot of good info which will help accelerate my knowledge and get me moving in the right direction. Thank you.

[@UrbanAviary]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@MsSarah999]

I love the feeder on this system.

[@carolleenkelmann4751]

Some great ideas. Thanks. And you are easy to listen to.

[@MisterMitchMM]

Looks great. I look forward to learning from your Urban Aviary experiences.

[@UrbanAviary]

Thank you sir, I appreciate that!

[@dougiejones7270]

Urban Aviary one time I punched a cow, just wanted to let you know

[@mycedarridge]

Beautiful cage!

[@reebertJunkman]

Love your feeders

[@dieselpeterson6993]

i like the cage idea and the food dish idea too as cage

[@dieselpeterson6993]

i like the cages idea it look great ☺😀

[@cupcakeblingcupcake2351]

this is so creative!!!

[@dieselpeterson6993]

i like the cage idea and the food dish idea too as cage. 😁😉😯

[@SothonHem]

It's such good quail system

[@picachufan2000]

I love how you use your ducks as vacuums

[@UrbanAviary]

They do a great job of it!

[@salihyekta6472]

Nice work bro. Thank you

[@hussamkaabnah6682]

Thank you brother my Quail start to make eggs that i tallked about them 4 days ago ,you are the best

[@UrbanAviary]

Congrats my friend!!

[@b13nissan]

Thanks for great ideas.

[@dieselpeterson6993]

i like the cage idea and the food dish idea too as cage.

[@stevesoutdoorworld4340]

Nice setup.

[@eddiehebiton5312]

It is really cool I love it

[@mccaskillfarmstead4244]

Awesome thanks for sharing . Just subbed!

[@dragond5397]

Incredible Dr. pole

[@dragond5397]

Incredible drpole

[@emmanuelzimba1217]

Looking great the quails.

[@dieselpeterson6993]

i like the cages

[@soupaloopable]

I noticed some blood on the wire of your birds pen. I made the same mistake. You need to use coated wire to protect your quails feet.

[@ROBDee-ho9lu]

You should not use wire at all but only sand or hay.

[@reksmeyok1957]

That's genius. Thank

[@johnfitbyfaithnet]

Good ideas

[@thebamlife1775]

Looks great!! Can't wait to set mine up as well. Do you find the one solid piece of wiring without a brace is strong enough to support the weight of the birds?

[@UrbanAviary]

It certainly does, just make sure to put a staple at every other cross section of wire at least, if not every one. The problem I've found with the brace is that it creates a point of leverage for the wire mesh to bend and settle, thus creating a "pocket" on each side of the brace and the eggs have problems rolling all the way to the front. Those cages with the brace didn't have proper slope however. It may work OK with the brace and a solid piece of wire rather than a two piece design. Assuming it has sufficient slope.

[@martinba7279]

There are several things for constructing aviaries: Allow enough time. take advantage of ready made boat templates. (I learned about these and more on Aviary magic method site )

[@behindthelastangel82]

Lot of flys around no good...... great job buddy

[@richardrobertson1331]

Nice set up. Thanks for sharing. I see a lot of wasted feed in your poop tray. Have you thought about ways of reducing feed waste?

[@seanbiantozit3012]

Excellent

[@xvanguardx8292]

Just discovered your channel, love what you're doing. I know this is an incredibly late comment but out of curiosity--do you ever ferment your feed? I've seen tons of chicken vlogs where they ferment feed and it reduces consumption by 1/3 and fixes the 'feed dust' and waste issues.

[@UrbanAviary]

I can honestly say I've never tried it. I'm not super familiar with what the benefits truly are.

[@xvanguardx8292]

@@UrbanAviary permaculturenews.org/2016/06/20/cut-your-chickens-feed-bill-by-fermenting/ Here's one of the articles regarding the Permaculture practice of fermenting chicken feed. I know next to nothing about quail so I don't have any way to compare the practice in chickens to quail. Let me know what you think, and thank you for taking the time to reply!

[@jessicahussey2875]

I’m just getting into quail. Want to do more of a natural set up than hutches. Have any suggestions? I’m planning on planting with different types of foraging grasses.

[@floot6799]

Oh wow, ... wow...finally a quail person who knows quail. I have seen at least 400 tubes on quail... This is the one, solid, works, faults explained. Does it get better than this for quail? I have owned quail a number of times. They are not forgiving. They have needs, they are just quail. That setup was awesome< I am gonna get back into quail and forgive me if I plagiarise and copy everything you have done... Cheers Floot

[@UrbanAviary]

+floot Plagiarise away my friend! And thank you!

[@jonathanfitzpatrick3090]

What size of holes is the steel grate you used for the front? Is it 1x1 or 2x2?

[@lifeonearth4139]

Sir ,what size of mesh you have used for the base and gauze of the mesh?

[@vanmongtran]

Thanks for sharing. I’m just learning to raise quails. Please support me and instruct how to build better

[@angierae403]

I love my quail hen

[@muhammedasifiqbal2272]

Nice Technic

[@puckuk1984]

do people think a the feeder on this system could be adapted for chickens and other fowl?

[@georgiaboy6426]

Nice setup. Is that 6" pipe the feeder is made of? I just got started with quail and was using j feeders but waaay too much waste. I made a no waste feeder but it takes up too much space inside the cages. If you still recommend this style feeder I will give it a try. Thanks for all the information you put out.

[@UrbanAviary]

You bet! It's actually four inch

[@cloakanddagger1]

@@UrbanAviary I am raising king quails in a brooding box and I have designed a feeder using a plastic plant base I purchased from my hardware store and a square seedling plant starter pots that I cut the tops out to let the feed come out and then I cut the bottom off and heat glue to the plate upside down. I am finding the seed stays mostly in the pot plant base. I discovered the bottom of a 2 litre soft drink bottle with feed in it is being used as a nest for three of my larger 3 week old chicks to sleep together in.

[@stanleyvo5198]

Can you tell more about quail feeding , and where to get those supplies.....please .

[@UrbanAviary]

You can get the supplies at Home Depot. I feed mine Turkey Starter. It has the consistancy and protein that quail need. A game bird starter would do well too.

[@craigriglin]

Over all I like the minimalistic simplistic design, but I wish there wasn’t so much grain spillage.

[@mercyeleos4776]

Thank you so much for your video... I am a single mom and thinking about raising quail instead of chickens. My thinking for doing this is that I find them way easier to butcher. How does raising quail for meat compare with one another... as far as cost?

[@UrbanAviary]

+Mercy Eleos Quail will eat less feed to get to slaughter, but not sure if pound for pound it's any cheaper. But you have to ask yourself as a single mom how much your time is worth? I can process a quail in less than a minute. A chicken would probably take me 5 once I became proficient at it. And if you pay someone to process them then it's defiantly not cheaper. I would still keep chickens around for eggs though.

[@Mundo_Diverso]

How did you make the drawing

[@VaughnMalecki]

Awesome cage. It's given me some great ideas. Do they have a more cold hardy quail?

[@UrbanAviary]

The Coturnix do just fine in the cold, and no quail produces the way they do.

[@VaughnMalecki]

Urban Aviary thanks. I saw that you said that in a later video. I think you said in a shed in the winter they were fine. What zone was that?

[@UrbanAviary]

Zone 6a

[@nadiam1389]

Love your videos, my dad has watched almost all of them! We have a question we hope you can answer: recently, our flock contracted bumble foot. The cages have 1/2 inch hardcloth wire mesh on the bottom, and they are cleaned very regularly. Despite our best efforts to maintain a clean environment, the bumble foot spread and we had to introduce antibiotics. Would it benefit the birds if we swapped out the hardcloth for some kind of coated mesh wire? Any thoughts you have would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

[@UrbanAviary]

+nadiam1389 That may help. It would certainly be a bit easier on their feet. If there's any possible way to set up a soft bedding area for them to recoop in, that would be best. But that's not always feasible. I don't like using antibiotics as an automatic thing for everything, but in this situation it's defiantly a good idea and I would do the same. If you can set up a small area with soft bedding and rotate them through it a few at a time every few days, that might be the best way to prevent it and help them heal. Please email me and update me on what action you take and how your flock is doing. And let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks for watching and for the kind words, it makes what I do worth doing.

[@ivanalalusic2029]

nadiam1389 i would never even consider putting any animal on mesh flooring! Just put some bedding or put them on solid floor, you will need to clean more but its so much better for their feet. Bumble foot is caused when an animal is constantly scraping its feet on usually wire or mesh and those scrapes invite bacteria which causes infection and swelling. TAKE THEM OFF OF THE MESH!!!!!!!!!!!

[@503rpf]

No homestead raises chickens this way. Why the heck would people "raise" quail this way!?! One of the most mistreated animals in so called homesteads🙄

[@clairetemplar9370]

@@503rpf I'm appalled too. This is basically a battery system. Limited light, no greens. They're not able to express natural behaviour. Look at them pacing. It's awful. And I bet it stinks :-(

[@cyberlink401]

You have a simple and nice setup buddy #cyberlink

[@smithrudy8780]

Nice Quail. How many Mice do you have? Looks like tons of droppings all over the floor.

[@missyrabbit5250]

What feed do you use and what is male to female ratio?

[@MisterMitchMM]

I like the mesh you used for the cage doors. What gauge is it and where did you source it?

[@UrbanAviary]

I got it at a local steel supply house, Triple S Steel. I want to say it's 16 gauge, and it's 2 inch on the spacing.

[@MisterMitchMM]

Urban Aviary Thank you.

[@UrbanAviary]

You bet!

[@albassett9755]

Looks more like about a 9 gauge to me....16 gauge is about the size of the wire on your basic chain-link fence.

[@stevesoutdoorworld4340]

What is your main thing-meat birds? nice setup!

[@UrbanAviary]

Thanks! Both eggs and meat actually.

[@matapegheata7257]

Nice setup! How many automated water cups you got per cage/quail? Also, how did some of the feed ended up on the floor?

[@UrbanAviary]

+Mata Pegheata Just one per cage, and I've had as many as 20 in a cage at once. And no one goes thirsty. The feed got there because I was rolling the feeders to far back so they could access it too easily and make a mess. They need to have to work for it a bit to prevent them from being too messy.

[@matapegheata7257]

Urban Aviary How does having to work for it prevent them from being too messy? Sorry I didn't get that. xD

[@master6676]

A little higher they have to stretch a bit bit cant really play in the food.

[@UrbanAviary]

Yes Jim, exactly

[@AC3dAvE]

Sorry if I missed but how do the eggs fall into that "metal net"/gauge? I too have a small backyard quail farm and I collect the eggs by hand from inside the cage.

[@UrbanAviary]

The floor is sloped and it runs just a few inches out of the cage, where it is turned upwards to stop the eggs from rolling all the way on to the floor.

[@bikrantkhanal3312]

how Many quail can b put into 7sq feet(3.5X2ft) cage

[@bikrantkhanal3312]

What is the size of the hole @ front net...& plz tell me how inch should b gap for coming eggs outside?????

[@jackschmitt3167]

I may have missed it in the video, and if so I apologize, but what is the spacing of the wire? The hardware cloth on the floor looks like 1/2" and the walls look 2", but I'd think they'd be able to escape through 2". I've never raised quail, so I don't know, but my chickens can get through some rather small spaces...

[@UrbanAviary]

The largest holes are the two inch squares of the door. I tried putting younger quail in them and they can escape but once they are six weeks or so they can't.

[@foisalahmmed6345]

nice...

[@ms-wm2px]

bravo

[@JaydLawrence]

How big are the holes on the front mesh? Are they 2 inch wide?

[@UrbanAviary]

Yes

[@GN-vq9fo]

That's a great video. Do u need any type of license to grow quail at home ?

[@UrbanAviary]

Depends on where you live. In my state it's legal.

[@dud719]

In North Carolina we need a game bird/ pheasant license. Of course each state is different.

[@tanushmy]

Wats your cage size?

[@GR-nc5xi]

Do you sell fertile eggs?

[@rubiacirigliano4469]

Hello you videos are very informative. I would like to raise some quails here in South Florida but having a hard time finding quails bear me. What do you suggest?

[@UrbanAviary]

You planning to incubate or start with birds?

[@rubiacirigliano4469]

Urban Aviary we would like to start with birds.

[@rubiacirigliano4469]

Urban Aviary we would like to start with birds

[@UrbanAviary]

What city are you in?

[@UrbanAviary]

Email me at [e-mail]

[@helenplathe2709]

What's the store's name where you bought the thick metal mesh?

[@UrbanAviary]

SSS Steel

[@lolmoreland3605]

a lot of quail in those cages,i would keep 4 at the most,in each cage and they have nothing to occupy themselves.

[@thedistinguished5255]

he's exploiting them for eggs :(

[@think_green]

Can I get the simple pencil diagram of the whole cage please?

[@user-hg7hq8zc8t]

j'aime bcp t video

[@TheNanaweaver]

do you have the plans or measurements for this

[@UrbanAviary]

I don't, sorry

[@anthonyspicer874]

👍

[@dinudr5872]

Is it necessary to give them light at night ?

[@UrbanAviary]

No, just so long as they get 14 hours of light per day.

[@quailersath689]

HI I WANTED TO ASK WHAT ABOUT YOUR FERTILITY RATE OF EGGS ON WIRE AS MINES IS LOWER ON FERTILITY

[@UrbanAviary]

I've never really compared it to anything so I don't really know. I can tell you that I don't have any fertility problems with my birds though.

[@robertsmith2199]

About what are the dimensions of each of the cages and how many quail do you house on them?

[@UrbanAviary]

About 2 feet wide and 1 and a half deep. Around 10 in each one.

[@syntacticalcrab]

...You cram 10 birds into a space meant for 3, max? Wtf man.

[@silvergarcia9897]

@@syntacticalcrab he gave them a little more than the minimum space requirements, so it's not that bad. Of course the ideal would be for them to free range in a large tractor but not everyone can provide that, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be allowed to have access to healthier food for themselves and their family

[@sandramort37]

Is it possible to make those doors for a dresser without the drawers?

[@UrbanAviary]

I imagine so

[@grantrippon3653]

I have one Chukar Quail it is nearly three weeks old what should I feed it? At the moment I am feeding it Dried Meal worms, greens and quail seed

[@UrbanAviary]

Turkey starter or game bird starter

[@rp101aquatics6]

I want to make a pen for some quails that 4ftx4ft how high do i need to make it and how many quails can i keep

[@williamjones6053]

No more than 16 inches because quail are flighty birds and you risk scaring them and the break necks on top of cage when they fly ..

[@williamjones6053]

Some folks go with 12 inches ..I don't like that as well as 16 for extra room to clean

[@magicofoilwithbenlashley8807]

Not bad. Except for the wasted food. Those waters get poop in them, they arent the best for quail. I have a system that keeps the water perfectly clean always, and never a drop wasted. Also a system for the food. Youre close with what you have, but with some slight modifications, you can have zero wasted food.

[@wildturkeyb4]

where do you buy the waters?

[@eamonnsmith4747]

Free range ??????

[@theshark2005]

dont they little feet hurt from standing on that wire all the time :( ?

[@UrbanAviary]

I've found that this half by half wire does do a number on their feet. I've since gone to half by one inch and they do much better.

[@alexwang982]

Add a drawer tray slightly over the wite bottom and put some grass or hay on it. Pull it out every few days to switch out the grass.

[@williamjones6053]

I throw pine straw in mine ..being in Mississippi a few minutes with rake and presto truckload of straw ..

[@bikeburgular668]

William Jones thanks for the idea 👍🏼

[@ROBDee-ho9lu]

Of course it hurts their feet!!!

[@simonh3496]

What kind of quail are those

[@UrbanAviary]

Coturnix

[@jehadjojo4115]

What is the food that incrases in eqq broduction

[@UrbanAviary]

Game bird feed or turkey starter

[@diazaneira]

where do you buy the food for quail?

[@UrbanAviary]

Local feed store

[@kernowbikers1266]

Instead of diagonal screws or brackets for shelves just screw from outside in

[@UrbanAviary]

The wood tends to split if you do that

[@503rpf]

@@UrbanAviary Pre drill🙄

[@robsonrobson4008]

Nice. Fat wood like for pigs😉

[@sarachenn6049]

How do they get lights?

[@UrbanAviary]

I have a shop light on a timer.

[@ethan_5769]

How many square feet does 1 bobwhite need?

[@alexwang982]

2

[@alexwang982]

I use 2.5 though

[@user-dl2rp8tx2g]

👌🏻💧

[@MrHandoverfist]

what is the cage diameter on that feeder door?

[@UrbanAviary]

2 inch I believe, it might be 2 1/2

[@WeUseIt2]

We have been looking at videos for a long time to see what we wanted to build! This video is an awesome video with a bunch of great ideas we will use on the next cage we build. Check out our first cage! kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqW9mpKXnMx0aNU

[@bossassnigga8534]

How many do you have per cage?

[@UrbanAviary]

10 on average

[@maxsiatfarmchannel9449]

Uhhhh your voice same cowboy...😍😍😍😍😍😙😘😘😙

[@jimclaire7996]

Greetings, do you have a Vedic on an incubator?

[@UrbanAviary]

I'm not sure what that is

[@cloakanddagger1]

I think they meant verdic . An incubator must produce a humid environment as quail eggs are hard to break out of and the humidity softens the egg shell . Mine is 70% humidity and has an alarm if humidity falls - means more water in the water tray of incubator. Mine keeps the eggs at 37.8 degrees Celsius and turns the eggs.. One thing I had to add was an aluminum fly wire on top of the lower plastic tray with cable ties as the hatched chicks were falling into the water tray underneath or getting hit by the fan underneath and perishing.. You also need a brooding box that keeps the quails at 35 degrees Celsius

[@Mundo_Diverso]

How do you know if the quail is for meat or eggs

[@lovesam786]

Please mention the dimensions

[@SocialSnipers]

Will they freak out if you suspend their cage over a duckweed pond set up?

[@UrbanAviary]

I highly doubt it, that sounds like a cool setup

[@SocialSnipers]

@@UrbanAviary I've seen it done with rabbits, it would provide a source of protein AND you wont need pine shavings or trays for poop. Just space for a kiddie pool